If you didn’t grow up in Pittsburgh (which boasted rival baseball greats the Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords) or watch Episode 5 of the 1994 Ken Burns docu-series “Baseball,” you may not know much about the Negro Leagues. That’s about to change.
Sam Pollard’s “The League” is an eye-opening slice of American baseball’s 154-year history. In fact, the recent rule changes imposed on the Majors by Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred were inspired in part by the practices of the Negro Leagues: while Babe Ruth focused on home runs (like many players today), these extraordinary Black athletes favored a fast, hit-and-run, base-stealing game.
“If you watch footage of Jackie Robinson from the ’40s and the ’50s, his style of play, his aggressiveness, all came from the Negro Leagues,” Oscar-nominated documentary director Pollard told IndieWire during a recent interview. “If you watch the players who integrated Major League Baseball,...
Sam Pollard’s “The League” is an eye-opening slice of American baseball’s 154-year history. In fact, the recent rule changes imposed on the Majors by Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred were inspired in part by the practices of the Negro Leagues: while Babe Ruth focused on home runs (like many players today), these extraordinary Black athletes favored a fast, hit-and-run, base-stealing game.
“If you watch footage of Jackie Robinson from the ’40s and the ’50s, his style of play, his aggressiveness, all came from the Negro Leagues,” Oscar-nominated documentary director Pollard told IndieWire during a recent interview. “If you watch the players who integrated Major League Baseball,...
- 7/13/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Presented by:
This story appears in the Den of Geek x eBay special edition trading card magazine.
Sophia Chang realized interest in her work on Topps Project 2020 was skyrocketing when her street art-inspired Jackie Robinson card was auctioned on eBay for $4,500. To the artist, it was a green flag. “I was like, ‘Whoa, something is happening here and I need to pay attention to this.’”
Chang was not alone. The notoriety and financial boon of Topps Project 2020 took even the trading card company by surprise. Inspired by sneaker culture and streetwear, Topps embarked on a year-long event series that features 20 contemporary artists reimagining 20 iconic baseball rookie cards for a complete set of 400 cards. Using a print-on-demand model, each card is released on the company’s website for a 48-hour window, with single cards selling for a premium price point of $19.99. Great art, even at 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches, comes at a cost.
This story appears in the Den of Geek x eBay special edition trading card magazine.
Sophia Chang realized interest in her work on Topps Project 2020 was skyrocketing when her street art-inspired Jackie Robinson card was auctioned on eBay for $4,500. To the artist, it was a green flag. “I was like, ‘Whoa, something is happening here and I need to pay attention to this.’”
Chang was not alone. The notoriety and financial boon of Topps Project 2020 took even the trading card company by surprise. Inspired by sneaker culture and streetwear, Topps embarked on a year-long event series that features 20 contemporary artists reimagining 20 iconic baseball rookie cards for a complete set of 400 cards. Using a print-on-demand model, each card is released on the company’s website for a 48-hour window, with single cards selling for a premium price point of $19.99. Great art, even at 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches, comes at a cost.
- 7/31/2020
- by Chris Longo
- Den of Geek
Presented by:
With a new decade approaching, Topps unveiled grand plans for an ambitious and unconventional series of baseball cards called Topps Project 2020, a one-of-a-kind trading card event that combined contemporary art and iconic baseball cards.
The concept was simple enough: 20 artists are reimagining 20 iconic baseball rookie cards—Griffey, Mays, Robinson, Koufax, and Clemente, to name only a few—for a complete set of 400 cards to be released over the course of 2020. Each artist brings a unique flavor to the mix. Ben Baller added bling to the Ichiro 2001. King Saladeen was inspired by New York street art when he crafted his 1992 Derek Jeter card. Fucci is going faceless. And JK5 has Mike Trout shooting lasers out of his eyes, in case you had any doubt that the Angels outfielder wasn’t Superman.
To market the project, the trading card manufacturer lined up year-long promotional events and ballpark exclusives to coincide...
With a new decade approaching, Topps unveiled grand plans for an ambitious and unconventional series of baseball cards called Topps Project 2020, a one-of-a-kind trading card event that combined contemporary art and iconic baseball cards.
The concept was simple enough: 20 artists are reimagining 20 iconic baseball rookie cards—Griffey, Mays, Robinson, Koufax, and Clemente, to name only a few—for a complete set of 400 cards to be released over the course of 2020. Each artist brings a unique flavor to the mix. Ben Baller added bling to the Ichiro 2001. King Saladeen was inspired by New York street art when he crafted his 1992 Derek Jeter card. Fucci is going faceless. And JK5 has Mike Trout shooting lasers out of his eyes, in case you had any doubt that the Angels outfielder wasn’t Superman.
To market the project, the trading card manufacturer lined up year-long promotional events and ballpark exclusives to coincide...
