"My first birthday was a picnic at Yankee Stadium," he said.Ĭhloe Collyer for NPR Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., a driving force behind the HBCU Swingman Classic, speaks to press before the event.ĭorcean's parents both came from working-class backgrounds – his father's family immigrated to the U.S. Dorcean can't even remember when he first started playing the game. and Dorcean share that in common - they both inherited a love of baseball from their fathers. "He's done it and so now it's my turn," Griffey Jr. His son said his father has spent his life helping young, aspiring players. His father Ken Griffey Sr., himself a three-time All-Star, was at the weekend's events too, dressed in his very own "HBCU"-branded baseball uniform. comes from a legacy of professional baseball. And so they love the game differently than someone who's just good at it." "They're not getting the exposure, like everyone else. "When you go to the lower-tier colleges, they're out there because they love the game, because they're not being seen like they should be," Griffey said. ![]() Nearly everyone at the Mariners' ballpark – from the field, to the dugout, to the crowd – was Black.įor the organizers of this game, including Ken Griffey Jr., this kind of atmosphere and exposure for HBCU players was exactly the point. It was difficult to imagine that reality if you stood in the bleachers at Seattle's T-Mobile Park last weekend. ![]() Chloe Collyer for NPR The players selected for the HBCU Swingman Classic went through warm-up drills at the University of Washington baseball stadium on the day before the game.
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