"St. Francis didn't necessarily go to churches, he went to the city streets to preach where people were, and he preached a language they could understand." - Fr. Casey Cole
The Bleacher Brothers – Fr. Casey Cole and Br. Tito Serrano, associate campus minister – are on a 17,000 miles, 11-week tour of all 30 Major League Baseball parks. They're spreading the Franciscan message "where people are" and throughout their trip, they'll be sharing many of their stories and encounters in the SCoop.
The 1942 Kansas City Monarchs roster featured four future MLB Hall of Famers, including the great Satchel Paige. Infielder Buck O'Neil famously said of that team, "I do believe we could have given the New York Yankees a run for their money." Of course, they would never get that chance. It would be another five years before Jackie Robinson (a Monarch himself in 1945) would break baseball's color barrier.
On June 27, Br. Tito and Fr. Casey caught a MLB game in Kansas City. The Royals lost to the visiting Texas Rangers 10-4 at the venerable Kauffman Stadium. Built in 1973, Br. Tito said of the stadium (above), "It is quite possibly one of the best stadiums to come out of the 70s. When other cities were building massive domes and bowls to serve multiple sports, the Royals chose to keep things small, more intimate and interesting." But, as Br. Tito would go on to say, "The stadium pales in comparison to the baseball history present in the city."
The Kansas City Monarchs won four Negro National League titles in the 1920s, including the first Negro League World Series in 1924. Sixty-six years later, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was founded in Kansas City. Br. Tito and Fr. Casey caught the game at Kauffman Stadium to check it off the list, but their more profound stop in KC was a trip back in time.
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum charts the Negro Leagues from their formation in 1920 through its final all-star game in 1962. Perhaps the most stunning display is the Field of Legends (below, left), adorned by 12 nearly life-sized bronze statues representing historic figures from the league, including O'Neil, the former Monarch and a member of the board of the museum until his death in 2006.
"Fr. Casey and I were reminded of the irony of integration in baseball. Today, professional baseball has never been more diverse, epitomized by the Little League World Series, where boys and girls get to represent their countries in this beautiful game. The sorrow for us, however, is that with the growth of travel teams, youth baseball in the U.S. favors those with greater financial means. In other words, there is a new unofficial color barrier, and it is happening with children. Integration and fairness does not happen by accident. We must always make an effort to promote fair treatment and opportunities for all."
Br. Tito Serrano, O.F.M., associate campus minister
The Bleacher Brothers are midway through their nearly three-month summer tour. Tomorrow, they double back to Chicago to catch a Cubs game at Wrigley Field, then they head back to Atlanta for a speaking engagement. From there, it's out west to Arizona to begin their Texas/West Coast swing. Their final game of the summer is in Colorado on July 30. After the Rockies game, they'll spend a day hiking the Rockies, and then fly home on August 3.