Charles E. Crutchfield IV, a relative of the great baseball center fielder Jimmy Crutchfield, recently met Robert Paige, son of legendary Hall-of-Fame pitcher Satchel Paige, and they hung out together at the Jerry Malloy Annual National Negro League Baseball Conference in Pittsburg, August 6-9.
Known as the “Biggest and Best Black Baseball conference in America,” the Negro League Conference has been the only symposium dedicated exclusively to the examination of Black baseball history since 1988. The conference chair is world-renown baseball historian and author Larry Lester, founder of the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, and vice-chair, historian Leslie Heaphy.
In attendance were many avid fans of the Negro baseball leagues in addition to several sports journalists, authors, and nationally known historians, many of whom are members of the respected Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) organization. Several gave informative lectures, including Robert Paige.
Great news: The conference next year will be held right next door in Lacrosse, Wisconsin. Paige told Crutchfield IV that he looks forward to going fishing with him next year before the event. Mark your calendars now; for more details on next year’s conference, look for updates at http://sabr.org/malloy. It’s something not to be missed by any baseball fan!
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