- 7/1/2020
- by Chris Longo
- Den of Geek
wikipedia
Ask most baseball fans to name a player who’s had the honor to be enshrined at Cooperstown and they’re likely to mention an undisputable legend like Babe Ruth or Ted Williams, a recent inductee like Rickey Henderson or Craig Biggio, or a personal favorite from their hometown team. But there are dozens of lesser-known but very accomplished players with plaques on the walls of the Hall of Fame who have been largely forgotten by modern fans. Some of these players set records that are unlikely to ever be broken.
Meet the all-time leader in triples, the home run king of the pre-Babe Ruth era, the man who couldn’t strike out, and the 19th century speedster who shares a name with one of today’s rising stars.
Here are some of baseball’s greats you may never have heard of.
10. Tris Speaker wikipedia
Who He Was:...
Ask most baseball fans to name a player who’s had the honor to be enshrined at Cooperstown and they’re likely to mention an undisputable legend like Babe Ruth or Ted Williams, a recent inductee like Rickey Henderson or Craig Biggio, or a personal favorite from their hometown team. But there are dozens of lesser-known but very accomplished players with plaques on the walls of the Hall of Fame who have been largely forgotten by modern fans. Some of these players set records that are unlikely to ever be broken.
Meet the all-time leader in triples, the home run king of the pre-Babe Ruth era, the man who couldn’t strike out, and the 19th century speedster who shares a name with one of today’s rising stars.
Here are some of baseball’s greats you may never have heard of.
10. Tris Speaker wikipedia
Who He Was:...
- 4/23/2015
- by Aaron Smith
- Obsessed with Film
Part of the No Borders orientation the first day is getting up in front of all the other participants in the program and pitching your project. I am very glad they made us do this–it prepared us for a week of meetings and pitching–but this was something Kat [Candler] and I were not exactly prepared for. To our credit, this fact was buried in a rather lengthy email (way to keep us on our toes, Ifp). You could feel the collective nervousness from the group, but regardless, it was no big deal and it went great, no one fell off the stage or anything.
Two of my co-fellows from the Sundance Producing Labs, Jordana Mollick and Ashley Maynor, are here with their projects as well and they carry a good luck charm when they pitch – a 1980 Topps brand Rickey Henderson rookie baseball card. Neither one of them are baseball fans,...
Two of my co-fellows from the Sundance Producing Labs, Jordana Mollick and Ashley Maynor, are here with their projects as well and they carry a good luck charm when they pitch – a 1980 Topps brand Rickey Henderson rookie baseball card. Neither one of them are baseball fans,...
- 9/18/2012
- by Kelly Williams
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Reds shortstop prospect Billy Hamilton is probably a couple years away from the big leagues, but he's already one of my favorite players. He was selected today to the Mlb Futures game, so now I've got a good reason to watch.
Hamilton, playing for the Bakersfield Blaze of the high-a California league this year, has already stolen 80 bases in 66 games. Last year, he stole 103 bags in 135 games in the midwest.
But wait! The stolen base king of professional baseball was also recently on the receiving end of a little thievery, when he was held up and robbed at gunpoint earlier this week after the California-Carolina League All-Star game in Winston-Salem. The umpire for the game was also robbed by the same henchmen in a separate incident just minutes apart from Hamilton's robbery.
God, I love the minor leagues. But what I don't understand it: why didn't Hamilton just run away?...
Hamilton, playing for the Bakersfield Blaze of the high-a California league this year, has already stolen 80 bases in 66 games. Last year, he stole 103 bags in 135 games in the midwest.
But wait! The stolen base king of professional baseball was also recently on the receiving end of a little thievery, when he was held up and robbed at gunpoint earlier this week after the California-Carolina League All-Star game in Winston-Salem. The umpire for the game was also robbed by the same henchmen in a separate incident just minutes apart from Hamilton's robbery.
God, I love the minor leagues. But what I don't understand it: why didn't Hamilton just run away?...
- 6/21/2012
- by Bison Messink
- Celebsology
Hey you guys, the Kansas City Royals Aaaa player Jarrod Dyson would like to inform you that he can run really, really fast.
The 27-year-old Dyson, who boasts a .233 lifetime batting average, scored an exhilerating walk off run on a heads up sprint to home in the bottom of the ninth inning last night. So tip your cap to him. And listen to Jarrod Dyson extol himself for being a really, really fast runner who also plays baseball poorly.
"That’s what speed do," the former 50th round pick said, showing off the cute catch phrase he's been spitting since he appeared in 18 games for the last-place Royals in 2010. Even his own Royals beat writer, in the lede of his game story, called Dyson's catch phrase "rehearsed."
"I’m talking about Mr. Zoombiya speed," Dyson went on. "That doesn’t come often, and you can’t teach it."
Great job,...
The 27-year-old Dyson, who boasts a .233 lifetime batting average, scored an exhilerating walk off run on a heads up sprint to home in the bottom of the ninth inning last night. So tip your cap to him. And listen to Jarrod Dyson extol himself for being a really, really fast runner who also plays baseball poorly.
