I want you to meet one of Milwaukee’s most important draft pick in years, perhaps in the franchise’s entire history.
He’s played first base and the outfield and boasts of speed to burn. He had a storied high school career in Chicago, including a particularly memorable game at Wrigley Field. And while he’s never played an inning of Major League Baseball, he’d be a clubhouse leader the minute he stepped through the door.
Tough to believe, no doubt. But Joe B. Scott is worth believing in.
He says his mother whipped him for playing baseball as a child. “But I didn’t cry when she whipped me,” he told Yahoo! Sports.
And Scott, a black man, has known plenty of racism throughout his life. But his philosophy remains defiantly positive. “I never look back,” he told MLB.com. “I’m looking forward all the time.”
That’s saying something, because Scott’s got a lot to look back on.
More than 87 years, to be exact.
That’s right. The man Milwaukee drafted Thursday was born on Oct. 2, 1920.
So why in the name of Abner Doubleday was he holding a Brewers uniform last week? Because Hall of Famer Dave Winfield had a great idea and Commissioner Bud Selig believes in properly honoring baseball’s history.
You probably missed MLB’s ceremonial Negro League Draft. It didn’t make big headlines and superagent Scott Boras wasn’t demanding $10 million signing bonuses for anyone. But the moment is worth revisiting, if only because what it celebrated has been so overlooked.
Winfield came up with the idea after the 2006 death of Buck O’Neill, who’d become a de facto spokesman for the Negro League. Each big-league club would draft a surviving member of the Negro League, giving MLB a bridge to an oft-forgotten era of baseball.
“They don’t have anybody speaking for them,” Winfield told SportsIllustrated.com. “So let’s embrace part of our family.”
Selig embraced the notion, and on Thursday, it became reality. So there was Scott, one of 30 senior citizen draftees, holding up his Brewers jersey.
Scott already had a connection with the Brewers. In 1999, he claimed a spot on the team’s Negro League Wall of Fame, going in with the same class as Henry Aaron.
Long before that, he grew up in Chicago knowing that baseball’s color barrier kept blacks from playing in the bigs. But in high school, he helped Tilden Tech win the 1937 City Championship. The game was played at Wrigley Field, and Scott was the only African-American on either team.
Scott’s Negro League career included stints with the New York Black Yankees, the Chicago American Giants and the Memphis Red Sox. After baseball, he drove a truck for 27 years and coached little leaguers.
Those kids learned from a genuine pro. A man who got hits off big-leaguers like Bob Feller and Virgil Trucks during exhibition games. A man who, Scott bragged, could outrun Cool Papa Bell (the Negro League star who Satchel Paige said could turn out the light and be in bed before the room got dark).
Coincidentally, in the regular draft, the Brewers drafted another Joe Scott last week. He’s a shortstop out of Cal State-Fullerton and went in the 41st round, which means he’s an underdog to ever play for the Brew Crew.
Perhaps a phone call to Joe B. Scott is in order. He knows all about persistence.
This week’s pop quiz:
1) Who will win Euro 2008?
A) Hint: It’s a soccer tournament.
B) Yes, an international soccer tournament, like the World Cup.
C) No, really, it’s good stuff. You should watch.
D) Portugal.
NBA Finals
Have you heard? The Lakers and Celtics have a history together. And apparently the announcers are obliged to mention it every 13 seconds or so.
But can we please cool the Kobe Bryant hype for awhile? Depending on whose lips are flapping, Kobe’s not only the best basketball player ever, but he’s also the best teammate since Brian Piccolo and can even find gas for $1.50 a gallon.
During Game 1 of the finals, TV announcer Mark Jackson trumpeted the increasing belief that Bryant’s ascended to equal footing with Michael Jordan. Then a graphic flashed on the screen comparing the two.
Bryant’s career: 25 points per game, three NBA titles, one MVP.
Jordan’s career: 30 points per game, six NBA titles, five MVPs.
Yes, Kobe’s good. The league’s best player right now. But the only category he beats Jordan in is bad Nike commercials. Call me after that sixth championship and fifth MVP and we’ll talk.
And finally
What kind of sports do they play in Antarctica?
Apparently, contact sports.
Tune in every Tuesday morning from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. when I join Doug Russell and Mike Wickett on SportsRadio 1250 AM. And don’t forget to check out our Bar Time column.
