Jackie Robinson vs. Paul Robeson vs. The United States of America

Bob Kendrick joins fans at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum's "Black Aces" exhibit for an in-depth discussion with two acclaimed authors.

Sridhar Pappu discusses his book, "The Year of the Pitcher", chronicling Bob Gibson's historic 1968 season, set "against the backdrop of assassinations, while boys boarded planes to Saigon and riots swept through American cities, forever changing the fabric of this country."

Then Luke Epplin sits down for a conversation about his book, "Our Team", "the story of the integration of the Cleveland Indians and their quest for a World Series title through four key participants: Bill Veeck, an eccentric and visionary owner adept at exploding fireworks on and off the field; Larry Doby, a soft-spoken, hard-hitting pioneer whose major-league breakthrough shattered stereotypes that so much of white America held about Black ballplayers; Bob Feller, a pitching prodigy from the Iowa cornfields who set the template for the athlete as businessman; and Satchel Paige, a legendary pitcher from the Negro Leagues whose belated entry into the majors whipped baseball fans across the country into a frenzy."

Follow Bob Kendrick on Twitter - @nlbmprez

Read Siridhar Pappu's "The Year of the Pitcher" - Amazon

Read Luke Epplin's "Our Team" - Amazon

To support the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and preserve the legacy of Buck O'Neil, please visit ThanksAMillionBuck.com

Visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City - NLBM.com

See and Support the Dream of the NEW Negro Leagues Baseball Museum - Pitch for the Future

Join Bob Kendrick and comedian Greg Proops at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum's 2023 "Hall of Game" ceremony, as they celebrate the induction of the The Black Aces - Five of the 15 Black pitchers in AL/NL history to win 20 games in a Major League season, and five men who carried the spirit and style of the Negro Leagues through their whole career.

Hear Bob and Greg sit down with the legendary Al Downing (10:43) to talk about his 17-year career, from the 1961 Yankees and the chase for 61, to being a part of Henry Aaron's historic 715. Enjoy Dave Stewart's stories (24:02) of his friend and teammate, the great Mike Norris. Listen to story upon story about the late Vida Blue (42:52) from his son, Derrick. Laugh and learn with the always-hilarious, never-hittable Dontrelle Willis (59:40) as he remembers his career, and thanks his heroes. And experience the thrill of the career that was Dwight Gooden (1:11:05) with the Doc himself.

Follow Bob Kendrick on Twitter - @nlbmprez

Follow Greg Proops on Twitter - @GregProops

To support the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and preserve the legacy of Buck O'Neil, please visit ThanksAMillionBuck.com

Visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City - NLBM.com

See and Support the Dream of the NEW Negro Leagues Baseball Museum - Pitch for the Future

He was Ese Hombre. He was Sunny. He was Home Run Brown. He was Special Services for the US Army at the invasion of Normandy. And he was the Negro Leagues' greatest power hitter of the 1940's.

Meet Willard Brown, through the stories of Bob Kendrick and the archived voice of Brown himself. Hear how the late Hall of Famer planned to be a Kansas City Monarch from an early age, and ended up rewriting their record books. Hear about his legendary tape-measure shots, and game-winning heroics, his larger-than-life persona in his career in Latin America, and the joy he brought to European troops hitting home runs for the Army in World War II. And don't miss the story of Willard Brown's historic, yet ill-fated, stint as the first Black player (alongside Hank Thompson) in St. Louis Browns history, and why it paled in comparison the competitive levels of the Negro Leagues.

Interviews with Willard Brown recorded June 22, 1982, and appear courtesy of the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries 

Follow Bob Kendrick on Twitter - @nlbmprez

To support the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and preserve the legacy of Buck O'Neil, please visit ThanksAMillionBuck.com

Visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City - NLBM.com

See and Support the Dream of the NEW Negro Leagues Baseball Museum - Pitch for the Future

The last Negro Leagues World Series was held in 1948, and one of the teams playing was the Birmingham Black Barons.  Why was that '48 squad so special, and how did a young white kid become so involved in preserving the legacy of Black baseball in Birmingham and beyond?  Find out as Bob chats with Cam Perron, author and Negro Leagues researcher, along with Al Holt, and former third baseman and outfielder for the Black Barons. 

Hear Cam discuss how his interest in the Negro Leagues began in his pre-teens, which has led to friendships with over 100 former players and helping dozens of them secure pensions from Major League Baseball, with the help of Dr. Layton Revel.  Cam also talks about the distinct honor of having Hank Aaron, Bob's childhood idol, write the foreword to his 2021 book, "Comeback Season: My Unlikely Story of Friendship with the Greatest Living Negro League Baseball Players."  

Hear Al Holt explain why it was always his dream to play for the Black Barons and what it was like to see a 17-year-old rookie named Willie Mays join the team in 1948, in addition to his disappointment in the decline of the Negro Leagues and Industrial League teams contrasted with his joy over the Negro Leagues now being recognized as part of the Major Leagues since 2020.

And Bob, Cam and Al look ahead to the Negro Leagues tribute set to take place at the historic Rickwood Field in June 2024!

Read Cam Perron's book "Comeback Season: My Unlikely Story of Friendship with the Greatest Living Negro League Baseball Players" - BOOKSOUP

Follow Bob Kendrick on Twitter - @nlbmprez

To support the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and preserve the legacy of Buck O'Neil, please visit ThanksAMillionBuck.com

Visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City - NLBM.com

See and Support the Dream of the NEW Negro Leagues Baseball Museum - Pitch for the Future

You could call him the modern day Satchel Paige - A man who played three sports and pitched for 12 teams over 21 years, on his way to becoming one of just 16 men to ever pitch in over 1,000 games. And along the way, he enjoyed every minute of it.

