The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!
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The last game I remember having Satchel was 1998, I think it was an EA game.
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@BxnnyMxn__PSN said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
@EWalsh4_MLBTS said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
@BxnnyMxn__PSN said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
…They are probably holding out big-name players for future editions. This did say Season 1, so there is still hope for more Greats down the road.
Hey, real quick, on the subject that you brought up about ‘stories’, I’ve just remembered another that I heard a while back on some show that I caught on tv that is relevant here. It was a show, possibly a documentary, where they had this very grizzled, ancient looking old retired sports journalist from way back in the day…picture the guys in cheap suits, cigarette smoke as thick as fog, and each man with a portable typewriter in their laps and you’ll begin to get the idea. This old timer was around to see the golden age of baseball (again my opinion) and he covered the Yankees back when greats like Gehrig, Ruth, and DiMaggio played. He said one day he was walking through a particular ball field (I picture from what he said like he might’ve been going through the concourse and hadn’t emerged into the seating yet), and his routine was to speak with the players during BP prior to the game to try and get some juicy bits of info, rumors, news, etc. He said all of the sudden, he heard the most tremendous(yet very familiar) sound that he had ever heard…he said it was unmistakably the familiar ‘CRACK’ of bat on ball, but he said the only swing that he ever heard that made a noise like this was from the Babe himself, but, he being someone who covered the Yankees, he knew that there was no way it was he because the event he came out to cover was a game between two teams from the Negro Leagues! The hairs on my neck stood up as he was telling this and you could just see it in the old man’s bright eyes - he was reliving this moment! He said the man at the other end of that bat, a mountain of a man over six feet and “well over 200lbs of solid muscle”, was none other than the incomparable Josh Gibson!
Isn’t that awesome?
Great story! I remember the legend Buck O'Neil told a similar story on Ken Burns' masterpiece, "Baseball." Except he added there was one other time he heard that sound - Bo Jackson in Kansas City.
Wow! I just located and watched (what I believe to be) the very clip from this documentary that you so kindly referred us to and, man what an awesome anecdote from (and as you already pointed out) a true baseball legend. I had never heard that story before but it was indeed similar in its telling describing Ruth and Gibson - you know I really have to thank you for leading me to this because it really brought the reality of the subject matter to life. What I mean to say is there must’ve really been something so incredibly and noticeably different about the way those two greats put a lick on the baseball, so much so that it was something special that stood out to people around the game, and in both of these cases (the Burns doc as well as the interview I’m recalling) that we’re discussing, it came from men who knew the game on the most intimate of level by watching, analyzing, and coaching legendary talent for over half a century and were men not easily impressed… an incredible understatement in the case of the great Buck O’Neil!
But, the magic of what O’Neil had to say (again, as you pointed out) was that he got to hear this in our time as well with the incomparable and peerless Bo Jackson! I had the privilege of watching him play in person on 3 different occasions, my last as an early teen (I swear I’ve never made it back to the level of love and knowledge as what it was to me in my much younger years) and his abilities were so incredible to witness that it just sounds like I’m making it up when I try and relate it to people. For everyone out there that only has seen clips of him on YouTube etc all I can say is that I’m very sorry that you didn’t get to see what so many of us got to back then, but if you ever find yourself thinking most of us are just exaggerating because he was our contemporary I would like to say that I perfectly understand how one could come to this conclusion due to the lack of camera angles and quality video back then - not like we have now by a long stretch. You just had to see him in his day…and he was still learning how to hit the ball well when his career was cut short. I still won’t watch that infamous play against the Bengals…when I see number 58 (or 56 can’t recall) come into the frame I literally turn my head every time, and it’s not because it’s graphic, because it’s the most vanilla looking tackle you can imagine, no, I look away because of what so many of us lost at that moment from the perspective of all of us fans who KNEW we had us someone truly special…he made the biggest, baddest men look like children on the playing field…and then for O’Neil to put Bo’s name on the short list of Ruth and Gibson…that’s just vindication to me that he really was as special as we all thought!
Thanks again for sharing that. At the end there I forgot even what I was originally going to say and started thinking back to all of my (and everyone’s) favorite Bo Jackson moments and now I’ve turned off my ps5, popped me some popcorn and I’m fixing to watch the 1988 MLB All-Star game again this evening so I can watch and remember some more…talk about true Americana! How about leading off the All-Star game in front of the entire USA (back then everyone tuned into the game…there were only 3 tv channels back then) with a massive, majestic BLAST to straight centerfield on an absolutely gorgeous July evening with none other than Ronald Reagan in the booth with Vin Scully…talk about a moment! I still remember that Scully was in the middle of saying something else at the time Bo launched the thing and the first voice you hear is Reagan’s saying “…hey!” and it’s almost like Scully then realized what was going on and gave us a memorable line (as he did so so many times) “..and Bo Jackson says Hello!”. It is literally my idea of a perfect moment in time.
