We made this trek needing to nail down a visit to the Negro League Baseball Museum so I could wrap up research for my Cuba trek, which ties the “Negro League presence in Cuba.”
We call them treks because we are on very tight budgets so once we arrived we discarded the car rental and opted for public transportation and Uber combo. The iron horse was perfect as in KC rides are free.
Those who understand the game cherish its legacy. Unfortunately, a good many either dismiss or marginalize its societal impact, thus turn their noses on why “the game takes so long” or is downright boring. Yet, those same attitudes have no problem in accepting most professional sports take about the same time from start to finish. Their ignorance is forgiven as while the game appears to move slow, it is highly technical and known as a game of failure which highlights the magic of those able to succeed.
Baseball is part of our lexicon, and the Negro Leagues is a great example of how the game was reinvented and reached iconic status. The museum is a testament of how the games were transformed while at the same time setting an important marker in history.
Manley, like her fellow team owners, understood the potential breaking of MLB’s color barrier eventually would mean the demise of the Negro leagues.
“We may wake up some morning with no ball club,” Manley wrote in her letter to Rickey, “and with our investment of years practically wiped out.” Effa Manley, Co-Owner of the Newark Eagles
Drone shots – taken with DJI Mavic Air2S.
This is the former site of Kansas City Municipal Stadium located about 2 miles from the 18th & Vine district and Negro League Museum
This is the 18th & Vine district and home to the Negro League Museum
KC Foodie Excursion
A trek would not be complete without a foodie excursion so here is a sample of KC Q and other goodies we enjoyed.
