Josh Gibson: The Black Babe Ruth

By John Raso

Sports

Just who are some names you think of while you think about the greatest home run hitters for all time? Willie Mays. Ken Griffey Jr. Mark Mcgwire. Hank Aaron. Babe Ruth. Truth is, possibly the best home run hitter to ever play baseball won't surface in any Mlb record books. His name was Josh Gibson. You most likely are acquainted with his playing career if you have seen the made for T.V. movie "Soul of the Game". For those who have yet to check out this movie, quit reading this article, sign onto Ebay and buy it. Due to the MLB's "Gentleman's Agreement" that segregated baseball, Gibson wasn't permitted to participate in the Majors. Instead, he took over the American Negro Leagues where legend says he hit anywhere between 750 and 1,000 home runs during his playing career. As a matter of fact, certain fans at the time referred to Babe Ruth as 'The White Josh Gibson'.

The Georgia native devoted the majority of his career with the Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords. You will find a variety of tall tales about Gibson, like the time he hit a ball into the air at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh so high that it never landed...until the next day...in a different city. Honestly. Or maybe you have been told the one about Gibson hitting the only ball to ever leave Yankee Stadium, more than 500 feet. Although stout in build, he featured Hercules-like power, consistently hitting home runs in excess of 400+ feet. He hit 84 home runs through the 1936 season. Unfortunately, he started to develop drinking and drug habits later in his career after losing his wife. The agony he experienced from not being able to play in the Major Leagues did not help. Gibson's achievements and legend are often met with naysayers who believe that Gibson was skilled, but Negro League talent was second-rate to the talent in the Major Leagues. He did get the opportunity to play against Major League pitchers during exhibitions from time to time and often held his own. He passed away in 1947 as a result of a stroke, at only 36 years of age. Months later, Jackie Robinson would break the color barrier by being the first black baseball player to play in the Major Leagues. Any person interested in knowing more about the great Josh Gibson or other Negro League greats like Satchel Paige and Jackie Robinson can do so by going to the Negro Leagues baseball museum in Kansas City, MO.

By John Raso, creator of FromThisSeat.com. Blogger, entrepreneur, avid Tweeter (@FromThisSeat).

The Negro Leagues

How Did Baseball Make Its Way to the Dominican Republic?

By John Raso

Sports

There are lots of misguided beliefs in regards to the foundation and origin of baseball in the Dominican Republic. No, American Marines did not present the sport to the area residents after they invaded in 1916. Native Dominicans actually learned the game of baseball from Cuban immigrants who had fled Cuba with the hope of avoiding "La Guerra de los Diez Anos" (the Ten Year War). Cubans, as it so happens, are given credit for affecting the growth of the game throughout all of the Caribbean. On the other hand, it was the Americans that brought the game of baseball to Cuba in the 1860s.

Several of Major League Baseball's brightest stars of both past and present hail from the Dominican Republic. All-Stars like Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, Ubaldo Jimenez, Edinson Volquez, Vladimir Guerrero, Hanley Ramirez and Albert Pujols only to name a few. The current class of Dominican players, however, had their road to baseball stardom paved for them thanks to prior greats such as Manny Mota, Ozzie Virgil as well as the Alou brothers (Matty, Jesus, Felipe). Baseball in the Dominican would not be what it is if it weren't for these baseball pioneers.

These days, there is even a Dominican Winter Baseball League which consists of quite a few players from Major and Minor League organizations in the United States. The league is comprised of 6 teams including Aguilas Cibaenas, Estrellas Orientales, Gigantes del Cibao, Toros del Este, Leones del Escogido and the legendary Tigres del Licey. League play gets started in October when the Major League Baseball season ends in the United States and ends in January right before the start of spring training. The Dominican League champion will then journey to play in the Caribbean Series vs. representatives from the Mexican, Venezuelan and Puerto Rican leagues..

Baseball is a giant in this small country, that is for certain. But just as in everything else that supplies financial gain, there are those that look to manipulate and use the system unlawfully to their advantage. Freddy Peralta, a Dominican-born/Oakland, Ca resident and former Transylvania University baseball player said "The biggest issue with Baseball in the Dominican has to do with scouts that use the talented young players for financial gain. They often times take a huge slice of their signing bonuses for themselves which leaves the players with very little. Another large problem has to do with culture shock experienced by the players that actually make it over to the United States. The players are lost when they get to the states and do not know how to adapt."

To attest to Freddy's remarks, take for example, Dominican scout Victor Baez who was detained previously this month for falsifying records to obtain professional contracts for Dominican players. We can be sure to conclude that Baez wanted his share of reward down the road for getting those players noticed. There is even a word for figures such as Victor Baez; "Buscones" which are the middle-men between Latin American players and major league teams. "Buscones", have been known to take up to thirty or forty percent of a player's income while certified sports agents only qualify for around three percent. Melky Cabrera claims that he only saw a portion of the 175k bonus he was assured when he signed with the Yankees in 2001. Cabrera's advisor Victor Mata denounced any knowledge of Cabrera's finances. Hmmm. Aren't mentors supposed to help the players with these matters?

Such forms of deception are nothing new. If you recall in 2008, standout Migual Tejada was exposed for being untruthful about his age when he was signed by the Oakland A's in 1993. Tejada simply stated in an interview that he was a poor kid and thought that by lying about his age, scouts would see more potential in him as an athlete. Quite a few baseball players in the Dominican do indeed take extreme measures such as this with the desire of one day playing baseball for a living.

Manny Peralta, a Dominican-born/Lexington, KY resident says that "Dominican children will at times quit school at the age of eleven or twelve to focus on baseball full-time. There are baseball academies down there where all they do is grow kids into athletes, pretty much every single major league team has some sort of presence in the D.R." The problem with this process, however, is that for every Vladimir Guerrero there are thousands of Dominican players that you have never even heard of. By the time a player reaches the age of twenty, he has little education and has very few job prospects. Major League Baseball offers no further opportunities for such players that are considered un-resourceful.

Baseball has been a pillar in the Dominican cultural life for more than one hundred years. All thirty major league franchises now have at least one Dominican-born player on their team. Which means nearly one out of every seven players hail from this tiny country on the Island of Hispaniola. They play with an appreciation and dedication that leads me to believe that America's favorite pastime is in good hands.

By John Raso, creator of FromThisSeat.com. Blogger, entrepreneur, avid Tweeter (@FromThisSeat).

Baseball History DVDs