Latest news with #NegroLeaguesBaseballMuseum
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Tribute Portfolio Hotel to go up in 18th & Vine District at Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A new 132-key Tribute Portfolio Hotel will be going up in the heart of Kansas City's historic 18th & Vine District, Grayson Capital announced Friday. The new hotel will be adjacent to the iconic 30,000 square feet Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM), the real estate company said in a news release. Kansas City sets teen curfew in hopes to boost summer safety Grayson Capital said this project will be part of Tribute Portfolio Hotels, a global collection brand within Marriott Bonvoy comprised of independent boutique hotels. 'Our goal is to create more than a hotel—this is a cultural destination,' Michael Collins, CEO of Grayson Capital, said in the news release. 'We are building something that reflects the legacy of the Negro Leagues and the vibrancy of the 18th & Vine District.' 'This hotel project is a powerful extension of our mission to celebrate the history and heroes of the Negro Leagues,' Bob Kendrick, the President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, added. 'It will offer our visitors a new and immersive way to experience the legacy of Black baseball and the broader cultural impact of the 18th & Vine District. We're thrilled to collaborate with Grayson Capital and Marriott International to bring this vision to life.' This development also marks a major milestone: the first majority Black-owned hotel in Kansas City since the legendary Street Hotel, which once stood at 18th & Paseo and served as a hub for Black travelers, performers and athletes. Grayson Capital said key features of the hotel will include: 'Reuben and Ella's', an upscale restaurant named in honor of Reuben and EllaStreet, the former proprietors of the Street Hotel—Kansas City's last majorityBlack-owned hotel. The restaurant will blend elevated Southern cuisine withinventive takes on classic ballpark favorites, paying tribute to the city's culinary andbaseball traditions. A rooftop bar designed in the spirit of Kansas City's most iconic cocktail venues,offering sweeping panoramic views of downtown Kansas City. It will serve as avibrant social destination for hotel guests, locals and visitors to the museumdistrict. A cultural partnership platform that will include local and national collaborationswith the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, other area museums and professionalsports teams to offer 'stay-and-play' and curated tour packages. These packageswill allow guests to experience Kansas City's cultural legacy through museumaccess, sports events and behind-the-scenes storytelling. 'Kansas City is proud to see continued growth and private investment at 18th and Vine, which will now feature its first hotel property in generations,' Mayor Quinton Lucas said in the news release. 'I thank leaders at Grayson Capital, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and Marriott International for bringing investment and more visitors to see our history, explore our culture and build the future of Kansas City's Historic Jazz District.' Once the full design is complete, Grayson Capital said it will announce the construction start date. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
03-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
What can the Negro Leagues teach us about leadership and passion? This man thinks a lot
In 1990, Buck O'Neil founded the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City near 18th & Vine, a once-vibrant neighborhood synonymous with nightlife during the Jazz age. The museum consisted of one tiny office. O'Neil, a former first baseman for the Kansas City Monarchs and the first Black coach in MLB history for the Chicago Cubs, had a vision for a museum to keep the Negro Leagues stories alive. And he wanted to build it near 18th & Vine, an area that was once a thriving hub for Kansas City's Black community and home to the Paseo YMCA, where in 1920 Rube Foster had formed the Negro National League. Advertisement O'Neil died in 2006, at 94, but his dream has endured. Today the president of the Negro Leagues museum is Bob Kendrick, O'Neil's former right-hand man, who has become the museum's chief storyteller and a national ambassador for Negro Leagues history. If you've ever heard Kendrick tell a story, you'd understand why I wanted to talk to him. This time, I wanted to ask him about the leadership lessons he learned from O'Neil, one of baseball's all-time personalities and a star of Ken Burns' PBS documentary about baseball. How did O'Neil rally people around a vision — in this case, a small baseball museum in the heartland? And what can we learn from the past? I wondered if we could start with your favorite leadership lesson from the Negro Leagues. I think the core story of the Negro Leagues is one built around