I am still processing what an amazing and surreal experience I had this past weekend in Kansas City. I arrived Saturday morning and went straight to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum where Bob Kendrick, the Museum president, was welcoming former Negro League players Sam Allen and Pedro Sierra. Allen and Sierra would sign autographs that morning and then throw out the first pitch Sunday during the Dodgers-Royals Salute to the Negro Leagues throwback game.

After Kendrick led a tour of the Museum for anyone in attendance, including Dodgers play-by-play voice Stephen Nelson, I was invited to join Kendrick for a 30-minute conversation about Jim Gilliam's life and career. It was a true honor to be seated next to Kendrick discussing my book, Jim Gilliam: The Forgotten Dodger. We talked about Gilliam's experiences in the Negro Leagues, where he was known as Junior, as well as his role on the Dodgers. We discussed great Negro Leagues players such as George Scales, Pee Wee Butts, and Henry Kimbro, all of whom influenced Gilliam.

I signed some books. I met author Phil Dixon and artist Darryl Matthews, and chatted with Three-Inning Save Podcast personalities Jacob Burch and Craig Minami. And, I saw the incredible baseball signed by Jackie Robinson, Jim Gilliam, Joe Black, and Roy Campanella.

From there it was off to Kauffman Stadium for Saturday's game won by the Royals, 9-5, but featuring Shohei Ohtani pitching and hitting. On Sunday, a thunderstorm delayed the start of the game, a 5-1 Dodger victory. I was fortunate to be invited to spend the game in the George Brett Lounge with dignitaries from the Museum (thank you so much, Kiona!) and chat more with Bob Kendrick. The delay also gave me an opportunity to visit briefly with Royals announcer Joel Goldberg who has written his own book, and tour the Royals Hall of Fame.

Simply an unbelievable weekend and I am so grateful for the opportunity. A huge thank you to Mr. Kendrick, Kiona Sinks, and the rest of the outstanding folks with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Thank you for your support! If you find yourself in KC and do not go to the Museum, what are you even doing? 

I returned late Saturday night from a quick driving trip to Nashville where I was pleased to be invited to table and sign copies of Jim Gilliam: The Forgotten Dodger during the Nashville Sounds' commemoration of the Negro Leagues. Before they were the Baltimore Elite Giants, they were the Nashville Elite Giants, and for a couple of days the Sounds assumed the Elite Giant identity.

Gilliam, who was born just a few blocks from the Sounds' stadium, played the 1945 season, at age 16, with the Nashville Black Vols of the Negro Southern League. He joined the Baltimore Elite Giants in 1946 and played through the 1950 season before the Dodgers purchased his contract.

Nashville has a wonderful, rich baseball history, particularly with the Negro Leagues. First Horizon Park, which has a mailing address of 19 Junior Gilliam Way, is a beautiful facility in downtown Nashville. It is full of food and entertainment options, including a bourbon list that featured Eagle Rare and Weller Special Reserve!

I had a wonderful time meeting two people I interviewed for my book, Skip Nipper and Harriet Kimbro-Hamilton! Harriet's father was Henry Kimbro and was a teammate of Gilliam with the Elite Giants. 

And, as an excellent bonus, I caught up with friend Andrew Maraniss and his son, Charlie, for breakfast on Saturday morning!

Thank you so much to Doug Scopel of the Sounds for having me on a beautiful Friday evening. 
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In honor of Jim Gilliam's MLB debut on this day in 1953, I wanted to revisit media coverage of his first few months in the big leagues. Gilliam would finish the 1953 season as the National League Rookie of the Year and lead the NL in triples and plate appearances as the Dodgers reached the World Series.

Something which struck me during my research of Jim Gilliam: The Forgotten Dodger was what The Sporting News chose to emphasize during its coverage of Gilliam in his first month. The image below is from page 3 of the April 29, 1953 issue of the magazine. The framing of Gilliam's prospects for sticking with the team is explicitly tied to whether he can hit, something he did with great regularity with the Baltimore Elite Giants of the Negro Leagues, and the 1951-52 seasons with the Montreal Royals. That the dominant number on Charlie Dressen's caricature scroll was .198 suggests Gilliam was not hitting. In fact, he collected hits in 7 of his first 9 MLB games and was batting .314 when April turned to May.

In addition, the article's author, Roscoe McGowen, the veteran New York Times writer, focuses on a mental lapse in the bottom of the 8th inning in the third game of the season against the New York Giants. Gilliam's mental error allowed an extra run to score, giving the Giants a 6-1 lead (they won the game, 6-3). There is no mention that Gilliam led off the top of the 9th with an infield hit and eventually scored. There is no discussion that Gilliam rebounded the next day to go 3-for-6 with two runs scored and his first MLB RBI as the Dodgers won 12-4.

No, that would go against the narrative that Gilliam, a Black man, would need to be perfect in order to be accepted by Brooklyn fans and take that "long lease on second base." To be clear, this was par for the course for The Sporting News. In 2021, TSN endorsed the removal of publisher J.G. Taylor Spink's name from a Hall of Fame award over consistent use of racist language in the publication. Gilliam, like many of his Black contemporaries who came after Jackie Robinson, faced longer odds and more scrutiny than their white counterparts, thanks, in part, to the stories in TSN.

Gilliam persevered and became more than just "a new face in old Flatbush." He became a permanent face, and not simply because he could "hit his hat."
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