Bob Kendrick is certainly one of baseball’s finest storytellers bar none.
In a sport as romanticized as baseball, with as many gifted writers and broadcasters who’ve helped elevate it’s mythos, Kendrick stands as one of many plain pillars.
On Thursday night time, throughout MLB’s tribute sport to the Negro Leagues at Rickwood Discipline in Birmingham, Alabama, followers who’ve by no means even heard Kendrick’s title earlier than discovered what makes him so compelling.
From the underside of the sixth inning between the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals to the underside of the eighth, there was hardly any play-by-play on the Fox broadcast. Simply Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas Metropolis, holding courtroom, as cool as ever, speaking concerning the historical past of Negro Leagues, the significance of Black baseball gamers to America and the tough realities behind a few of the most memorable names within the sport.
It was arguably one of the best half-hour of baseball we’ll get all 12 months and an absolute deal with for followers of the sport or Americana, basically. You can not inform the historical past of this nation with out baseball. You can not inform the historical past of baseball with out the Negro Leagues. You can not discover anybody higher to teach right now’s viewers about each than Kendrick.
Baseball followers received to listen to nearly 25 minutes of Negro Leagues Baseball elder Bob Kendrick discuss all the things Black and Negro Leagues Baseball on the historic Rickwood Discipline final night time..
Take pleasure in. pic.twitter.com/Zq5kB1D848
— PJ Inexperienced (@ByPJGreen) June 21, 2024
In a sport the place among the best methods to get pleasure from it’s to easily bear in mind some guys, Kendrick is a holy grail of leisure.
Chances are you’ll not have the power to take heed to all half-hour of his keep within the sales space on Thursday — although I implore you to make the time — however take this story about Satchel Paige and Willie Mays as a small excerpt of what it was wish to take heed to Kendrick wax poetic over the pure sounds of the sport:
Bob Kendrick, President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, particulars a narrative on Satchel Paige placing out 17-year-old Willie Mays 🔥 #MLBatRickwood pic.twitter.com/6eb7Qp4NzJ
— ESPN (@espn) June 21, 2024
Baseball lore like that is finest digested audibly and when Kendrick is the one orating you really feel such as you’re within the stands watching the sport with him.
Most baseball followers learn about Cool Papa Bell from Satchel Paige’s apocryphal story of the time Bell knocked a line drive off him that hit Bell as he slid into second. When Kendrick talks about Bell, he goes a lot additional, introducing you to the person behind the parable — then making him appear even bigger than earlier than:
His nickname is the best in baseball historical past & his pace was mythical-like however I guarantee you it was very actual! On this speedy version of STORIED we meet up with the legendary COOL PAPA BELL! @MLB @NLBMuseumKC @Royals @Buster_ESPN @ProAthleteInc @RoutineBaseball @MLBNetwork RT pic.twitter.com/4L7CmGAFjh
— Bob Kendrick (@nlbmprez) November 10, 2020
Tales like these are not relegated to Negro Leagues historical past. They’re Main League Baseball historical past.
Lower than a month in the past, MLB built-in Negro Leagues statistics into the official document books, which is how Josh Gibson ended up as the game’s all-time chief in batting common (.372) and OPS (1.177) seven a long time after his loss of life.
However disgrace on us if we take these stats and depart behind the tales that accompany them—as Reggie Jackson painfully and vitally extolled the need of sharing on Fox’s pregame present.
At first of his half-hour within the sales space, Kendrick defined that Negro Leagues Baseball Museum co-founder Buck O’Neil — a former Negro Leagues participant and supervisor himself earlier than changing into the primary Black coach in MLB historical past — dedicated to creating the museum in no unsure phrases.
“In order that we’d be remembered,” Kendrick mentioned. “[Buck] didn’t need them to be forgotten, not for what they only gave the sport of baseball, however extra importantly what they gave this nation.”
If Main League Baseball needs to proceed to honor the Negro Leagues the best way its story deserves to be advised, then let Kendrick do it. Give him a platform on Sunday Night time Baseball or different nationwide broadcasts.
It shouldn’t be Kendrick’s job to elucidate to each baseball fan the ache and struggling this sport helped perpetuate lengthy earlier than Jackie Robinson bulldozed these limitations. However Kendrick can be among the many finest we’ve received to take action.
Let People in every single place really feel the time-warping sensation of studying concerning the sport from its most educated storytellers. Play-by-play can wait when the historical past classes are this gripping.
As increasingly more followers tuned into the sport throughout Kendrick’s section, it grew to become abundantly clear how a lot of an urge for food there may be for his trove of tales.
I genuinely suppose that Bob Kendrick has taken up the mantle from Scully as baseball’s finest storyteller. His ardour and love of baseball and the Negro Leagues is simply so infectious
— Wolfgang Durchholz (@WolfDurchholz) June 21, 2024
Mr. Bob Kendrick is a dwelling, respiration portal between two totally different worlds & is simply an unimaginable reward to the sport of baseball. With out him I’m not fairly positive the tales of the heroes from the previous are given the respect & the eye they deserve. What a treasure.
— Dallas Braden (@DALLASBRADEN209) June 21, 2024
@MLBONFOX Thanks for this Rickwood Discipline sport broadcast. I’ve discovered extra concerning the historical past of our lovely sport and the Negro Leagues than I may think about. I may take heed to Mr Bob Kendrick inform tales all night time!!!
— Jonathan Papelbon (@TheRealJPap58) June 21, 2024
I would like Bob Kendrick of the @NLBMuseumKC on each baseball broadcast any further. I may take heed to his tales all night time.
— Invoice Avington (@Bill_Avington) June 21, 2024
Watching the #RickwoodGame and Bob Kendrick from the @NLBMuseumKC was one of the vital entertaining in-game segments I’ve ever seen. I wish to take the journey to KC simply to listen to him inform some extra tales. This sport has been an important occasion.
— Ian (@IanOnTheAir) June 21, 2024
I want Bob Kendrick to be given a lifetime cross to indicate up in any sales space, at any time, to inform tales.
The person is a nationwide treasure!#MLBatRickwood @nlbmprez
— Adam Bernard (@AdamsWorldBlog) June 21, 2024
Is there a greater baseball storyteller than Bob Kendrick?
— Eric Stephen (@ericstephen) June 21, 2024
Everytime I hear Bob Kendrick communicate, all the things else stops. You simply need to hear.
— BSUR (@BSports2193) June 21, 2024