leadership. You think about Rube Foster and his determination to build a league of his own. And it comes from a place where, 'You won't let me play with you, then we'll create a league of our own.' To me, that is a great example of leadership because, No. 1, he had to convince seven other independent Black baseball team owners that, for Black baseball to not only survive but thrive, it needed an organized structure. And he had to convince them to give up their independence. And he was able to do that on February 13, 1920, in that meeting that took place at the Paseo YMCA. So, for me, leadership is at the crux of this story. It is one of three pillars that make this story so amazing. No. 1, the importance of economic empowerment; No. 2, the incredible amount of leadership that emerged in these African-American communities through the formation of those leagues; and No. 3, obviously, the social advancement of America as Jackie (Robinson) was hand-picked from the Kansas City Monarchs to break baseball's color barrier. Advertisement There's a great symmetry in the idea of Rube Foster creating the Negro Leagues in 1920, and then Buck O'Neil building the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum 70 years later. What lessons can we take from the way Buck was able to create a vision for the museum? You hear from the guys who played for Buck how amazing a manager he was. That he understood when to put his arm around you and when to kick you in your rump. I talk to people like George Altman, who played for Buck with the Monarchs, and then, of course, Buck brought him over to the Chicago Cubs. He still says today that Buck was the greatest manager that he ever played for. What Buck did in 1990: He was defiant from the standpoint that there were those who just did not believe that a museum would work at historic 18th & Vine. Buck stood steadfast in his belief that the origin of this history began in that area, and that he would build a museum there in that area. I'm sure some of our most ardent supporters were questioning the decision, and I can understand why. Because there was no built-in foot traffic. There was nothing there that would indicate that a museum would be able to sustain itself. But as I oftentimes say, the infinite wisdom of Buck O'Neil said, 'This is where we build it.' And in doing so, we will not only build a museum, we will help resurrect what was once a tremendously proud and prominent African-American community. That was in 1990. And we haven't looked back since. How did Buck sell his vision? Because he was a part of 18th & Vine when 18th & Vine was 18th & Vine. And he saw the potential that it could be restored, and that in many ways, our museum would do for that community what Negro Leagues baseball had done for urban communities across this country. Because wherever you had successful Black baseball, you typically had thriving Black economies. He understood that, and he was so passionate about it. Buck could say the least, little thing, but he said it with such conviction that you had to come along with him. He was just steadfast in that belief, and people came along with him. Advertisement What did Buck teach you — not necessarily about Negro Leagues baseball — but about leading people? I draw inspiration from Buck every single day. I say this oftentimes in jest, but there's some truth to it: I talk to Buck almost every single day. Now, he doesn't always talk back to me. But I talk to him almost every day. Because I still draw from the things he shared with me. There was so much wisdom he imparted. Now, he didn't force it on you. It was there for you to consume if you wanted it. I tell people the smartest thing I ever did was I kept my mouth closed and I listened. And when you've got difficult decisions to make, when you're trying to convince people to support these things, his ability to engage people is probably the thing that I've hoped I've picked up from him the most. I read an old article where Buck was giving his tips for living a full life. And some of them were beautiful but kind of standard. He said, 'Hug everybody you can.' 'Drain the bitterness out of your heart'.' Sing a little every day … ' 'Listen to old people — they might teach you something.' Yes, exactly. But one that I kind of smiled at, he said: 'Do a little showboating now and again in your life. Remember, it was the so-so ballplayers who came up with the word, 'showboating.' They were jealous. If you have something to show, go ahead and showboat a little bit.' (Laughs.) Go ahead and show it! What do you think he meant by that? I think that's one of the reasons I often tell the story of when he and Ichiro Suzuki connected. They were kindred spirits. Because Ichiro would say he admired Buck's style. Buck, I think, admired Ichiro because he knew exactly what Ichiro was going to go through when he decided to come to this country to play baseball. Because, as you well know, as Ichiro goes into the Hall of Fame this summer, he left Japanese baseball with over 1,200 hits, yet when he was coming over to play in the major leagues, what did the naysayers say? 