Rich history of Negro Leagues unfolds
BALTIMORE -- Orioles fans have no problem recognizing the familiar black and orange shades of their team's jersey or the faces of Brian Roberts, Erik Bedard or Miguel Tejada. But entering the traveling "Times of Greatness" exhibition at Camden Yards this weekend, fans become part of a completely different side of baseball in Charm City.
The first window into the past inside the 18-wheeler museum holds a Baltimore Elite Giants jersey with red and black cursive letters, baseball cards featuring catcher Roy Campanella and pitcher Hubert Simmons, and a Baltimore Black Sox felt pennant.
But the Baltimore memorabilia is just a small detail in the mural of the exhibition, which highlights the Negro Baseball Leagues that existed in America in the mid-1900s and are a vital part of Major League Baseball's storied past. The weekend stay in Baltimore is the ninth stop of 13 on the exhibit's third annual summer tour.
"The story of the Negro Leagues is so rich," said Andrea Morrison, a marketing assistant for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, which opened in Kansas City in 1990. "It's a game that's so much bigger than baseball. The Negro Leagues were born out of such an ugly period in American history, but it was such a beautiful thing for black America and for America in general."
The "Times of Greatness'" 53-foot trailer is parked in Lot C next to Camden Yards and will be open to the public Saturday, July 14, from 6:30 until 8 p.m. and Sunday, July 15, from 10:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. The exhibit, which is free, features photos, uniforms and other memorabilia from the Negro League era.
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The first window into the past inside the 18-wheeler museum holds a Baltimore Elite Giants jersey with red and black cursive letters, baseball cards featuring catcher Roy Campanella and pitcher Hubert Simmons, and a Baltimore Black Sox felt pennant.
But the Baltimore memorabilia is just a small detail in the mural of the exhibition, which highlights the Negro Baseball Leagues that existed in America in the mid-1900s and are a vital part of Major League Baseball's storied past. The weekend stay in Baltimore is the ninth stop of 13 on the exhibit's third annual summer tour.
"The story of the Negro Leagues is so rich," said Andrea Morrison, a marketing assistant for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, which opened in Kansas City in 1990. "It's a game that's so much bigger than baseball. The Negro Leagues were born out of such an ugly period in American history, but it was such a beautiful thing for black America and for America in general."
The "Times of Greatness'" 53-foot trailer is parked in Lot C next to Camden Yards and will be open to the public Saturday, July 14, from 6:30 until 8 p.m. and Sunday, July 15, from 10:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. The exhibit, which is free, features photos, uniforms and other memorabilia from the Negro League era.