Decline In African American Baseball Players

May 30 - KGO (KGO) -- The Oakland A's honored some hometown heroes today -- pitching aces who've won more than 20 games in a season, some several times. They're on a mission to make sure there are more players like them coming along later.

Dave Stewart, Mike Norris, Vida Blue, Jim "Mudcat" Grant -- they are among the Black Aces. It's a term Grant used when he wrote a book about the 13 black pitchers who won 20 games in a season.

The Oakland A's honored their former players with engraved crystal baseballs. Grant even sang the National Anthem.

But the Aces are concerned about the declining number of black players in the game they love. In 1975, African Americans represented 27 percent of Major League Baseball rosters. Today it's 8.4 percent.

Dave Stewart, Former A's Pitcher: "The decreasing numbers of Afro-Americans in the game is alarming. And there's got to be a reason."

Mike Norris could think of a few.

Mike Norris, Former A's Pitcher: "Scouts did not come back into the neighborhoods to scout the black kids, like I was. Secondly, black kids don't go to school, to college to play baseball. They go to play basketball and football."

Some of the young people attending today's game watch, but don't play.

Jamal Fields, 12 years old: "Oh, I just... I never really... I never really thought about it."

Ike Atum, 9 years old: "Because it sucks. I think it's not cool for me."

The Aces say they feel an obligation to reach out to these young people, to convince them that baseball is a game worthy of their attention.

Jim "Mudcat" Grant, Former A's Pitcher: "We won't be able to do this just tomorrow or next year. There has to be a wholesale effort."

Without such an effort, he said, the achievements of baseball pioneers would be diminished. Many are featured in a traveling exhibit from the Negro League Museum. Black players played in the Negro Leagues when they were not allowed in Major League Baseball.

The Aces should be encouraged though. Twelve-year-old Taylor Zachary says he'd like to be a catcher in the major leagues.

Taylor Zachary, 12 years old: "It's really fun. It's just real exciting, competitive."

Eight-year-old Anthony Lowe and his five-year-old brother, Justin, already know what positions they'd like play.

Anthony Lowe, 8 years old: "Pitch."

Justin Lowe, 5 years old: "I know what I'd like to be -- Mickey Mantor."

The question is will they still want to when they get to be teenagers.

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