Why honoring the Negro Leagues today, is Important!
(by Bob May)
Part One – My Passion and My Dream
I believe it is essential for you to know who I am, first. Bob May is a 77-year-old white man. I have been passionate about baseball since I was seven years old in the summer of 1949. I am also a Christian. I have written two books that honor the players of Negro League baseball, The Best Season-The First Ninety Games and The Best Season-The Challenging Finish.
Neither of these books would have been written without The Vision I received from God in 2011. Before we look at The Vision, we need to see how The Lord used the unfulfilled dream of little Bobby May to fulfill a slightly different version of a dream sixty plus years, later. God is so good!
On August 29, 1941, Robert Gordon May Jr. (Bobby) was born in Stoneham MA about 12 miles north of Boston. I believe God has a great sense of humor. 1941, the year I was born, there were three incredible baseball player accomplishments. All three of these players fit into Bobby’s baseball world.
1. Joe DiMaggio (New York Yankees) – First, how does he fit into little Bobby’s baseball world? He plays for the New York Yankees (to Red Sox fans that are the equivalent of the evil empire). In 1941, Joe DiMaggio had a 56 game hitting streak (one or more hits for 56 straight games). The longest previous hitting streak was in 1897 by “Wee Willie” Keeler of 44 games. Pete Rose tied Keeler’s record in 1978.
2. Ted Williams (Boston Red Sox) – He is my favorite baseball player. In 1941, he won the American League batting title with a batting average of .406. There has not been a baseball player since Williams to win a batting title with a batting average of .400+ since!
3. Hilton Smith (Kansas City Monarchs, Negro Leagues) – He was a pitcher. He was 10-0 (ten wins, no losses) in league competition. His record against all opponents was 25-1! His only loss was 1-0 when a teammate made an error. Hilton Smith is one of the nineteen Negro League Players in my two books who are enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
In 1949, My Dad took me to Fenway Park in Boston to see Joe DiMaggio and the New York Yankees play Ted Williams and the Boston Red Sox. That day changed my life. My passion was baseball, and my dream was to replace Ted Williams in left field for the Boston Red Sox when he retired!
