"A Trip to the ‘Strattin' Times: Why You Gotta See the Negro Leagues Museum!" By the 18th & Vine Blogger

 

"Aw Dad, do we have to go to another boring baseball museum on our vacation?" groaned Marcus from the backseat. 

His sister Nia chimed in, "Yeah, I thought we were gonna have fun this time!"

Dad laughed from the driver's seat. "Who says the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum won't be fun? This place is gonna be way cooler than you think!"

The kids looked at each other, rolling their eyes. Museums were just dusty old buildings with stuff nobody cared about anymore. What could be entertaining about that?

"Look you two, this museum is all about some of the most amazing, ‘strattin' baseball players who ever took the field," Dad explained. "Back before Black players could join the major leagues because of unfair segregation laws, they had their own leagues called the Negro Leagues."

"Strattin'?" Marcus asked, scrunching his face in confusion.

Dad told them all about players like Josh Gibson, who was so strong he once hit a baseball straight through the window of a moving bus.

Or Cool Papa Bell, who could literally score from second base on a bunt because he ran so incredibly fast.

"Then there were pitchers like Satchel Paige, who was so fun to watch work. He'd brag and joke all game, do a little dance on the mound, then fire a blazing fastball right by you when you weren't ready!"

Nia and Marcus started looking interested, their eyes going wide at the thought of baseball players being that wild and unstoppable.

"The Negro Leagues may have been circumscribed by racist rules at the time, but those players were simply too good to be stopped. Segregation tried to keep them from displaying their greatness on the biggest stadiums, but they still found a way to strattin' and blaze their own legendary path."

Dad's voice got serious for a moment as he continued his story. "It wasn't until Jackie Robinson finally broke the color barrier in 1947 that the best Black players got their rightful chances in the major leagues. The Negro Leagues slowly faded away after that pivotal moment."

"But just because they're gone, doesn't mean we can't celebrate the showmanship and immense skills of those brave players and the barriers they broke down. That's why the Negro Leagues Museum exists - to experience what it was like when they strattin' on the baseball diamond and share the pride of their pioneering spirits."

Dad turned onto the exit for the museum, grinning at Marcus and Nia in the rearview mirror. "You'll get to see all their cool old equipment, uniforms and memorabilia from back in the day. Some exhibits will even let you experience what it was like to take the field and play just like the Negro Leaguers did, showing off every pitch and swing with all their hearts."

The kids were totally hooked now, picturing hitting mighty homers and zipping around the bases in their heads. A museum dedicated to the most super-talented and confident showmen to ever play baseball? What could be cooler than that?

As they pulled into the parking lot, Dad turned to give his kids one last pep talk. "The Negro Leagues players had to overcome a ton of hatred and injustice just to play the game they loved. But they triumphed by being incredible at their craft and putting on an unstoppable performance with every game. No matter what obstacles they faced, their skills and passion allowed them to strattin' and etch their legendary names into history."

"That's an inspiring message for all of us. If we chase our biggest dreams with that same heart and soul, never letting any hurdles outshine our dedication, we can conquer anything in our way too. Just like the kings of strattin' showed the world."

Marcus and Nia couldn't wait another second, bolting out of the car in a mad rush to enter a world of baseball heroism and unstoppable joy. A museum had never looked so appealing.

TAKE A CYBER TOUR OF THE NEGRO LEAGUES BASEBALL MUSEUEM!