New Exhibit, Statue Unveiled at BHoF

Black Baseball Experience Focus of Weekend, Season

By CHARLIE VASCELLARO
COOPERSTOWN

When historic Doubleday Field in Cooperstown opened on the site of a cow pasture in September of 1920, who could have imagined a scene like this year’s inaugural East-West Classic celebration and re-creation of the Negro Leagues All-Star game?

Twenty-seven years before Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier in 1947, and 19 years before the opening of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, like much of American society, professional baseball at most levels was a segregated institution.

And so, the appearance of two dozen recently-retired Black major leaguers, 10 Black Hall of Famers serving as honorary coaches, and 2014 Little League World Series legend Mo’ne Davis (the first girl, now woman, to earn a victory in Series play) may have constituted the largest gathering of Black players—certainly the biggest number of Black major leaguers—to participate in a game on Doubleday Field.

Fueled by former Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard’s three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning, the East defeated the West 5-4 in front of a capacity crowd of 5,740 and Howard was named the game’s MVP. The game was marked more by its pageantry than its competition and was resplendent in celebrating Negro League’s history, with player’s donning uniforms of well-known and regionally applicable historic franchises including the Kansas City Monarchs, Homestead Grays, Birmingham Barons, Newark Eagles, and Detroit Stars. Former Baltimore Orioles center fielder Adam Jones looked perfectly at home in a Baltimore Elite (pronounced E-Light) Giants uniform.

The Doubleday Field grandstand behind home plate was filled with family, friends, and descendants of recently-retired Black major league players, Black Hall of Famers, and Negro Leagues stars.

The exhibition game was the brainchild of former Hall of Fame curator John Odell, who died before he could see it in the summer of 2023, and a major component of the Hall of Fame’s new Black Baseball Initiative, a multi-pronged approach to sharing Black baseball stories.

“The National Baseball Hall of Fame’s new initiative will provide greater depth to the stories of the Black baseball experience, including Black voices and interpretations, while incorporating new research that addresses society’s evolving understanding of racism and its impact on the National Pastime—all while celebrating Black culture through the lens of baseball,” said Josh Rawitch, president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

Another vibrant and engaging element of the initiative is the opening of “The Souls of the Game: Voices of Black Baseball” exhibit, honoring the history of Black baseball and celebrating its impact on the game and on the United States.

The exbibit opened with a virtual ribbon-cutting ceremony in the Hall of Fame’s Grandstand Theater on Friday, May 24. There were too many people in attendance to hold the ceremony in front of the exhibit. The first rows of the theater were occupied by more than a dozen Hall of Famers, who joined Rawitch and Hall of Fame Chairman Jane Forbes Clark on the stage.

“The Souls of the Game” exhibit replaces the hall’s previous “Ideals and Injustices a.k.a. Pride and Passion” exhibit that opened in 1997 in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s big-league breakthrough.

The new exhibit was assisted in its creation by an advisory committee that included representatives from Major League Baseball, the MLB Players Association, the Smithsonian Institution, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and the Players Alliance, as well as a dozen researchers, writers, and scholars.

Hall of Fame shortstop and board member Ozzie Smith was among the speakers at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“As a Black man, I’ve been proud to see the Hall of Fame take the time, the effort and the initiative to develop this project and to celebrate the accomplishments of those who came before and after me, as well as the challenges we have faced and continue to face,” said Smith, adding, “I’m proud to be included in this exhibit as one of the voices of Black baseball. And just like many of you, I am committed to ensuring that more and more young Black people fall in love with the game like all of us did.”

The East-West Game on Saturday, May 25 was the culmination of the weekend’s celebration of the Black baseball experience, beginning with the unveiling of a new statue of Hall of Fame slugger, civil rights activist, philanthropist and humanitarian Henry “Hank” Aaron in a private ceremony near the base of the museum’s Grand Staircase on the first-floor lobby beginning at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 23.

Sharing the room with the statue of Negro Leagues player, ambassador, oral historian and namesake of the Hall of Fame’s Buck O’Neil award, both statues were created by sculptor William Behrends. It’s fitting placement for Aaron, who also meets the criteria of candidates for the Buck O’Neil Award, which “honors an individual who enhances baseball’s positive image on society, who broadens the game’s appeal, and whose integrity and dignity are comparable to the namesake of the award, John Jordan “Buck” O’Neil.”

