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<v Speaker 1>And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talker.

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<v Speaker 1>We're joined right now by a very special man, a

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<v Speaker 1>man that is keeping the voices alive of the Negro Leagues,

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<v Speaker 1>and he is the president of the Negro League Museum.

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<v Speaker 1>He is the best dressed man in Kansas City. That's

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<v Speaker 1>the one and only Bob Kendrick. Bob, thanks a lot

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<v Speaker 1>for joining us.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh, Dave, it was great to see you man. Thanks

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<v Speaker 2>so much for having me on the show.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, the franchise of Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Don Newcomb,

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<v Speaker 1>just to name a few. I mean, it is special

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<v Speaker 1>to come to Kansas City and see the museum.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, and there's a bridge between the two cities, because

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of people don't know, Dave, that Jackie Robinson's

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<v Speaker 2>illustrious professional baseball career began right here in Kansas City

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<v Speaker 2>with the great Kansas City Monarchs in nineteen forty five

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<v Speaker 2>in the Negro Leagues.

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<v Speaker 3>Now, he was only here for five months, but.

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<v Speaker 2>As I tell people, the five months he's been in

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<v Speaker 2>Kansas City, he fell in love with everything that Kansas

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<v Speaker 2>City is famous for.

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<v Speaker 3>Barbecue and zaz I love that.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, And Jackie was a big man of jazz and

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<v Speaker 1>baseball and all that. And Roy Campanella three time MVP.

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<v Speaker 1>He was a big player in the negro Leagues as

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<v Speaker 1>well well.

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<v Speaker 2>Narah and the Dodgers had a litany of great stars

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<v Speaker 2>that came out of the negro Leagues. Camp He joined

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<v Speaker 2>the team in the negro Leagues called the Baltimore Elite Giants.

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<v Speaker 2>Now it's spelled Elite, but it's pronounced elite because you

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<v Speaker 2>make those negro leaguers mad if you call him the

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<v Speaker 2>Elite Giants. Well, Campy joins the elites as a fifteen

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<v Speaker 2>year old catcher. Can you believe a fifteen year old

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<v Speaker 2>kid catching professionally in the negro Leagues? But as I

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<v Speaker 2>tell my guests, he was not your typical fifteen year old.

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<v Speaker 2>He was a fifteen year old man style, but he

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<v Speaker 2>was fifteen nevertheless, and the great Raleigh biss MACKI took

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<v Speaker 2>him under his wing and taught him the art of catching.

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<v Speaker 2>And I don't have to tell Dodger fans. Roy Campanella

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<v Speaker 2>will become a three time MVP with the Brooklyn Dodgers

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<v Speaker 2>before a tragic car accident left him paralyzed and cut

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<v Speaker 2>short what was still Hall of Fame career.

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<v Speaker 1>When we come to the Negro League Museum and you

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<v Speaker 1>tell the stories of the negro Leagues, are you mesmerized

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<v Speaker 1>as much as we are, even though you've told the

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<v Speaker 1>stories many times? Oh?

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<v Speaker 3>Man, this never gets old for me. It doesn't.

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<v Speaker 2>And every time I get a young athlete of any

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<v Speaker 2>sports discipline, but particularly my young Major League baseball players,

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<v Speaker 2>it just fills me with great joy to walk them

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<v Speaker 2>through that museum, to share the stories, many of these

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<v Speaker 2>stories that the lay great Buck O'Neil and other legendary

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<v Speaker 2>negro leaguers shared with me, and in doing so, I

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<v Speaker 2>feel like I'm keeping them alive in my mind and

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<v Speaker 2>in my heart. But the thing that I share that

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<v Speaker 2>the threat that they have with those who played in

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<v Speaker 2>the negro Leagues is real simple love of the game.

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<v Speaker 3>You play this game because you love it. And I

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<v Speaker 3>know sometimes as fans we.

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<v Speaker 2>Can get a little fickle because we equate everything to money,

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<v Speaker 2>and so these guys are afforded an opportunity to make

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<v Speaker 2>a great living, but it's still about the love of

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<v Speaker 2>the game. They are still playing a game that they

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<v Speaker 2>played for free, and if they had to play it

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<v Speaker 2>for free, they would still play it for free. But

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<v Speaker 2>as I remind them, you will never see a greater

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<v Speaker 2>example of love of the game than you do when

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<v Speaker 2>you walk through the Negro League's Baseball Museum. They had

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<v Speaker 2>to love it in order to endure the things that

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<v Speaker 2>they had to endure.

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<v Speaker 1>What's the lasting legacy of Jackie Robinson with the Negro

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<v Speaker 1>Leagues and just how special is it for him to

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<v Speaker 1>be not only the face of American sports history, but

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<v Speaker 1>American history period.