"That’s what speed do," the former 50th round pick said, showing off the cute catch phrase he's been spitting since he appeared in 18 games for the last-place Royals in 2010. Even his own Royals beat writer, in the lede of his game story, called Dyson's catch phrase "rehearsed."
"I’m talking about Mr. Zoombiya speed," Dyson went on. "That doesn’t come often, and you can’t teach it."
Great job,...
- 6/15/2012
- by Bison Messink
- Celebsology
It was a bittersweet week for Emily and the rest of us as we left the friendly confines of Charlotte, North Carolina and started our trip around the world. I can’t thank the folks of Charlotte enough for rolling out the red carpet and showing us such genuine hospitality. On behalf of the creator of the show, Mike Fleiss, I’d like to thank Bojangles for all the chicken. A final personal note from Charlotte, I’d like to throw a little love out to Bill Spoon’s BBQ for some of the best pulled pork I’ve ever had.
- 6/5/2012
- by Chris Harrison
- EW.com - PopWatch
Prior to the 2011 Taco Bell All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game in Phoenix earlier this month, Espn's Erin Andrews had nearly all of the participants and others sign a jersey to benefit the family of Shannon Stone, the fan who died tragically at a Texas Rangers game.
The jersey was signed by nearly 30 celebrities and baseball legends, including Andrews, Nick Jonas, Jordin Sparks, Rickey Henderson, Joe Torre, Kate Upton, Chris Pratt, Greg Grunberg, Rollie Fingers, Chord Overstreet,...
The jersey was signed by nearly 30 celebrities and baseball legends, including Andrews, Nick Jonas, Jordin Sparks, Rickey Henderson, Joe Torre, Kate Upton, Chris Pratt, Greg Grunberg, Rollie Fingers, Chord Overstreet,...
- 7/28/2011
- Extra
Every day a multitude of stars wander through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with our intrepid correspondents. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that's why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.
Following Monday night's (July 12) Home Run Derby, the viewing audience was treated to the other annual tradition during Major League Baseball's All Star festivities: The Celebrity Softball All Star Game. The yearly contest brings together some former baseball greats (this year's roster included Rickey Henderson, Mike Piazza, Bo Jackson and Ozzie Smith) and matches them up against a squad of celebrities. This year's batch of stars included "Mad Men" lead Jon Hamm, "Extra" host Mario Lopez, Food Network personality Guy Fieri, model Marisa Miller and "Access Hollywood" correspondent Maria Menounos. Former Olympic gold medal winner and recent "When I Was 17" subject Jennie Finch...
Following Monday night's (July 12) Home Run Derby, the viewing audience was treated to the other annual tradition during Major League Baseball's All Star festivities: The Celebrity Softball All Star Game. The yearly contest brings together some former baseball greats (this year's roster included Rickey Henderson, Mike Piazza, Bo Jackson and Ozzie Smith) and matches them up against a squad of celebrities. This year's batch of stars included "Mad Men" lead Jon Hamm, "Extra" host Mario Lopez, Food Network personality Guy Fieri, model Marisa Miller and "Access Hollywood" correspondent Maria Menounos. Former Olympic gold medal winner and recent "When I Was 17" subject Jennie Finch...
- 7/13/2010
- by MTV News
- MTV Newsroom
- #12. The Art Of The Steal Director: Don ArgottDistributor: Rights Available. Buzz: I wasn't a fan of Argott's extremely popular Rock School, but when it comes to docs my interest usually lies with the subject, and not previous misfires. Having nothing to do with baseball's Rickey Henderson, playing at both Tiff and highly selective Nyff, if this is being pitched as a whodunit in the art world, I could see as a favorite among the public and as the must see title for doc film buyers. Gotta love the title. This is the film's world premiere screening. The Gist: This art-world whodunit investigates what happened to the Barnes collection of Post-Impressionist paintings—valued in the billions—that fell prey to a power struggle after the death of owner Albert Barnes. Tiff Schedule: Click here for screening times ...
- 9/1/2009
- IONCINEMA.com
The recent induction of Rickey Henderson into the National Baseball Hall of Fame coincided with rumors that Commissioner Bud Selig might be considering reinstating Pete Rose, who was banished 20 years ago by then-Commissioner Bart Giamatti for betting on baseball. Giamatti had compared baseball to an epic poem, and that season marked baseball's fall from grace when Rose, a charismatic rogue like Satan in "Paradise Lost," rebelled against the game's Yahweh, only to be exiled forever. Sometimes, it seems that Rose took the game with him to purgatory, if not hell. Though baseball has set attendance records in recent years, the two decades since 1989 have brought us the steroid era, a cancelled World Series, a tied All-Star Game, a dearth of African-American players and spiraling salaries that have made a mockery of the sport, which was once known for its...
- 8/31/2009
- by Robert David Jaffee
- Huffington Post
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