The new statue has been given the title “Keep Swinging,” derived from a favorite quote of Aaron’s, ending with his favorite phrase: “As long as there’s a chance that maybe I can hammer out a little justice now and then, or a little opportunity here and there, I intend to do as I always have—keep swinging.”

A group of approximately 60-70 attendees for the unveiling ceremony included most of the Hall of Famers in attendance for the East-West classic game, including pitchers Rollie Fingers and Jim Kaat, former New York Yankees manager and MLB executive Joe Torre, former commissioner of baseball and close friend of Aaron, Bud Selig, 2023 HOF inductee Fred McGriff, and 2003 inductee Eddie Murray, along with Jim Rice and Harold Baines. Also in attendance were former Ambassador to the United Nations, Mayor of Atlanta, Congressman from Georgia and Executive Director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Andrew Young and his wife, Carol.

Speakers included BHoF Chairman Jane Forbes Clark and Lieutenant Governor of New York Antonio Delgado, who delivered poignant introductory remarks.

Aaron’s wife of 48 years, Billye, gave a thoughtful and emotional speech: “To say that I am bursting at the seams with pride and joy is an understatement.”

Gazing upon the statue, Billye Aaron said, “It’s a reflection of Henry’s character and humbleness, it seems to be all there,” she said, smiling, “if you look hard enough.”

Aaron’s children, sons Hank (Hankie) Jr. and Larry, daughter Dorinda, and granddaughter Emily were in attendance.

Created with assistance from BHoF supporters Jane and Robert Croty and with the blessing of Billye Aaron, the statue recognizes Aaron’s accomplishments on and off the field.

“The legacy of Hank Aaron has always been about so much more than just his incredible baseball achievements,” said Clark. “His philanthropic vision, his support of youth empowerment efforts and his pioneering work as an executive have opened the doors of opportunity for millions throughout the United States and around the world. We are extremely privileged to care for and preserve his entire personal collection in Cooperstown, and this statue will stand forever as a tribute to an American hero.”

Aaron donated his entire collection of artifacts to the Hall of Fame in 2010.

Robert Croty previously provided sponsorship for the museum’s “Character and Courage” exhibit inside the museum’s entrance, featuring the statues of Roberto Clemente, Lou Gehrig and Jackie Robinson, the only three players honored by Major League Baseball with their own days of recognition.

“The idea came to me when Hank passed in January of 2021. I worked with the hall on the other three that we dedicated back on November 1, 2008, which I remember because it was the day before my 50th birthday. Fast forward to the day Hank passed. I picked up the phone and called Ken Meifert, (vice president, sponsorship and development) and said, ‘Hank Aaron is big and special, and I know you can’t do statues for everybody, but if you’re interested?’ We originally thought of adding him as a fourth (in the “Character and Courage” exhibit) in the front, but the previous sculptor had passed, so we wouldn’t have the same style and consistency,” said Croty, adding, “A decision was made to put Aaron by himself. Once they came to that decision, I ran it up the flagpole in February of 2021, when Jeff Idelson had come back into the fold as interim president of the hall. He said he wanted to make sure that Billye bought into the idea. What’s important to me is that Hank has a statue up there, and that ‘Keep Swinging’ quote.”

Croty’s connection to Aaron dates to his junior high school days in Kettering, Ohio.

“When I was 14, I was in junior high school in ninth grade in 1974. I was talking to my buddies about going to the game on Opening Day in Cincinnati. I told them ‘Hank Aaron is tied with Babe Ruth. This might be the day he breaks the record [Ruth’s record of 714 career home runs]. We agreed to skip out of school and made a run for it. The teachers were chasing after us. There were five of us.

“We hitchhiked all the way to Cincinnati, (approximately 50 miles) in two groups. We made it there and were immediately approached by a group of older ladies who told us they were skipping school, too, they were teachers. And they gave us tickets! They had extras. It was crazy how it all went down. We heard the roar of the crowd just as we were entering the ballpark. We missed seeing him hit it, but we saw him rounding the bases and heard him speak when they stopped play after the home run. We found our way up to our nose bleed seats. Later during the game, we found my dad sitting in his seat and told him we needed a ride home.”

Croty brought an entourage of relatives with him to the statue unveiling, including his young nephews, cousins and grandson.

“Having my grandson there was important to me. I wanted him there. He’s not old enough to understand now, but I’m hoping he’ll remember being there. I asked all of them to bring their kids and grandkids here because it’s all about connecting generations,” said Croty. “Name one institution other than baseball that does a better job of connecting generations.”