We were just sitting at his dining room table, having a friendly conversation about things that matter to him. Many times things that matter to him come by way of the question, "Poppie, what about.......?" I love those questions. I can see his young mind working.
On this particular day the conversation was about baseball, and not just baseball, but about the Negro leagues. The conversation darted in all sorts of directions. He wanted to know. He wanted to know why Black baseball players were excluded from the same game as Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Walter Johnson, and others.
Over on his family's dining room table was the book, "We are the Ship." He nodded in that direction, and we talked about the great athletes of old and how they played the game under difficult circumstances. He doesn't understand "Jim Crow," and lynching is way too harsh for his gentle heart, but he knows it happened.
Still he wanted to know why. He wanted to know how Josh Gibson would compare with Babe Ruth, or Hank Aaron, or Barry Bonds, or Mark McGwire. He is fascinated by what he knows of Satchel Paige and how he'd have done if he played all of his career in the major leagues. He wants to know why it took baseball so long to integrate and how hard it must have been for Jackie Robinson.
For this young lad, it's about baseball and the love of the game, but it's also about justice and what is right.
I love those conversations. Now that we live in the same town, there may be more. I hope so. He and kids his age are the hope for tomorrow for our country. He has a younger brother, and I hope we'll have similar grandfather/grandson chats about things that matter.
Here is a drawing of one of his favorite players, Satchel Paige, posted here with his permission and the permission of his parents. It hangs on the wall in our office at the house. I hope you enjoy it.