'Well, you did that in your league. But you won't be able to do that in our league.' Well, they said the same thing about the players from the Negro Leagues. Buck would often say, 'The major leaguers would accuse them of showboating.' And he would go on to say: 'It's only showboating when you can't do it.' We know that today that the guy who homers and flips his bat, that's a SportsCenter Top 10 highlight every night of the week. But the major leaguers frowned on it and would oftentimes say: 'Well, they don't play the game the right way.' Which was, in essence, a code word that said: 'They didn't play the game the white way.' And I think (Negro League players) knew that the game was entertainment. We're slowly but surely understanding that today. And Ichiro had a little bit of that flair, too. Oh, he had it. There's no question about it. He had it. And Buck saw that in him. The two of them just hit it off and connected in ways in which you would never expect that this Japanese ballplayer and this old Black man from the Negro Leagues would connect. When Buck died in 2006, Ichiro sent flowers. And the very next year, he came to visit me at the museum to pay respect to his friend, and he wrote a significant personal check to the museum in honor of his friend, Buck O'Neil. Advertisement It also kind of speaks to the idea that you never know who you might connect with if you give people a chance. Exactly. Another line Buck always said, and I think it was the title of his autobiography, but he liked to say, 'I was right on time.' Obviously, he's talking about his career and the obstacles in the era in which he played. But do you think there's a bigger lesson in that? I think Buck was always in the present. Even though he used his life as a way to help people understand the challenges and circumstances that others had to overcome. He also used his life as a beacon of light. When he talked about being right on time, I think that meant in every aspect of his life. From the baseball playing to the things that he was able to accomplish off the field. Buck rose to prominence after the Ken Burns documentary. He was in his 80s. The headline in the Kansas City Star said after his debut in the film: 'A star is born at age 82.' When he said he was right on time, I think he meant that every time that he said it, because he was always constantly present, even though he was so optimistic about the future, not only of our game, but of the future of this country. You've been a steward and a national ambassador for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. I'm sure you didn't think this was going to be your life when your career was just starting. I think there's a lesson in there that people can find their calling and fall in love with what they're doing. I speak to a lot of students and I tell them, in 1993 when I was working at The Kansas City Star, I literally stumbled into what would become my passion when I walked into what was then the one-room office that was the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. I had no idea it would become such an integral part of my life. But I fell in love with the museum, and I fell in love with the amazing story that it documented. It shows the power of storytelling. And to be authentic. These things are really important to this younger generation. And it's what makes the Negro Leagues so prolific — the stories that we share. Buck was probably the greatest storyteller of all time, and I've tried to take the baton from him. People have continued to gravitate to these stories. Is there a secret to finding that authenticity? I think it becomes a part of who you are. Because, as a baseball fan, I was blown away by how little I knew about this history. I just wanted to learn as much as I could, and I didn't want to keep it to myself. I wanted everyone else to feel the same way that I felt about it. And once I met those players like Buck, I was hooked like anyone else would be. It's such an honor to carry on for them. (Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Andy Kuno / San Francisco Giants / Getty Images)
Fox Sports
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Former Phillies star Ryan Howard pitches Negro Leagues Baseball Museum expansion
