Mattingly
05-07-2006, 11:32 AM
Padres honor Negro League legends in third homestand of 2006 starting Friday (http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20060505&content_id=1438285&vkey=pr_sd&fext=.jsp&c_id=sd)
Beginning Friday, the San Diego Padres will host a seven-game homestand featuring the Chicago Cubs (May 5-8) and the Milwaukee Brewers (May 9-11). Two giveaways are scheduled for the homestand as well as a wide variety of special events that will pay tribute to the historic Negro Leagues.
The Padres open the week-long stretch with a four-game set against the Chicago Cubs, led by Greg Maddux, baseball's most recent pitcher to join the exclusive 300-win club. All fans attending the 7:05 p.m. PT opener against the Cubs Friday will receive a navy blue Padres Safari Floppy Cap presented by San Diego County Toyota Dealers and will see the Friars host the 17th annual Burn Institute Night. Padres Bench Coach Tony Muser and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez will serve as the celebrity spokespersons for the activities, which include a tribute to local firefighters, a youth burn survivor delivering the ceremonial first pitch, and a pre-game fly-over courtesy of San Diego Fire & Rescue.
Also on Friday, Barbados pop sensation Rihanna will perform the National Anthem. Fans have the opportunity to meet Rihanna from 5:30-6:15 p.m. PT at the Padres Team Store in the Western Metal Supply Building, where she will autograph copies of her CD.
Saturday's 7:05 p.m. PT matchup with the Cubs marks the Padres' Third Annual Salute to the Negro Leagues. The Padres will sport 1948 Pacific Coast League uniforms in honor of San Diego native Johnny Ritchey, who broke the PCL color barrier while playing for the Padres that season. Several other pre-game festivities are planned, including a ""Salute to the Negro Leagues Luncheon" that will honor legends Buck O'Neil, Don Newcombe, "Sweet" Lou Johnson, Sharon Robinson, the daughter of Jackie Robinson and others. The luncheon will be held at the PETCO Park Auditorium from noon to 2:00 p.m. PT and will feature décor from the Negro Leagues era. Honorees will also be celebrated through a special on-field ceremony featuring artist Kadir Nelson, a San Diego native.
Elsewhere in the city, the Negro League Baseball Museum and the National Baseball Hall of Fame will donate historic books and DVDs to two local libraries Friday. On Saturday morning at the Encanto Recreation Center's Verna Quinn Field, Hall of Famer and Padres Vice President/Senior Advisor Dave Winfield along with other Padres alumni will conduct a clinic for the Encanto Little League from 9:30-11:00 a.m. PT.
Notes: Negro Leagues celebrated
Mays' 75th birthday prompts pregame ceremony, tributes (http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060506&content_id=1441314&vkey=news_sd&fext=.jsp&c_id=sd)
SAN DIEGO -- On the occasion of Willie Mays' 75th birthday Saturday, several of the game's great names from the Negro Leagues, where Mays got his start with the Birmingham Black Barons, were at PETCO Park for a ceremony honoring the Negro Leagues.
Smiling, dignified Buck O'Neil, the game's enduring historian and ambassador, and Don Newcombe, ace of the Brooklyn Dodgers' staff in Mays' early days with the New York Giants, were in agreement on the Say Hey Kid's place among the all-time greats.
"Willie Mays was the best Major League Baseball player I've seen," said O'Neil, whose memories stretch back to the 1930s as player, coach and manager and now serves as the face and spirit of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Mo.
"I can't see anybody being as good as Willie Mays, ever," Newcombe said. "Henry [Aaron] was more of a quiet player; he wasn't as flamboyant. He just went about the business of kicking your [fanny]. And I belonged to the club, believe me. Henry was great, all right, but there was only one Willie Mays."
Beginning Friday, the San Diego Padres will host a seven-game homestand featuring the Chicago Cubs (May 5-8) and the Milwaukee Brewers (May 9-11). Two giveaways are scheduled for the homestand as well as a wide variety of special events that will pay tribute to the historic Negro Leagues.
The Padres open the week-long stretch with a four-game set against the Chicago Cubs, led by Greg Maddux, baseball's most recent pitcher to join the exclusive 300-win club. All fans attending the 7:05 p.m. PT opener against the Cubs Friday will receive a navy blue Padres Safari Floppy Cap presented by San Diego County Toyota Dealers and will see the Friars host the 17th annual Burn Institute Night. Padres Bench Coach Tony Muser and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez will serve as the celebrity spokespersons for the activities, which include a tribute to local firefighters, a youth burn survivor delivering the ceremonial first pitch, and a pre-game fly-over courtesy of San Diego Fire & Rescue.
Also on Friday, Barbados pop sensation Rihanna will perform the National Anthem. Fans have the opportunity to meet Rihanna from 5:30-6:15 p.m. PT at the Padres Team Store in the Western Metal Supply Building, where she will autograph copies of her CD.
Saturday's 7:05 p.m. PT matchup with the Cubs marks the Padres' Third Annual Salute to the Negro Leagues. The Padres will sport 1948 Pacific Coast League uniforms in honor of San Diego native Johnny Ritchey, who broke the PCL color barrier while playing for the Padres that season. Several other pre-game festivities are planned, including a ""Salute to the Negro Leagues Luncheon" that will honor legends Buck O'Neil, Don Newcombe, "Sweet" Lou Johnson, Sharon Robinson, the daughter of Jackie Robinson and others. The luncheon will be held at the PETCO Park Auditorium from noon to 2:00 p.m. PT and will feature décor from the Negro Leagues era. Honorees will also be celebrated through a special on-field ceremony featuring artist Kadir Nelson, a San Diego native.
Elsewhere in the city, the Negro League Baseball Museum and the National Baseball Hall of Fame will donate historic books and DVDs to two local libraries Friday. On Saturday morning at the Encanto Recreation Center's Verna Quinn Field, Hall of Famer and Padres Vice President/Senior Advisor Dave Winfield along with other Padres alumni will conduct a clinic for the Encanto Little League from 9:30-11:00 a.m. PT.
Notes: Negro Leagues celebrated
Mays' 75th birthday prompts pregame ceremony, tributes (http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060506&content_id=1441314&vkey=news_sd&fext=.jsp&c_id=sd)
SAN DIEGO -- On the occasion of Willie Mays' 75th birthday Saturday, several of the game's great names from the Negro Leagues, where Mays got his start with the Birmingham Black Barons, were at PETCO Park for a ceremony honoring the Negro Leagues.
Smiling, dignified Buck O'Neil, the game's enduring historian and ambassador, and Don Newcombe, ace of the Brooklyn Dodgers' staff in Mays' early days with the New York Giants, were in agreement on the Say Hey Kid's place among the all-time greats.
"Willie Mays was the best Major League Baseball player I've seen," said O'Neil, whose memories stretch back to the 1930s as player, coach and manager and now serves as the face and spirit of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Mo.
"I can't see anybody being as good as Willie Mays, ever," Newcombe said. "Henry [Aaron] was more of a quiet player; he wasn't as flamboyant. He just went about the business of kicking your [fanny]. And I belonged to the club, believe me. Henry was great, all right, but there was only one Willie Mays."