The team is paying homage to the Homestead Grays for the Pirates' Heritage Weekend by wearing the Grays' uniforms in the series against the Kansas City Royals.
With two wins and four home runs so far, the Pirates are doing a sensational job honoring the Grays, who won more Negro League World Series titles than any other team.
The Grays won three championships, including the last one before the league disbanded in 1948.
The previous year, Jackie Robinson played his first game as a Brooklyn Dodger, making him the first African-American to play in the white-only major leagues.
At Friday night's game, fans received free commemorative Grays baseball caps. Some tried to answer a trivia question about the Negro League.
Like many of the other attendees sporting those "G" caps, my knowledge of the Pittsburgh's black baseball teams was minimal.
Unknowing of the Grays' success, I wondered why they were being honored since Pittsburgh had its own team in the Negro National League, the Pittsburgh Crawfords. Their successes weren't comparable. Even though the team showcased five Hall-of-Famers during its run, the Crawfords never saw a championship game.
The navy blue hat with an embroidered "G" gave me more than just something to fiddle with during the game's slow times. It gave me something to think about.
There isn't much of a lesson in this blog except to remember those who struggled for acceptance.
And if the Pirates have seen a little further, it's by standing on the shoulders of Grays.
This might have helped the Pirates too.
Let's go Buccos!
Very cool!
ReplyDeletexoxox,
CC
This is so cool! I secretly love the Pirates, even if they aren't always the easiest team to root for. Hurray for home-team spirit :)
ReplyDeleteIt's been a lot harder to cheer for them lately. I have been disappointed by the management and how they routinely trade away our better players for mid-level prospects.
ReplyDelete