Ryan Howard was a rookie with the Philadelphia Phillies just putting baseball on notice with his moonshot home runs when he met Buck O'Neil, a champion of Black ballplayers during a monumental, eight-decade career on and off the field. Howard was introduced to O'Neil as a modern-day Josh Gibson, one of the Negro Leagues greatest players who hit .466 for the 1943 Homestead Grays. Howard, who hit at least 45 homers four times in his career, was too embarrassed to accept the comparison. "Mr. O'Neil was like, "Do you got that power?′ I said, 'Yes sir, I do,'" Howard said. "He told me, 'Don't be ashamed of it. Let it out.' It was great, just hearing the stories from and just being in his presence." O'Neil, who died in 2006, was long a champion of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. Howard, who won an NL MVP and a World Series with the Phillies, is ready to take up O'Neil's cause as the former slugger joined the push in helping the museum's expansion project. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is fundraising for a new 30,000-square-foot facility and campus, aimed at advancing the museum's mission of preserving the rich history of Negro Leagues baseball and its impact on social progress in the United States. Howard and San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt announced their plans Thursday to join the Negro Leagues' "Pitch for the Future" in bringing greater awareness to the legacy of the Negro Leagues with a museum expansion. Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick said he hoped to raise $30 million to complete the project. "It's a tremendous indicator of the growth of his museum and the heightened interest in the subject matter that we've generated through the years and has dictated a need for us to grow in all phases of our operations," Kendrick said. "This is a byproduct of growth." Interest in the Negro Leagues has spiked of late in large part because of its inclusion in MLB The Show and when records for more than 2,300 players were incorporated into Major League Baseball statistics. The museum that was founded in a tiny, one-room office space in 1990 that attracts about 70,000 visitors each year — plus major leaguers who stop by during road trips — has outgrown its space at 18th and Vine. Kendrick said the current space "wasn't designed to handle large crowds at any one time." "In a perfect world, Kansas City will host the World Cup next year," Kendrick said, "and we would love to follow the energy and excitement of the World Cup with a grand opening of the Negro Leagues Museum in 2027. That might be a little bit ambitious, but it's doable." Howard toured the museum long before he was one of the feared sluggers in the National League. "It was my way of paying homage to the Negro Leagues and former Negro League players that didn't get the opportunity to play in the big leagues," Howard said. Howard was always struck by the Field of Legends — 13 life-size statues of the first Negro Leaguers inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York — that deepened his understanding of the journey the players took to reach the Hall. "I think that's why it's important to keep the story going, keep it alive," Howard said. "You've got to understand the history of Black baseball and how it correlates with baseball, in general, and Major League Baseball." The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at Central Florida found during its last published study that Black players represented just 6.2% of players on MLB opening day rosters in 2023, down from 7.2% in 2022. For the first time since 1950, shortly after Jackie Robinson broke the Major League Baseball color barrier, there were no U.S.-born Black players on the Houston Astros or Philadelphia Phillies roster in the 2022 World Series. Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey Jr. joined the 'MLB on FOX' crew to discuss the importance of Rickwood Field. Former New York Mets slugger Darryl Strawberry said over the weekend MLB needed to focus on developing and marketing the game within the inner cities in order for the percentage of Black players to rise substantially. Howard said connecting Black youth with baseball has long had its issues. "It's tough, trying to help figure things out," Howard said. "I think there are now more young Black kids starting to get back into baseball. You have to be able to turn on the TV and see somebody that looks like you." Howard was raised in Missouri and noted Black former St. Cardinals stars such as Willie McGee, Vince Coleman and Terry Pendleton that helped ignite his interest in the sport. Howard and fellow NL MVP Jimmy Rollins were two Black stars and fan favorites with the Phillies when they won their last World Series in 2008. Shildt was a frequent visitor of the museum when he managed the St. Louis Cardinals and remained hopeful expansion would provide the resources needed to educate a new generation of fans. "There's a bigger story to tell," Shildt said. "What's taken place has been more grassroots oriented. They've been able to put it together without the resources to tell the full, big-picture story." Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? 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NBC Sports
24-04-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Former Phillies slugger Ryan Howard makes pitch for Negro Leagues Baseball Museum expansion