LaTroy Hawkins sits down with Bob Kendrick at Play Ball Park in Seattle to discuss his admiration for Negro Leagues baseball, and how Buck O'Neil deserves credit for every ounce of greatness of the last 70 years of baseball. Hear about the rocky start to LaTroy's career, the keys to his historic longevity, the lessons he learned along the way about how to treat people with dignity and respect, the work he's doing today to bring baseball to every young Black kid who wants it, where the game is headed, how to protect where it's been, a few words about his Godson - reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes II - and so much more.

Follow Bob Kendrick on Twitter - @nlbmprez

To support the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and preserve the legacy of Buck O'Neil, please visit ThanksAMillionBuck.com

Visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City - NLBM.com

See and Support the Dream of the NEW Negro Leagues Baseball Museum - Pitch for the Future

4x All-Star and 1968 World Series Champion Willie Horton joins Bob Kendrick in front of a live audience at Play Ball Park in Seattle, to discuss his experience of visiting the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, having a breakout season while playing in Puerto Rico early in his career, and how his good friend Buck O’Neil tried to sign him to the Chicago Cubs when he was only thirteen years old as a Spanish player.

Hear how Willie dealt with being one of the early black players with the Tigers, plus his memories of the 1968 World Championship team, why he thinks Bob Gibson could have done what Shohei Ohtani is doing now, and so much more.

Follow Bob Kendrick on Twitter - @nlbmprez

To support the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and preserve the legacy of Buck O'Neil, please visit ThanksAMillionBuck.com

Visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City - NLBM.com

See and Support the Dream of the NEW Negro Leagues Baseball Museum - Pitch for the Future

Lenny Wilkens scored 17,772 points as an NBA player, and won 1,332 regular season games as an NBA coach. He has two gold medals, and he's in the Basketball Hall of Fame three times. And still, he reminds you... his first love was baseball.

Hear the story of young Lenny Wilkens watching Jackie Robinson's rookie season from the Ebbets Field bleachers in 1947, and the firsthand accounts of how he changed America. Hear Lenny's accounts of playing stickball with Willie Mays, and what roles the first wave of Black stars in the Major Leagues had in the community. The Civil Rights movement, the Dream Team, the incredible stories of a 45-year Hall of Fame career and the man who lived it - all with Negro Leagues Baseball Museum President Bob Kendrick.

Follow Bob Kendrick on Twitter - @nlbmprez

To support the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and preserve the legacy of Buck O'Neil, please visit ThanksAMillionBuck.com

Visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City - NLBM.com

See and Support the Dream of the NEW Negro Leagues Baseball Museum - Pitch for the Future

When they speak, we listen.

Former Negro Leaguers Sam Allen and Pedro Sierra join Bob Kendrick at All-Star Week in Seattle to tell their stories of triumph over adversity, in front of a live audience. Hear stories of long bus rides and hot beef stew while Sam Allen traveled with the Memphis Red Sox. Hear Pedro Sierra's first reactions to prejudice in the United States, after leaving his native Cuba to play in the Negro Leagues. Hear about former Negro-Leaguer-turned-Country-Music icon Charley Pride, Dapper Dizzy Dismukes, Ted Rasberry, and a skinny Indianapolis Clown named Henry Aaron. And hear firsthand, how Jackie Robinson changed two lives forever in 1947.

Do not miss this very special conversation, with two of the last remaining storytellers of an unforgettable generation.

Follow Bob Kendrick on Twitter - @nlbmprez

To support the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and preserve the legacy of Buck O'Neil, please visit ThanksAMillionBuck.com

Visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City - NLBM.com

See and Support the Dream of the NEW Negro Leagues Baseball Museum - Pitch for the Future

"You need to know your past. You need to understand the trials and tribulations that, not only Jackie Robinson went through, but this is U.S. history. It's not just baseball history."  

Hall of Famer Derek Jeter sits down with Bob Kendrick for an exclusive one-on-one session, discussing everything from his first steps on a baseball field to the importance of Negro Leagues history, and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Hear The Captain discuss his first meetings with Buck O'Neil, his first steps through the museum, his enshrinement in both the Hall of Fame and Monument Park, his reverence for Dave Winfield, and so much more throughout twenty years in the big leagues.

Hear why Derek is so proud of his post-playing career as an executive with the Marlins, and why the game NEEDS more disruptors in front offices. Hear all about Derek's work with his foundation, his lessons from his father, and his struggles on a basketball court. Plus, don't miss an in-depth discussion on bringing Black participation back to baseball at all levels. And so much more. 

Learn more about the Turn 2 Foundation - Turn 2

Follow Bob Kendrick on Twitter - @nlbmprez

To support the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and preserve the legacy of Buck O'Neil, please visit ThanksAMillionBuck.com

Visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City - NLBM.com

See and Support the Dream of the NEW Negro Leagues Baseball Museum - Pitch for the Future

How do you truly change the game? Through action. Action OFF the field, and action ON the field.

Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson, directors of The Players Alliance, join Bob Kendrick in front of a live audience at Play Ball Park in Seattle, to discuss how they carry the spirit of the Negro Leagues into the next generation of baseball stars, and what The Players Alliance is doing to bring baseball to EVERYONE. Hear  their take on leadership in baseball, and the mentors that got them to All-Star heights, the lessons they learned from Buck O'Neil and the stars of the Negro Leagues, and how Major League Baseball's HBCU showcase at All-Star Week can light the way to what baseball needs to look like in the future. PLUS, one VERY special surprise (35:04) for Bob, courtesy of the Players Alliance.

To learn more about the work of The Players Alliance, visit PlayersAlliance.Org

Follow Bob Kendrick on Twitter - @nlbmprez

To support the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and preserve the legacy of Buck O'Neil, please visit ThanksAMillionBuck.com

Visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City - NLBM.com