BTW, Apple + (or whatever the streaming service is called) has a TON of great baseball on there if you’re a subscriber. I mean a ton! You could watch baseball on there all day for years and not see it all…I’ve watched nothing but that on there since discovering that 6 months ago.
PS What I forgot to say earlier is that I have never seen another human being propel their body (it’s just not even right to refer to it as ‘running’ since that’s what the rest of us call it when we have to do it) as fast and with as much reckless abandon as when I Bo Jackson play. There’s just something different when you see it in person…it’s like there are just more points of reference or something but I remember someone sitting near by us, an older gentleman, must’ve saw the look of astonishment on my face because he leaned over to me (without me ever saying a word or knowing who he was) and said, “I know what you mean kid, it’s like the rest of them are in slow-motion.” He hit it right on the head!
I was a freshman in high school when Bo burst onto the MLB scene and man, what a treat it was to watch him play. Being from way, way upstate New York I never had the privilege of seeing him live. I only got to watch him on either the Game of the Week, (NBC made sure to put the Royals on a lot because first, they had just won the Series in 85 and second, Bo was a must watch), or on "This Week in Baseball." He was featured pretty much every episode in the late 80's. I always marveled at the way a man his size could move with such grace.
Also, many people forget that Nike was heavily invested with Bo, on par with Michael Jordan in the late 80's with the whole "Bo Knows" campaign. Thats how popular he was! I don't think any contemporary baseball player could come close to his popularity.
Okay, back on topic... if anyone wants to listen to a fantastic show and learn more about the Negro Leagues, I highly recommend the podcast, "Black Diamonds" hosted by Bob Kendrick. If you watched the stream yesterday with Bob and couple of guys from San Diego Studios, you can tell that Bob loves baseball and just as importantly, loves educating others about the history of our beautiful American Pastime.
Again, good on The Show for bringing this mode into the game.
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@EWalsh4_MLBTS said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
@BxnnyMxn__PSN said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
@EWalsh4_MLBTS said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
@BxnnyMxn__PSN said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
…They are probably holding out big-name players for future editions. This did say Season 1, so there is still hope for more Greats down the road.
Hey, real quick, on the subject that you brought up about ‘stories’, I’ve just remembered another that I heard a while back on some show that I caught on tv that is relevant here. It was a show, possibly a documentary, where they had this very grizzled, ancient looking old retired sports journalist from way back in the day…picture the guys in cheap suits, cigarette smoke as thick as fog, and each man with a portable typewriter in their laps and you’ll begin to get the idea. This old timer was around to see the golden age of baseball (again my opinion) and he covered the Yankees back when greats like Gehrig, Ruth, and DiMaggio played. He said one day he was walking through a particular ball field (I picture from what he said like he might’ve been going through the concourse and hadn’t emerged into the seating yet), and his routine was to speak with the players during BP prior to the game to try and get some juicy bits of info, rumors, news, etc. He said all of the sudden, he heard the most tremendous(yet very familiar) sound that he had ever heard…he said it was unmistakably the familiar ‘CRACK’ of bat on ball, but he said the only swing that he ever heard that made a noise like this was from the Babe himself, but, he being someone who covered the Yankees, he knew that there was no way it was he because the event he came out to cover was a game between two teams from the Negro Leagues! The hairs on my neck stood up as he was telling this and you could just see it in the old man’s bright eyes - he was reliving this moment! He said the man at the other end of that bat, a mountain of a man over six feet and “well over 200lbs of solid muscle”, was none other than the incomparable Josh Gibson!
Isn’t that awesome?
Great story! I remember the legend Buck O'Neil told a similar story on Ken Burns' masterpiece, "Baseball." Except he added there was one other time he heard that sound - Bo Jackson in Kansas City.
Wow! I just located and watched (what I believe to be) the very clip from this documentary that you so kindly referred us to and, man what an awesome anecdote from (and as you already pointed out) a true baseball legend. I had never heard that story before but it was indeed similar in its telling describing Ruth and Gibson - you know I really have to thank you for leading me to this because it really brought the reality of the subject matter to life. What I mean to say is there must’ve really been something so incredibly and noticeably different about the way those two greats put a lick on the baseball, so much so that it was something special that stood out to people around the game, and in both of these cases (the Burns doc as well as the interview I’m recalling) that we’re discussing, it came from men who knew the game on the most intimate of level by watching, analyzing, and coaching legendary talent for over half a century and were men not easily impressed… an incredible understatement in the case of the great Buck O’Neil!
