BY DAN GLICKMAN
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Friday’s Rochester Red Wings game was, for months, going to be all about the Negro Leagues.
The Red Wings were going to wear the uniforms of the Rochester American Giants; displays would be up honoring Negro League greats, and Denard Span, a former Red Wing and long-time advocate for African-Americans in baseball would be in attendance for a discussion with local resident Ike Walker, who once caught for the legendary Satchel Paige.
While the rehab appearance by New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole stole many of the headlines, Rochester’s salute to the Negro Leagues still happened- with a crowd even larger than expected. It was, in Span’s view, a blessing.
“I don’t think that’s by chance,” said Span pre-game. “I think that’s something divine; I’m a big believer in that.
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“Having Gerrit Cole pitch tonight [brought] people here that probably would not be here otherwise and hear my story as well as the Negro Leagues player that will be here. I hope that they leave with more knowledge of the importance of the game.”
The importance of the Negro Leagues and the players in them have gained increased prominence in recent weeks after Major League Baseball officially added statistics from several historic leagues to the record books. It was a long process that took years of research, but it was worth it for Span.
“It means everything,” said Span. “It really does, it’s big for the culture, it’s big for the game of baseball.
“Those players were real; they competed back in those days; some people say the league was just as competitive, if not better, than the major leagues. They deserve their just do.”
However, the move was also bittersweet, given how many of the players are now gone.
“I give kudos to MLB for adding them to the official stats,” he said. “I wish that they would have gotten that opportunity to reap the benefits.”
After all, Span says, a baseball great can become, as he says, a “made man.”
“You get the opportunity to go sign autographs and make appearances, and that’s money. A lot of those guys, I got to imagine, didn’t make a lot of money. They missed out on those opportunities, but I hope that their descendants will reap those benefits.”
The sacrifices that they made helped pave the way for players like Span, who also signed autographs pre-game.
The left-handed outfielder played 191 games for the Red Wings between 2007 and 2011, hitting a career .281 (193-for-688) in a Rochester uniform while stealing 44 bases. He went on to an 11-year career in the big leagues, including a five-year stint with Minnesota and three seasons with Washington. He led the National League in hits in 2014 with 184 and twice led his league in triples. He’s remained active in baseball since he played his last game in 2018, working as a special assistant and broadcast analyst while most recently coaching youth players in MLB Development’s Breakthrough Series.
Span has fond memories of Rochester and what it represented in his career.
“This was the final chapter of my development,” said Span. “I grew here, I learned a lot about the game as well as myself.
“It was the stepping stone to get to the big leagues. [There were] tough moments where I didn’t want to be here because I was trying to get to the major leagues, but this place still holds a space in my heart, so it’s always good to come back here.”
Perhaps his most fond memory was the one that every ballplayer dreams of: the call-up to the big leagues.
“We were on the road, and I remember getting pulled off the field,” he said. “Just having that moment of [realizing] all of the hard work, of this being the final chapter of my development. It was a surreal time and surreal moment for me in my life.”
Among his teammates at the time of his first call-up was Rochester’s current manager, Matt LeCroy, who later coached him in the Nationals organization as well. The two embraced and talked family before the game, and after the game, LeCroy had a specific memory of Span’s first trip to “The Show.”
“When I played here in ’07, I was coming back from being in the big leagues, I was at the end of my career, and he was getting his really started,” he said. “I used to wear a half-shirt because I didn’t like to have stuff tucked into my uniform. He used to make fun of them all of the time.”
And then came Span’s call-up… and a special gift from the veteran catcher.
“I gave him my half-shirt when he got called up to the big leagues.”
There is no word on whether Span still has that unique souvenir of his time in Rochester, but the Flower City will always stay in his memories as the last step to a long major league career.
I play there in 1960 with the INDIANPOLIS CLOWNS BASEBALL TEAMS of the NEGRO BASEBALL LEAGUE. I am still hoping that soon we will benefits from the hard time we had doing that time of our live.