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<v Speaker 3>Absolutely?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, you know, we take great pride that Kansas City

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<v Speaker 2>and the Negro Leagues gave America arguably its greatest hero

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<v Speaker 2>in Jackie Robinson. And for those who subscribe to the

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<v Speaker 2>belief that one individual cannot invoke change, well you need

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<v Speaker 2>to look no further than Jackie Roosevelt Robinson because when

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<v Speaker 2>he walked out on that field as a member of

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<v Speaker 2>the Brooklyn Dodgers, he was called everything but my mother

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<v Speaker 2>would say, but a child of God when he walked

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<v Speaker 2>out there, and he handled himself with such grace, class

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<v Speaker 2>and dignity. But the other side of the ledger is

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<v Speaker 2>that he was also shouldering the weight of twenty one

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<v Speaker 2>million black folks who were counting on him to succeed. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>and that's an enormous amount of pressure for any one

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<v Speaker 2>individual to have to bear, and he did it with

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<v Speaker 2>tremendous grace, class, and dignity. We should never forget Jackie Robinson,

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<v Speaker 2>and Baseball has made it such. The Dodger organization has

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<v Speaker 2>made it such that baseball fans likely won't ever forget

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<v Speaker 2>Jackie Robinson. And certainly, as long as that museum is

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<v Speaker 2>there operating here in Kansas City, his story will always.

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<v Speaker 3>Be at the forefront.

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<v Speaker 2>But so will those other trailblazers, those who built the

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<v Speaker 2>bridge that allow Jackie to cross over and for others

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<v Speaker 2>to then follow right behind him.

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<v Speaker 1>Bob, before I let you go show Haltani one of

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<v Speaker 1>the greatest players we've ever seen in Major League Baseball?

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<v Speaker 1>Was there anybody like Otani and the Negro leagues?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, the thing that I love about this phenom by

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<v Speaker 2>the name of shoe hey Atani is that it has

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<v Speaker 2>opened up the opportunity for me to talk about the

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<v Speaker 2>great two way stars of the Negro leagues. And so

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<v Speaker 2>when Shoe Hay first gets here to play in the

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<v Speaker 2>major leagues, everyone was saying, Babe Ruth. But in my opinion,

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<v Speaker 2>baby Ruth is a wrong comparison. The real comparison is

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<v Speaker 2>to a guy named Wilbur Bullet Rogan, who was a

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<v Speaker 2>star pitcher for the Kansas City Monarchs.

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<v Speaker 3>He is in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

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<v Speaker 2>But when Bullet Rogan wasn't pitching and he was a

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<v Speaker 2>dominant pitcher, he played the outfield and hit cleanup for

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<v Speaker 2>the Kansas City Monarchs. Now let me tell you, you don't

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<v Speaker 2>just hit clean up for the Kancity Monarch.

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<v Speaker 3>You've got to be able to rake.

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<v Speaker 2>And in the words of the immortal Leroy satchel Page,

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<v Speaker 2>in the beautiful vernacular of LeRoy's Satchel Page, who said

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<v Speaker 2>that Bullet Rogan is the onliest ball player I ever

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<v Speaker 2>heard of. I've ever seen that pitch and hit in

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<v Speaker 2>the clean up position. That was Robert Bullet Joe Rogan.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, you got a parallel to show. Hey, Otani,

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<v Speaker 1>I knew you would have the answer to that.

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<v Speaker 2>No, But you know, I, like the rest of us,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm a baseball fan. We marvel at what Shoh has done.

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<v Speaker 2>And it also gives me an opportunity to talk about

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<v Speaker 2>that connection between the negro leagues in Japan, because the

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<v Speaker 2>negro leagues go to Japan in nineteen twenty seven. Man,

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<v Speaker 2>that's seven years before Babe Ruth and as all Americans go.

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<v Speaker 2>And they've been commonly credited with having taken our brand

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<v Speaker 2>of professional baseball to the Japanese, but it's not true.

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<v Speaker 2>It was a team called the Philadelphia Royal Giants. They

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<v Speaker 2>go over to Japan in nineteen twenty seven, they play

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<v Speaker 2>a twenty four game exhibition series. They go twenty three

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<v Speaker 2>to zero to one on that tour, and if you

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<v Speaker 2>were to talk to the older Japanese baseball historian, they

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<v Speaker 2>will tell you that it was that tour and a

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<v Speaker 2>subsequent tour by that same Philadelphia Royal Giant that was

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<v Speaker 2>the spark that lit the flame that is now the

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<v Speaker 2>fire for professional baseball in Japan. And it's certainly played

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<v Speaker 2>a role in why we were able to get stars

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<v Speaker 2>such as today Nomo, my dear friend ichi Rosuzuka, who's

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<v Speaker 2>about to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame,

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<v Speaker 2>and of course this phenom by the name of sho

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<v Speaker 2>Hey Antani. The Negro leagues play a pivotal role. They

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<v Speaker 2>help make our game the global game that it is today.

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<v Speaker 2>They just never were given credit for it.

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<v Speaker 1>That's why the Negro Leagues can never be forgotten and

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<v Speaker 1>it never will be forgotten because Bob Kendrick has continued

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<v Speaker 1>to tell the story of the great negro Leagues, and

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<v Speaker 1>the Negro League Museum Hall of Fame is one place

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<v Speaker 1>that you have to come to and see our good

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<v Speaker 1>friend Bob Kendrick when you come to Kansas City. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>a lot for the time, and man, the best stressed

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<v Speaker 1>guy in Kansas City.

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<v Speaker 3>Thank you, No, it is my pleasure.

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<v Speaker 2>I want to thank all those Dodger fans who filled

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<v Speaker 2>up the museum over this weekend series. Thank you guys

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<v Speaker 2>for coming by and seeing us. Thank you for your support,

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<v Speaker 2>and thank you for the opportunity to be on the show.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey we love Bob Kendrick. Thanks a lot for the

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<v Speaker 1>time Bob, and hey we love the stories.