PHILADELPHIA — Ryan Howard was a rookie with the Philadelphia Phillies just putting baseball on notice with his moonshot home runs when he met Buck O'Neil, a champion of Black ballplayers during a monumental, eight-decade career on and off the field. Howard was introduced to O'Neil as a modern-day Josh Gibson, one of the Negro Leagues greatest players who hit .466 for the 1943 Homestead Grays. Howard, who hit at least 45 homers four times in his career, was too embarrassed to accept the comparison. 'Mr. O'Neil was like, 'Do you got that power?′ I said, 'Yes sir, I do,'' Howard said. 'He told me, 'Don't be ashamed of it. Let it out.' It was great, just hearing the stories from and just being in his presence.' O'Neil, who died in 2006, long was a champion of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. Howard, who won an NL MVP and a World Series with the Phillies, is ready to take up O'Neil's cause as the former slugger joined the push in helping the museum's expansion project. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is fundraising for a new 30,000-square-foot facility and campus, aimed at advancing the museum's mission of preserving the rich history of Negro Leagues baseball and its impact on social progress in the United States. Howard and San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt announced their plans to join the Negro Leagues' 'Pitch for the Future' in bringing greater awareness to the legacy of the Negro Leagues with a museum expansion. Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick said he hoped to raise $30 million to complete the project. 'It's a tremendous indicator of the growth of his museum and the heightened interest in the subject matter that we've generated through the years and has dictated a need for us to grow in all phases of our operations,' Kendrick said. 'This is a byproduct of growth.' Interest in the Negro Leagues has spiked of late in large part because of its inclusion in MLB The Show and when records for more than 2,300 players were incorporated into Major League Baseball statistics. The museum that was founded in a tiny, one-room office space in 1990 that attracts about 70,000 visitors each year — plus major leaguers who stop by during road trips — has outgrown its space at 18th and Vine. Kendrick said the current space 'wasn't designed to handle large crowds at any one time.' 'In a perfect world, Kansas City will host the World Cup next year,' Kendrick said, 'and we would love to follow the energy and excitement of the World Cup with a grand opening of the Negro Leagues Museum in 2027. That might be a little bit ambitious, but it's doable.' Howard toured the museum long before he was one of the feared sluggers in the National League. 'It was my way of paying homage to the Negro Leagues and former Negro League players that didn't get the opportunity to play in the big leagues,' Howard said. Howard was always struck by the Field of Legends — 13 life-size statues of the first Negro Leaguers inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York — that deepened his understanding of the journey the players took to reach the Hall. 'I think that's why it's important to keep the story going, keep it alive,' Howard said. 'You've got to understand the history of Black baseball and how it correlates with baseball, in general, and Major League Baseball.' The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at Central Florida found during its last published study that Black players represented just 6.2% of players on MLB opening day rosters in 2023, down from 7.2% in 2022. For the first time since 1950, shortly after Jackie Robinson broke the Major League Baseball color barrier, there were no U.S.-born Black players on the Houston Astros or Philadelphia Phillies roster in the 2022 World Series. Former New York Mets slugger Darryl Strawberry said MLB needed to focus on developing and marketing the game within the inner cities in order for the percentage of Black players to rise substantially. Howard said connecting Black youth with baseball has long had its issues. 'It's tough, trying to help figure things out,' Howard said. 'I think there are now more young Black kids starting to get back into baseball. You have to be able to turn on the TV and see somebody that looks like you.' Howard was raised in Missouri and noted Black former St. Cardinals stars such as Willie McGee, Vince Coleman and Terry Pendleton that helped ignite his interest in the sport. Howard and fellow NL MVP Jimmy Rollins were two Black stars and fan favorites with the Phillies when they won their last World Series in 2008. Shildt was a frequent visitor of the museum when he managed the St. Louis Cardinals and remained hopeful expansion would provide the resources needed to educate a new generation of fans. 'There's a bigger story to tell,' Shildt said. 'What's taken place has been more grassroots oriented. They've been able to put it together without the resources to tell the full, big-picture story.'
