Tag: Black College Baseball

Showcasing Black Baseball Talent Amid a Pandemic

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By Michael October 7, 2020 Off

There is a myth that Black youngsters are not playing baseball these days. If you look at Major League Baseball (MLB) rosters and most Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), it is easy to come away with that impression. Around eight percent of professional baseball players are Black Americans. This number is down from approximately 30 percent in the late 1970s, thirty years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier that kept Black baseball players off major league rosters. read more

During the Negro Leagues Centennial, a New Book Focuses on Bob Kendrick’s Storytelling

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By Michael August 24, 2020 Off

by Douglas Malan 

Editors Note…

The year 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of Negro Leagues Baseball.  During its heyday, teams were often made up of ballplayers who previously played at historically black colleges and universities.  Negro League teams were the only opportunities for African-American college ballplayers to continue playing the game.  In his recently published book entitled “The Duke of 18th & Vine”, Black College Nines’ contributing writer Harold Michael Harvey references that relationship between the two entities and delves into the man who leads the Negro National Museum and his storytelling.  Below is our Douglas Malan’s interview with Mr. Harvey. read more

Morehouse Baseball Star Looks Forward to Career at Google Not MLB

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By Michael February 4, 2020 Off

I’ve been writing about baseball for a long time. I’ve interviewed hundreds of college baseball players, most of the players at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). I’ve only met two young men playing baseball at the HBCU level, who told me that their dream was not to play professional baseball. There is a large percentage of Black college baseball student-athletes who want to pursue professional baseball as a career; despite the fact, Major League Baseball seldom send scouts to watch HBCU baseball games. read more

Tuskegee-Morehouse Split Historic Season Opener

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By Michael February 2, 2020 Off

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA ( Cascade Publishing House) It was a cold and blustery day. Intermittent rain fell from the sky, some of the droplets appeared like snowflakes as they swirled and floated to the turf in the ballpark once home for the Montgomery Rebels in the old Southern League. The combatants lined up along their respective baselines, the national anthem played over the public address system, and the umpires went over the ground rules. There would be no banging on trash cans, and signs, if stolen, had to employ the old fashion technique perfected during twentieth-century baseball. read more

Marcus Smith Lands Voorhees Head Baseball Coach Post

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By Michael August 4, 2019 Off

“I’m excited to get another chance to revive a baseball program,” Coach Marcus Smith said over lunch at the iconic Beautiful Restaurant in southwest Atlanta.

Fourteen months ago, Smith walked away from the Head Baseball Coach position at Le Moyne-Owen in Memphis, Tennessee over an NCAA compliance issue that occurred two years before he became head coach at the school. read more

Marque Denmon Brings pro Experience to MVP Baseball classic

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By Michael July 14, 2019 Off

“This tournament doesn’t have to have a PA announcer. It would be a success without me. What I bring to this tournament is an authentic baseball experience for these young men,” added Denmon in a tone so deep, so rich, that the hearer can only imagine those words originated from somewhere around his navel and moved upwards bursting out of his mouth, and punctuating the airwaves with a resonance indescribable. read more

In Search of Black Baseball Players

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By Michael July 12, 2019 Off

The 15th annual MVP (Mentoring Viable Prospects) Baseball Classic got underway with a bang in Dekalb County, Georgia on Thursday, July 11, 2019, at the Georgia State University Baseball Complex.

MVP has become a gateway to collegiate baseball scholarships and professional baseball contracts for Black athletes throughout the country. read more

Kentucky State’s Joe Crisp Tosses No-Hitter – Defeats Clark-Atlanta University 3–0

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By Michael February 17, 2019 Off

H

They have been playing baseball since 1888 at Clark-Atlanta University. In fact, the first matchup between two Black college teams pitted Clark College against Atlanta University. The two schools consolidated 100 years later to become Clark-Atlanta University. Perhaps, few games have been as exciting as the Kentucky State University match against Clark-Atlanta University on February 16, 2019. read more

MVP Baseball Tourney Brings Out Pro Scouts

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By Michael July 21, 2018 Off

It started out 16 years ago as a national Black World Series for high school baseball players. A national promoter thought Atlanta was the perfect place to host such an event. The first year was a big success.

Two young men from that showcase, Jason Heywood and Jeremy Beckham were signed to professional contracts. Heywood signed with the Atlanta Braves. While Beckham signed with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Later, a group of Black baseball coaches in Dekalb County were asked to host an annual tournament. It has turned into fertile soil for professional scouts. Five players from last year’s MVP competition were drafted this year during the June draft.

Each year professional scouts along with a strong contingent of Black college baseball coaches flock to the MVP Tournament to view the Black baseball talent in the country.

This year several major league ball clubs have scouts at the tournament. There are representatives from the Atlanta Braves, San Diego Parades, Texas Rangers and the Colorado Rockies. Each of these clubs have drafted kids from the MVP showcase who made their way up to the big leagues.

“Buck ” Buchanan, a longtime successful Georgia high school baseball coach and for the past 12 years a scout for the Atlanta Braves sums it up this way:

“The MVP Tournament gives me an opportunity to see a lot of players in one spot that I would not ordinarily see. I’m based in the Southeast and would not get a chance to see a kid from California, or Chicago play.”

Buchanan coached former major league outfielder Jeff Francour in high school. He said he does not like to use the term special in describing the talents of a baseball player, but he knew when he first saw Francour in the ninth grade, that he brought a little something extra to the game that his teammates did not have.

“When scouting these kids, I first look to the middle of the field to find the stronger players and then fan out from there to pick up tendencies from the other players,” Buchanan said.

Asked what had he seen so far Buchanan said, “The kids are playing with a lot of passion. They all have talent or they would not be here. At the end of the day it is hard to project what a 19 year old will be in five years but that is sort of what my job is all about.”

Along with Buchanan, the Braves also sent Hank Aaron, Jr. out to scout the kids. Aaron is moving up in the scouting ranks having successfully scouted and signed Ray Hernandez out of Alabama State University.

Greg “Goody” Goodwin, the MVP President said, “It’s all about helping the kids to get their education. I’m so proud of our volunteer staff that make this tournament happen every year.”

Play concludes today with the crowning of an MVP Champion at the Georgia State Baseball Complex and a banquet where former major league players will talk with the kids about the road to college and the big league.

Harold Michael Harvey is an American novelist and essayist. He is a Contributor at The Hill, SCLC National Magazine, Southern Changes Magazine and Black College Nines. He can be contacted at hmharvey@haroldmichaelharvey.com