The Black Baseball Mixtape

We have another great episode for you. Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcast. 13-year MLB alum Jeffrey Hammonds joins the podcast. Hammonds may not be a true household name, but he was one of my favorite Orioles of all time. He was a hitting machine. The only thing that truly slowed him down was his health. Even with injuries, Hammonds played 13 MLB seasons, making the all-star team in 2000. He amassed a 272 career average, with over 100 HR, and over 400 RBIs. Hammonds was a first-round draft pick in 1992, and a college All-American at Stanford.

During our brief chat, we talked about his playing days, how he fell in love with the game, and what we needed to do to get more kids of color playing baseball.

If you listen closely, there is also a BBM T-shirt giveaway during the podcast.

Again, thank you for the amazing support. Please rate and review the show.

The Roberto Clemente Award is the most prestigious award in MLB.

The Roberto Clemente Award is bestowed annually to the player who best represents the game of Baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field. Past winners include Willie Mays, Willie Stargel, Rod Crew, Don Baylor, Curtis Granderson, and Derek Jeter.

And in 2023, five of the nominees are African American. That's five African-American players out of thirty nominations. That's 16.6%. The players are Tony Kemp (A's), Marcus Stroman (Cubs), Jojo Gray (Nats), Aaron Judge (NYY), and Hunter Greene (Reds). What a tremendous honor. If you add the nine LatinX players that are nominated, that makes nearly half the league. I truly love how this game is growing, and I am happy to share this information.

Salute to every player nominated regardless of race. It's a stellar accomplishment.

Kerrick Jackson is a true trailblazer. He made history last year when he was hired as the first Black baseball Head Coach at the University of Memphis. In one season at Memphis, Jackson led the program to their first winning season since 2017, racking up 29 wins. In June, he accepted the head coaching job at the University of Missouri. A hire that allowed him to return home - he had served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Mizzou from 2011-15 - and to make even more history as the first Black head coach in Mizzou baseball history and the first Black (baseball) head coach in the history of the SEC.

On this episode of the BBM podcast, I spoke with Coach Jackson about his decision to leave Memphis and return to Mizzou Baseball. We spoke candidly about the history he is making, the impact on his family, and the challenges of coaching at the highest level. He is truly a tremendous leader and one of our favorite all-time guests on the BBM podcast. You will certainly learn a lot from this episode.

As always, please subscribe, rate, and share the BBM podcast. Follow everything Black Baseball Mixtape on Instagram.

Chances are - if you're a boxing fan, you've seen Brandon Watson's face. He is one of THE faces of boxing, along with his brother Marcus and his father Sam. But even though you may have seen his face, you probably don't know his story. Brandon Watson took the long way to achieve his dream of being an MLB player, but he did it. At the age of 23, Brandon made his debut with the Washington Nationals in 2005. He homered in his MLB debut. He was a true MiLB legend, batting 355 in AAA, along with a record-setting 43-game hitting streak. He did all he could to stick in the majors, but MLB is a tough business, and his career fluctuated between a few short stints at the top level and a decade-long career in the minors.

On this episode, I had the opportunity to hear Brandon's baseball story. Learn about his involvement with the Players Alliance, and also hear about his work with his brother and father in boxing. Brandon is a humble man, but don't get it twisted, he's one of those plugs that makes things go. The special ingredient, if you will. And if you listen to this podcast, you'll get the sense of just how in tune he is with sports, culture, and entertainment.

Please rate, review, and subscribe to the Black Baseball Mixtape podcast. It's the fastest-growing baseball podcast dedicated to Black culture in the national pastime.

"The Fair Ball Foundation provides need-based financial support, mentoring, and professional development opportunities for college-bound African American, Hispanic, Latino, Asian American, Pacific Islander American, and Native American students. Through scholarships, fellowships, internships, and ambassadorships, Fair Ball provides the funds necessary to CLOSE THE GAP between partial aid packages and the full cost of attendance, covering tuition, fees, books, materials, and other essential college expenses while reducing dependance on loans."

