A Baseball Pioneer Finds His Way Behind Home Plate

02/22/23 • 34 min

February 20, 1951 (or July 1951). Emmett Ashford is waiting inside the ballpark of the Mexicali Eagles. At 36 years old, he's toiled around the United States, working toward his goal of becoming a professional umpire. Finally, he lands a tryout just south of the border to make it happen. But there's a problem: the other umpires needed to play the game are white— they won't take the field with a Black man.

Today, Emmett Ashford attempts to become the first Black umpire in organized baseball. Can he make it happen? And if so, can he overcome barriers to make it all the way to the majors?

Special thanks to our guests: Raymond Bell, the executive producer of “Called Up: The Emmett Ashford Story” and Doug Harris, the producer, director and editor of the same film; Adrienne Bratton, the daughter of Emmett Ashford; and Mark Armour, a baseball historian.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Emmett Ashford attempts to become the first Black umpire in organized baseball. Can he make it happen? And if so, can he overcome barriers to make it all the way to the majors?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Replay: Black Baseball Goes Pro (from History This Week)

Feb 13, 1920. For over thirty years, Black baseball players have been locked out of the major leagues. So on this day in Kansas City, Rube Foster, a former pitcher and now a team owner, is trying to make his own league just for Black players. He has gathered owners of other Black baseball teams, who currently play each other in one-off matchups or face independent teams in random games around the country. But Foster wants them to get organized, and soon, the Negro National League would be born. But up to this point, how did Black baseball survive after segregation became the unofficial policy of the major leagues? And how did Black players, owners, and managers join together to create something that no baseball fan could ignore?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

Wilt Chamberlain Breaks Basketball

March 2, 1962. Wilt Chamberlain, the NBA’s biggest star, makes the long drive out to Hershey, PA. There’s no pro basketball team in Hershey, but tonight, the town made famous for its chocolate is hosting a matchup between the Philadelphia Warriors and the New York Knicks. Chamberlain is Philly’s biggest star and he’s having a great season, but he partied hard the night before. Which makes what happens next all the more incredible.

Today, Wilt Chamberlain leads the Warriors against the Knicks in one of the most unforgettable individual performances in the history of team sports. How did the unique combination of circumstances set the stage for his truly unique achievement? And how does the NBA fundamentally change basketball to all but ensure that it will never happen again?

Special thanks to our guests: Ron Pollack, head statistician for the Philadelphia 76ers, Frank Fitzpatrick, former sportswriter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and author of “And the Walls Came Tumbling Down: The Basketball Game That Changed American Sports,” and Gary Pomerantz, author of “Wilt, 1962,” and “The Last Pass: Cousy, Russell, the Celtics, and What Matters In The End.”

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.