MLB: Negro League reclassified as major league

[cyclonespiker33]

MLB reclassifies Negro Leagues as major league

Major League Baseball has reclassified the Negro Leagues as a major league and will count the statistics and records of its 3,400 players as part of MLB history.

www.espn.com

Definitely the right thing to do and very cool. Will mean a change in the official record book.

 

[AuH2O]

Would've been cool to see what Josh Gibson would've done in an integrated league. The old-timers' stories about his power are fun to hear. Buck O'Neil said something to the effect that Bo Jackson was the only guy he saw in his lifetime hit a ball with as much force as Josh Gibson. This from a guy that was around the game through Mays, Aaron, Killebrew, Mantle, and others.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

Buck O'Neil is in heaven smiling today. Great news and long overdue.

If you are a baseball fan and you get to KC, check out the Negro Leagues Museum. It's extremely well done and absolutely worth it. I never got a chance to personally speak to Buck before he passed, but I had an opportunity to hear him speak. Incredible, passionate and caring individual.

 

[Sigmapolis]

MLB reclassifies Negro Leagues as major league

Major League Baseball has reclassified the Negro Leagues as a major league and will count the statistics and records of its 3,400 players as part of MLB history.

www.espn.com

Definitely the right thing to do and very cool. Will mean a change in the official record book.

Even leaving aside the historical inequities addressed (and they are manifest), the statistical argument for the quality or even equity of the Negro Leagues relative to MLB at the same time is very strong. The quality of play and players in the Negro Leagues was at least as high. It makes sense (and is about time) on multiple levels.

 

[Rabbuk]

I was talking to my grandpa who played ball around the world war 2 era and he swore up and down that the negro leagues were more competitive than any other league at the time. Makes sense.

 

[Hoggins]

https://www.theringer.com/mlb/2020/12/16/22178257/mlb-acknowledge-negro-leagues-officially

The Ringer had a great article on this. Essentially in 1968, when MLB commissioned to figure out what Major leagues existed, the Negro Leagues weren't even considered.

 

[ISUCubswin]

Love the move. Anyone who disagrees should take a step back and think about WHY these guys didn’t play in the MLB.

 

[Hoggins]

Love the move. Anyone who disagrees should take a step back and think about WHY these guys didn’t play in the MLB.

Yep and statistically these leagues are better than some others that have been classified as major for decades.

 

[MartyFine]

 

[throwittoblythe]

I read an article yesterday about what records would be the most impacted. I hadn't seen this one. As a Cards fan, I can't approve of this. (JK)

The one that was just shy was Aaron's HR record. I guess he hit 8 or 9 HRs in the negro leagues before going to the majors. If they had included those in this change, he would regain his career HR record crown by 1 HR over Bonds. However, the date cutoff that MLB used did not allow them to be counted.

 

[CYEATHAWK]

Love the move. Anyone who disagrees should take a step back and think about WHY these guys didn’t play in the MLB.

Right now the only one I know who might be scratching their head is my brother in law who might be wondering if his negro league clothing will be worth as much. Unless this is just another way of erasing history, I think it might raise it's value.

Personally, I don't disagree with the move, they can do what they want. I just think by retro actively making it inclusive minimizes what those individuals went through. Because what they did was much more difficult than the average MLB player and cannot be measured by stats alone. Sometimes history just needs to be left alone.

 

[Mr.G.Spot]

Long overdue.

From a sports illustrated article, I think five or six years ago, if you exclude the Caribbean players, black players involvement in the bigs now is at a 20 to 25 year low. Other than the Caribbean players, baseball is evolving into a sport that probably helps if you are a white kid and have parents that will allow you to play your round baseball. The success model for today doesn't really help your inner city kids succeed in the sport.

Different topic as I just digressed, but I'm glad they have done it and it was long overdue.

I think the glaring differences will continue to evolve over time.

If these facts are no longer applicable, I apologize for giving old data - from my memory.

 

[madguy30]

Good deal.

A good chance for people to learn several aspects of our country's history.

 

[Mr.G.Spot]

The State Of African-Americans In Major League Baseball

The abysmally low representation raises a question with the sport on its biggest stage: What is the state of African-Americans in baseball?

www.forbes.com

This article gets into the information that I previously discussed from sports illustrated many years ago. These are not good numbers.

It continues to evolve and turn into a rich white kid's game with a lot of Caribbean influence.