On this episode of the Black Baseball Mixtape, I am joined by Tevin Tucker (WVU Baseball/Rockies) and Kaelen Culpepper (KSU Baseball). Both are Ambassadors for the Fair Ball Foundation. We discussed their baseball journeys and the Fair Ball Foundation's role in their lives. Most people don't know that baseball scholarships are different from football and basketball; there are virtually no full scholarships for baseball and softball players, so the financial burden can be debilitating, and can cause talented student-athletes to struggle on and off the field.

The Fair Ball Foundation is dedicated to helping student-athletes in need close the gap. You will hear from both Tevin and Kaelen how important the foundation has been to them, and how the financial support of the Foundation allowed them to perform to their best abilities on the field.

Learn more about the Fair Ball Foundation: https://www.fairballfoundation.org/

Please follow both Tevin and Kaelen via their IG pages.

This is another amazing episode from my visit to Seattle during All-Star week. This episode is a conversation with Phillies legend Ryan Howard. I sat down with him at the Players Alliance Game Changer Awards. I'm going to assume you already know how dominate of a slugger Ryan was but just in case you forgot:

3× All-Star (2006, 2009, 2010)

World Series champion (2008)

NL MVP (2006)

NL Rookie of the Year (2005)

NLCS MVP (2009)

Silver Slugger Award (2006)

NL Hank Aaron Award (2006)

2× MLB home run leader (2006, 2008)

3× MLB RBI leader (2006, 2008, 2009)

It was an honor to chat it up with Ryan. Please rate and review this episode. Enter for a chance to win the first-ever BBM tee shirt.

You must review the podcast and screenshot your review to us on IG: BlackBaseballMixtape.

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Emergency Short: This is truly the end of an era on the Southside of Chicago. Allow me a minute to tell you about Kenny Williams.

Everyone will learn something from this episode.

Last week, I had the honor of speaking with Jean Lee Batrus. Jean is the Executive Director of the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation (YDF). YDF is a joint initiative by Major League Baseball and the Players Association to support efforts that focus on improving the caliber, effectiveness and availability of amateur baseball and softball programs across the United States and internationally. From local-based programs to the Hank Aaron Invitational and HBCU Swingman Classic, the foundation helps make youth baseball and softball more accessible – creating economic opportunities, strengthening communities, and building character – on and off the field.

I spoke to Jean about her role at YDF, and how they strategically change communities through access to baseball. It's a fascinating conversation. Everyone interested in revitalizing a community through baseball or even just offering baseball access to kids that don't have local stability should tune in from start to finish.

Please rater and review this episode. Share it with a friend, and leave a comment. Your support goes a long way to growing the Black Baseball Mixtape.

I'm excited to share this conversation with Royals prospect Tyler Tolbert. Tolbert, 25, plays for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. He is a true utility player, playing infield and outfield: wherever the team needs him. He is in the top five in the Texas League in stolen bases and is second in the league in hits (118) and triples (6).

Tyler shared a lot in this interview. He talked about his approach to the game, changing positions, and even going to Austraila for winter ball. The Birmingham native went to college at UAB and was drafted by the Royals in the 13th round in 2019.

I enjoyed hearing him talk about his experiences as a young player. He wasn't surrounded by a lot of players that looked like him. But he talks about the amazing support system around him and, ultimately, finding peace and brotherhood within his peer group.

Tyler is an exceptional young man. I know you will enjoy this conversation. Please rate and review the BBM podcast. Every subscriber helps.

This episode features the return of one of my favorites guest, Edwin Jackson. I spent a large part of All-Star week with EJack and other members of the Players Alliance as we attended the first-ever HBCU Swingman Classic, Toni's Promise softball games, the Players Alliance Game Change awards, and other meaningful panels. This podcast was recorded live at the 2023 Game Changer Awards honoring Dave Sims, Mike Cameron, Ken Griffey Jr., and Toni's Promise. I spoke to EJack about the week and his work with the Alliance. We had some fun too, talking about his Gala outfit and the first baseball player he knew to wear a grill (spoiler alert...it was Gary Sheffield).

Please subscribe and review the Black Baseball Mixtape. Your support is critical.