Black Diamonds

Join Bob Kendrick and comedian Greg Proops at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum's 2023 "Hall of Game" ceremony, as they celebrate the induction of the The Black Aces - Five of the 15 Black pitchers in AL/NL history to win 20 games in a Major League season, and five men who carried the spirit and style of the Negro Leagues through their whole career.

Hear Bob and Greg sit down with the legendary Al Downing (10:43) to talk about his ...

He was Ese Hombre. He was Sunny. He was Home Run Brown. He was Special Services for the US Army at the invasion of Normandy. And he was the Negro Leagues' greatest power hitter of the 1940's.

Meet Willard Brown, through the stories of Bob Kendrick and the archived voice of Brown himself. Hear how the late Hall of Famer planned to be a Kansas City Monarch from an early age, and ended up rewriting their record books. Hear about his le...

The last Negro Leagues World Series was held in 1948, and one of the teams playing was the Birmingham Black Barons.  Why was that '48 squad so special, and how did a young white kid become so involved in preserving the legacy of Black baseball in Birmingham and beyond?  Find out as Bob chats with Cam Perron, author and Negro Leagues researcher, along with Al Holt, and former third baseman and outfielder for the Black Barons. 

Hear C...

You could call him the modern day Satchel Paige - A man who played three sports and pitched for 12 teams over 21 years, on his way to becoming one of just 16 men to ever pitch in over 1,000 games. And along the way, he enjoyed every minute of it.

LaTroy Hawkins sits down with Bob Kendrick at Play Ball Park in Seattle to discuss his admiration for Negro Leagues baseball, and how Buck O'Neil deserves credit for every ounce of greatnes...

4x All-Star and 1968 World Series Champion Willie Horton joins Bob Kendrick in front of a live audience at Play Ball Park in Seattle, to discuss his experience of visiting the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, having a breakout season while playing in Puerto Rico early in his career, and how his good friend Buck O’Neil tried to sign him to the Chicago Cubs when he was only thirteen years old as a Spanish player.

Hear how Willie dealt w...

Lenny Wilkens scored 17,772 points as an NBA player, and won 1,332 regular season games as an NBA coach. He has two gold medals, and he's in the Basketball Hall of Fame three times. And still, he reminds you... his first love was baseball.

Hear the story of young Lenny Wilkens watching Jackie Robinson's rookie season from the Ebbets Field bleachers in 1947, and the firsthand accounts of how he changed America. Hear Lenny's accounts...

When they speak, we listen.

Former Negro Leaguers Sam Allen and Pedro Sierra join Bob Kendrick at All-Star Week in Seattle to tell their stories of triumph over adversity, in front of a live audience. Hear stories of long bus rides and hot beef stew while Sam Allen traveled with the Memphis Red Sox. Hear Pedro Sierra's first reactions to prejudice in the United States, after leaving his native Cuba to play in the Negro Leagues. Hea...

"You need to know your past. You need to understand the trials and tribulations that, not only Jackie Robinson went through, but this is U.S. history. It's not just baseball history."  

Hall of Famer Derek Jeter sits down with Bob Kendrick for an exclusive one-on-one session, discussing everything from his first steps on a baseball field to the importance of Negro Leagues history, and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Hear The Cap...

How do you truly change the game? Through action. Action OFF the field, and action ON the field.

Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson, directors of The Players Alliance, join Bob Kendrick in front of a live audience at Play Ball Park in Seattle, to discuss how they carry the spirit of the Negro Leagues into the next generation of baseball stars, and what The Players Alliance is doing to bring baseball to EVERYONE. Hear  their take o...

He's a former All-Star, a three-time Gold Glover, the father of a big leaguer, one of only 22 men in history with 250 homers and 250 steals, and now... he's officially a Game Changer.

Mike Cameron joins Bob Kendrick during All-Star Week in Seattle to talk about receiving 2023's prestigious "Game Changer" honors from The Players Alliance, the work of The Players Alliance in strengthening baseball in Black communities, winning the Po...

The award-winning podcast of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum returns JULY 13, following Major League Baseball's All-Star break. And if you're in Seattle for the All-Star Game, come see Bob and Black Diamonds LIVE at Play Ball Park, Sunday JULY 9.

Follow Bob Kendrick on Twitter - @nlbmprez

To support the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and preserve the legacy of Buck O'Neil, please visit ThanksAMillionBuck.com

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Hall of Famer - and son of a Negro Leagues infielder - Reggie Jackson joins Bob Kendrick for a candid, in-depth conversation about race and baseball, and the question of whether we're truly any closer to diversity in the game than we were when Reggie retired.  

Hear Reggie's commentary on the lack of Black managers and executives in the game today, and how we need more than just one Dana Brown running player personnel before we can...

How fast was Sam "The Jet" Jethroe? He was the fastest man in the Negro Leagues. He was the fastest man in the National League. And when you put him on the track with an Olympian? He was the fastest man on that track too. Bob Kendrick tells the story of the Jet's journey from a championship with the Cleveland Buckeyes, to becoming the first Black player to take the field for the Braves and capturing the NL Rookie of the Year in 195...

What if we told you the greatest baseball player the city of Detroit has ever known, NEVER played a game for the Tigers?

Bob Kendrick tells the story of Hall of Famer Norman "Turkey" Stearnes, the five-tool legend of the Detroit Stars who could hit, slug, field, run, throw, and even sing, like no one baseball had ever seen. Hear how "The Gobbler" got his name, how Satchel Paige showed him as much respect as anyone who had ever step...

What does it mean to forgive, but never forget? Bob Kendrick addresses the racial slur used, and apology given, by A's broadcaster Glen Kuiper, and why he himself has chosen the path of forgiveness, while using the moment to remember the triumph over adversity of Negro Leagues baseball.

Bob also takes a moment to remember his dear friend and a member of the Black Aces, the late Vida Blue, before writer, documentarian, and comedian ...

Meet the man responsible for both the skills of Roy Campanella, and the rise of baseball in Japan. Oh, and he also happened to have his own Hall of Fame resume ON the field. Bob Kendrick, Rich Westcott, and Ray Mackey discuss the life, career, and lasting legacy of Ray's Great Uncle, the legendary Raleigh "Biz" Mackey.  

Hear about Raleigh's humble beginnings in Texas and his rise to become a traveling superstar, his multiple Negro...

Babe Ruth considered him the greatest player who had ever lived. Derek Jeter called him 'me, but with more power'.  

Bob Kendrick and Dr. Wes Singletary tell the story of John Henry "Pop" Lloyd, a Hall of Fame shortstop and the favorite son of Palatka, Florida. Hear about Pop's humble beginnings and meteoric rise through the Negro Leagues, his playing career that extended into his mid-40's, and his legacy that lasts far beyond. And...

Why was there a 45-year gap between the first Black man to play in a World Series, and the first Black man to manage in a World Series?  

Former Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston sits down with Bob Kendrick for a wide-ranging discussion about being that first man, breaking barriers as the first Black manager to win a World Series (and doing it twice), the importance of his matchup against Frank Robinson in 1989 as the first two Black m...

In the Summer of 1949, the United States government called on Jackie Robinson to testify in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee against famed actor and activist Paul Robeson, for his ties to the Communist Party. In defending his country, Jackie would be forced to attack a fellow prominent Black voice, fighting the same fight he was - the ultimate no-win situation. But with this platform, he made his voice louder tha...