24-04-2025
- Sport
Ex-Phillies slugger Howard makes pitch for Negro Leagues Baseball Museum expansion
PHILADELPHIA -- Ryan Howard was a rookie with the Philadelphia Phillies just putting baseball on notice with his moonshot home runs when he met Buck O'Neil, a champion of Black ballplayers during a monumental, eight-decade career on and off the field. Howard was introduced to O'Neil as a modern-day Josh Gibson, one of the Negro Leagues greatest players who hit .466 for the 1943 Homestead Grays. Howard, who hit at least 45 homers four times in his career, was too embarrassed to accept the comparison. 'Mr. O'Neil was like, 'Do you got that power?′ I said, 'Yes sir, I do,'' Howard said. 'He told me, 'Don't be ashamed of it. Let it out.' It was great, just hearing the stories from and just being in his presence.' O'Neil, who died in 2006, was long a champion of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. Howard, who won an NL MVP and a World Series with the Phillies, is ready to take up O'Neil's cause as the former slugger joined the push in helping the museum's expansion project. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is fundraising for a new 30,000-square-foot facility and campus, aimed at advancing the museum's mission of preserving the rich history of Negro Leagues baseball and its impact on social progress in the United States. Howard and San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt announced their plans Thursday to join the Negro Leagues' 'Pitch for the Future' in bringing greater awareness to the legacy of the Negro Leagues with a museum expansion. Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick said he hoped to raise $30 million to complete the project. 'It's a tremendous indicator of the growth of his museum and the heightened interest in the subject matter that we've generated through the years and has dictated a need for us to grow in all phases of our operations,' Kendrick said. 'This is a byproduct of growth.' Interest in the Negro Leagues has spiked of late in large part because of its inclusion in MLB The Show and when records for more than 2,300 players were incorporated into Major League Baseball statistics. The museum that was founded in a tiny, one-room office space in 1990 that attracts about 70,000 visitors each year — plus major leaguers who stop by during road trips — has outgrown its space at 18th and Vine. Kendrick said the current space 'wasn't designed to handle large crowds at any one time." 'In a perfect world, Kansas City will host the World Cup next year,' Kendrick said, 'and we would love to follow the energy and excitement of the World Cup with a grand opening of the Negro Leagues Museum in 2027. That might be a little bit ambitious, but it's doable.' Howard toured the museum long before he was one of the feared sluggers in the National League. 'It was my way of paying homage to the Negro Leagues and former Negro League players that didn't get the opportunity to play in the big leagues,' Howard said. Howard was always struck by the Field of Legends — 13 life-size statues of the first Negro Leaguers inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York — that deepened his understanding of the journey the players took to reach the Hall. 'I think that's why it's important to keep the story going, keep it alive,' Howard said. 'You've got to understand the history of Black baseball and how it correlates with baseball, in general, and Major League Baseball.' The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at Central Florida found during its last published study that Black players represented just 6.2% of players on MLB opening day rosters in 2023, down from 7.2% in 2022. For the first time since 1950, shortly after Jackie Robinson broke the Major League Baseball color barrier, there were no U.S.-born Black players on the Houston Astros or Philadelphia Phillies roster in the 2022 World Series. Former New York Mets slugger Darryl Strawberry said over the weekend MLB needed to focus on developing and marketing the game within the inner cities in order for the percentage of Black players to rise substantially. Howard said connecting Black youth with baseball has long had its issues. 'It's tough, trying to help figure things out,' Howard said. 'I think there are now more young Black kids starting to get back into baseball. You have to be able to turn on the TV and see somebody that looks like you.' Howard was raised in Missouri and noted Black former St. Cardinals stars such as Willie McGee, Vince Coleman and Terry Pendleton that helped ignite his interest in the sport. Howard and fellow NL MVP Jimmy Rollins were two Black stars and fan favorites with the Phillies when they won their last World Series in 2008. Shildt was a frequent visitor of the museum when he managed the St. Louis Cardinals and remained hopeful expansion would provide the resources needed to educate a new generation of fans. 'There's a bigger story to tell,' Shildt said. 'What's taken place has been more grassroots oriented. They've been able to put it together without the resources to tell the full, big-picture story.'
