Speaker 1: And now an exclusive interview with David Bassey for Dodger Talking, Well,
Speaker 1: it's an extra special Jackie Robinsonde at Dodgers Stadium. Not
Speaker 1: only the Mets are in town, but we have the
Speaker 1: president of the Negro League Museum in town and he
Speaker 1: addressed the Dodgers and Mets earlier today. And that's my guy,
Speaker 1: Bob Kendrick. Bob, thank you so much. And man, it's
Speaker 1: great to be in LA with you instead of Kansas City.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Now, it's great to be back here at Dodger Stadium,
Speaker 2: to be here in the great city of LA. And
Speaker 2: what an incredible celebration this is every year, but for me,
Speaker 2: it means so much more to actually be here as
Speaker 2: part of this celebration.
Speaker 1: What did it mean to you when the Dodgers asked
Speaker 1: you to come to La, come to Dodgers Stadium and
Speaker 1: in the shadow of this statue speak to the Dodgers
Speaker 1: and Mets.
Speaker 3: It was it was special. It was special.
Speaker 2: So you feel a very strong sense of pride that
Speaker 2: they think enough of the work that we do there
Speaker 2: in Kansas City that it would be meaningful for me
Speaker 2: to be here to deliver the address to the two
Speaker 2: ball clubs. And so that means a great deal to
Speaker 2: all of us at the Negro League Baseball Museum.
Speaker 1: Those of us that have visited several times. I remember
Speaker 1: my first time was with Andre Ethier. And you give
Speaker 1: us not only a history lesson in baseball, but a
Speaker 1: history lesson in American history. Is that what you were
Speaker 1: trying to convey to these ballplayers that may not know you.
Speaker 2: Know, because with each generation we move further and further away.
Speaker 2: Because I have to remind myself not to take for
Speaker 2: granted that everyone knows Jackie's incredible story, because the byproduct
Speaker 2: of progress is that we have a tendency to forget,
Speaker 2: and we cannot forget what Jackie was able to do.
Speaker 3: And you're right, Jackie's story.
Speaker 2: The story of the Negro Leagues in general, is much
Speaker 2: bigger than the game of baseball. Yet it's still just
Speaker 2: a tiny part of the great story of a game
Speaker 2: of baseball. And anytime that we get the opportunity to
Speaker 2: elevate the awareness, hopefully the interest, and remind people of
Speaker 2: just how courageous Jackie Robinson was, we want to make
Speaker 2: sure that we take full advantage of that and for
Speaker 2: me to be able to make the connectivity to his
Speaker 2: incredible story back to the negro leagues, because this does
Speaker 2: not happen without the negro Leagues. Now, you've got to
Speaker 2: think that baseball would have integrated at some point in time,
Speaker 2: but who knows how long? And then where were those
Speaker 2: players going to come from if you did not have
Speaker 2: the negro leagues? And so the stories cannot be separated.
Speaker 2: But a lot of people don't know that side of
Speaker 2: his story as it relates to his time in Kansas
Speaker 2: City with the great Kansas City monarchs.
Speaker 1: I love how Bob Kendrick reminded everybody what Jackie Robinson
Speaker 1: did was before Rosa Parks, was before doctor Martin Luther
Speaker 1: King Junior. He is at the forefront of the civil
Speaker 1: rights movement.
Speaker 2: So you can effect divide the twentieth century into two pieces, before.
Speaker 3: Jackie and after Jackie.
Speaker 2: That's the profound impact that he had, and he was
Speaker 2: the spark that ignited the civil rights movement in this country.
Speaker 3: Now.
Speaker 2: Oftentimes people don't necessarily connect the two, but we do,
Speaker 2: and I think it is eye opening for people when
Speaker 2: they do learn how at the forefront of this movement
Speaker 2: he really was.
Speaker 1: Now, we love having Bob Kendrick in Los Angeles, But
Speaker 1: you have to get to Kansas City to the Negro
Speaker 1: League Baseball Museum. That is one of the more special places.
Speaker 1: And my favorite piece in that museum is the painting
Speaker 1: of the Dinner that we've heard Don nucom tell many
Speaker 1: times before.
Speaker 2: Yes, the painting is called Grace, and Nuke told the
Speaker 2: story with great clarity, and he was so inspired when
Speaker 2: he would tell that story, and it was captivating, and
Speaker 2: he would oftentimes tell the story of how they had dinner.
Speaker 2: He Jackie, Roy Campanella, and Doctor King sitting down having
Speaker 2: dinner when Doctor King conveyed to them that he could
Speaker 2: not have done what they did because they were out
Speaker 2: there moving the needle for progress. Now here is the
Speaker 2: greatest civil rights leader of all time acknowledging what Jackie
Speaker 2: did as an individual because he was playing a team
Speaker 2: sport when he took that field with the Brooklyn Dodgers,
Speaker 2: he was individualized, and that he could not have done it,
Speaker 2: and that they helped make his job easier. That alone
Speaker 2: should help us understand the impact of what Jackie was
Speaker 2: able to do. And then those other integration pioneers who
Speaker 2: followed Jackie, Yeah, the Don Newcombs, the Roy Campanella's, the
Speaker 2: Junior Gilliams, the Joe Blacks, who are all tied to
Speaker 2: the Dodgers organization, all played a significant role in helping
Speaker 2: move the needle of progress forward. And I think that's
Speaker 2: what doctor King was relating, and that painting so beautifully
Speaker 2: depicts them. They're sitting at the dinner table holding hands
Speaker 2: while they're saying grace.
Speaker 1: Very powerful certainly is so is Bob Kendrick. There are
Speaker 1: so many ways to describe you. Your genuine love for
Speaker 1: the stories that you tell and the meaning behind them
Speaker 1: come across, whether it's to the Dodgers or Mets, or
Speaker 1: to anybody that comes to visit the Negro League Hall
Speaker 1: of Fame the museum. So man awesome to have you
Speaker 1: out here. Glad your knee is doing good and you
Speaker 1: still got the best style in America hands down.
Speaker 2: Yeah. The news doing much better than that when I
Speaker 2: saw you last and I was trying to fake it.
Speaker 2: I was trying to move around without my brace on.
Speaker 2: But the news much much much better. The thing that
Speaker 2: I've learned, the older I get, the slur the healing processes.
Speaker 3: But what or not?
Speaker 2: And to be part of this celebration and to be
Speaker 2: back here at Dodger Stadium.
Speaker 3: So thanks so much for having me.
Speaker 1: I'll never forget this Jackie Robinson Day. Thank you for
Speaker 1: stopping by and awesome to do this with you in
Speaker 1: front of this statue.
Speaker 3: Yeah no, this made it even special.
Speaker 2: And they have the two clubs gathered around this amazing
Speaker 2: piece of art that really is alive.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and it.
Speaker 2: Lives through all of them who played his game, and
Speaker 2: we wanted to remind them that they do carry that
Speaker 2: level of civic and social responsibility with them.
Speaker 1: We all do, we all do. Thank you, Bob there.
Speaker 1: He is my guy, Bob Kendrick, more than just the
Speaker 1: president of the Negro League Baseball Museum. He's one one
Speaker 1: of a kind, all class, great person and we love
Speaker 1: having you here. So I know you're in demand today.
Speaker 1: You better get that.
Speaker 3: Me moving