Negro League Baseball Tribute at Bowie Baysox in Maryland on June 5th

Al Burrows will be on hand to take part in the festivities for the Negro League Baseball Tribute.

Washington, DC (PRWEB) June 6, 2004 --- The Bowie Baysox Baseball Club, Class AA affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, will host a Tribute to the Negro Leagues at Prince Georges Stadium on Saturday, June 5, 2004 when the team takes on the Reading Phillies at 7:05 p.m. There will also be a fireworks extravaganza. Al Burrows and several former Negro Leaguers will be on hand to take part in the festivities. The Baysox will wear replica jerseys of the former Negro League Baltimore Elite Giants, which will be auctioned off on the concourse during the game. Fans can place bids for the game-worn jerseys and portions of the money raised from the auction will benefit the Negro League Players Association.

Today, there are hundreds of Negro League players still alive nationwide, including Al Burrows of the Washington, DC area. Our number of living Negro Leaguers is dwindling everyday and the Baysox Tribute to the Negro Leagues is indeed an honor. Several former Negro League players that will be in attendance are from the Negro League Players Association. Each player will participate in a pre-game, on-field ceremony and throw out a ceremonial first pitch. During the game, the players will be available to sign autographs. The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive a Replica Negro League cap.

"It is heartwarming to see the Bowie Baysox honor these outstanding 'Forgotten Negro League Stars. I was in attendance at the Tribute on May 31, 2002," said Cheryl Robinson. "I wrote about the experience in my latest book, A Forgotten Negro League Star: A Personal Look At Al Burrows." The book tells Al Burrows story-the same story for many of the Negro League players-playing black baseball, while ultimately being denied the opportunity to join a Major League organization, because of the color line drawn by segregation.

In this book, the in-depth interviews with Negro League baseball players and fans tells a story often unheard in African American history. Cheryl Robinsons new book is highly sought after by baseball fans everywhere, because it provides different information about the Negro Leagues.

Specifically, the book offers additional information, such as the fact that Negro League teams played white teams and won more games than they lost. Black baseball players began to scare white baseball players who felt their positions in baseball might be in jeopardy if blacks were allowed to play with them. White players and fans often yelled racial epithets at any "colored" player within listening range. This was a time of heated emotions and white players were often extremely hostile towards black players. In addition, in various ball parks, blacks were restricted to sitting in the top 14 rows-even when black teams were playing. This book contains a lot of Negro League Trivia, a list of Negro League Teams by state, a list of surviving Negro League Players and black baseball facts that are not so well known.

Then, there is the dispute of whether black baseball players are actual Negro League players or barnstorming players. The Negro National League was formed in 1920, signaling the first Negro League team. When Jackie Robinson broke Major League baseballs color barrier in 1947, this signaled the beginning of the end for the Negro Leagues. Several of the Negro League teams continued to play, as well as barnstorm around the country well into the 1960s. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum counts players from that era among its numbers, which accounts for roughly 250 living Negro Leaguers (the list is included in the book). Some historians feel that if you were a black baseball player on a Negro League team after these dates, that you are not a Negro League player, but rather a black baseball barnstorming player. In the book, these facts are presented in more detail and the reader is allowed to make his or her own decision.

Game attendees will have a chance to talk to these living legends. So, please stop by the Negro League table and say "Hello" to Al Burrows and other Forgotten Negro League Stars.

The author will raffle off a baseball and a book, both autographed by Al Burrows, contact Creative Writing at (301) 535-6700 for the details.

Creative Writing is an African American writing company located in the Washington, DC area.

For additional information, contact Lorraine at Creative Writing (301) 535-6700 or send an email to Cr8tivewriting@msn.com.
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