Two men’s different paths to glory
- Makio Mukai
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
In my previous column, I wrote about my visit to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum in Jackson, the state capital of Mississippi, in 2011. This time, I'd like to talk about something related to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum. It was something that suddenly came to mind and moved me when I heard the news that Ernie Banks had passed away at the age of 83 in 2015.
The modern era of the Major League Baseball, which began at the dawn of the 20th century, has a sad history. It is a history of discrimination. For a long time, it did not open its doors to black people. If a black person wanted to become a professional baseball player, they had no choice but to play in the Negro Leagues, which was made up entirely of black people.
Ernie Banks also played in the Negro Leagues. But the flow of the times changed Banks' fate. When Banks joined the Negro Leagues, the Major League had already begun to accept black people. And so, the young Banks, who had shown great talent in the Negro Leagues, was able to move to the Major Leagues. He also left a brilliant record of 512 home runs in the major leagues, and went down in history as a great top-class major leaguer. And of course, he also achieved the honor of being inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
I once visited Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Waco, Texas, where Ernie Banks, a native of Texas, was inducted into the Hall of Fame and honored along with other famous athletes from Texas.
By the way, the Negro Leagues were full of players who were just as good as the major leaguers. One of them was Cool Papa Bell (died in 1991 at the age of 87). Bell was not only a talented baseball player, but he also had great talent as a coach. It is said that Ernie Banks was able to join the Negro Leagues and succeed because Bell recognized his talent and coached him. Incidentally, it is said that Jackie Robinson was also recognized and coached by Bell.
Bell has become a legendary figure because of his incredible abilities, but he never played in the major leagues. When the major leagues opened their doors to blacks, Bell was already in his 40s. If he had been born 10 years later, he would have undoubtedly been successful in the major leagues.
Bell never played in the major leagues, but he was selected by the Special Committee on the Negro Leagues to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
So how was Cool Papa Bell, a native of Mississippi, treated at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum? Of course, Bell was inducted into the Hall of Fame and honored, but that was not all. The road leading from the main street to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum was named after Bell, representing all the athletes from Mississippi.
(If I’ve made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I’ll try to make corrections or additions.)