But, the magic of what O’Neil had to say (again, as you pointed out) was that he got to hear this in our time as well with the incomparable and peerless Bo Jackson! I had the privilege of watching him play in person on 3 different occasions, my last as an early teen (I swear I’ve never made it back to the level of love and knowledge as what it was to me in my much younger years) and his abilities were so incredible to witness that it just sounds like I’m making it up when I try and relate it to people. For everyone out there that only has seen clips of him on YouTube etc all I can say is that I’m very sorry that you didn’t get to see what so many of us got to back then, but if you ever find yourself thinking most of us are just exaggerating because he was our contemporary I would like to say that I perfectly understand how one could come to this conclusion due to the lack of camera angles and quality video back then - not like we have now by a long stretch. You just had to see him in his day…and he was still learning how to hit the ball well when his career was cut short. I still won’t watch that infamous play against the Bengals…when I see number 58 (or 56 can’t recall) come into the frame I literally turn my head every time, and it’s not because it’s graphic, because it’s the most vanilla looking tackle you can imagine, no, I look away because of what so many of us lost at that moment from the perspective of all of us fans who KNEW we had us someone truly special…he made the biggest, baddest men look like children on the playing field…and then for O’Neil to put Bo’s name on the short list of Ruth and Gibson…that’s just vindication to me that he really was as special as we all thought!
Thanks again for sharing that. At the end there I forgot even what I was originally going to say and started thinking back to all of my (and everyone’s) favorite Bo Jackson moments and now I’ve turned off my ps5, popped me some popcorn and I’m fixing to watch the 1988 MLB All-Star game again this evening so I can watch and remember some more…talk about true Americana! How about leading off the All-Star game in front of the entire USA (back then everyone tuned into the game…there were only 3 tv channels back then) with a massive, majestic BLAST to straight centerfield on an absolutely gorgeous July evening with none other than Ronald Reagan in the booth with Vin Scully…talk about a moment! I still remember that Scully was in the middle of saying something else at the time Bo launched the thing and the first voice you hear is Reagan’s saying “…hey!” and it’s almost like Scully then realized what was going on and gave us a memorable line (as he did so so many times) “..and Bo Jackson says Hello!”. It is literally my idea of a perfect moment in time.
BTW, Apple + (or whatever the streaming service is called) has a TON of great baseball on there if you’re a subscriber. I mean a ton! You could watch baseball on there all day for years and not see it all…I’ve watched nothing but that on there since discovering that 6 months ago.
PS What I forgot to say earlier is that I have never seen another human being propel their body (it’s just not even right to refer to it as ‘running’ since that’s what the rest of us call it when we have to do it) as fast and with as much reckless abandon as when I Bo Jackson play. There’s just something different when you see it in person…it’s like there are just more points of reference or something but I remember someone sitting near by us, an older gentleman, must’ve saw the look of astonishment on my face because he leaned over to me (without me ever saying a word or knowing who he was) and said, “I know what you mean kid, it’s like the rest of them are in slow-motion.” He hit it right on the head!
I was a freshman in high school when Bo burst onto the MLB scene and man, what a treat it was to watch him play. Being from way, way upstate New York I never had the privilege of seeing him live. I only got to watch him on either the Game of the Week, (NBC made sure to put the Royals on a lot because first, they had just won the Series in 85 and second, Bo was a must watch), or on "This Week in Baseball." He was featured pretty much every episode in the late 80's. I always marveled at the way a man his size could move with such grace.
Also, many people forget that Nike was heavily invested with Bo, on par with Michael Jordan in the late 80's with the whole "Bo Knows" campaign. Thats how popular he was! I don't think any contemporary baseball player could come close to his popularity.
You just reminded me of something…as it was Bo Jackson whom was the top vote getter for the 89 All Star game (I think I might’ve said ‘88 before), the powers that be at Nike decided this would be the ideal time for the introduction of the “Bo Knows” ad campaign for their cross-training shoe line…and he just so happened to have that epic game, culminating with him receiving the All Star Game MVP! Talk about timing!
PS as I was watching that game on Apple +, I noticed that there are also a bunch of episodes of “This Week in Baseball” with Mel Allen and Bo was on the very first episode I turned on..guess who else was? Jim Abbott! There’s someone who, had he arrived on the scene now instead of then, would probably be viewed (and rightfully so) as one of the most incredible and inspirational athletes of all time! To make it to the Majors and I believe the Olympic Team as a pitcher despite being born without a HAND! Just to make it is incredible but he also pitched a no-hitter and I know I remember seeing him get a couple of hits as well!
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I’d like to apologize for hijacking this topic and turning it into a Bo Jackson extravaganza. I can never stay on topic during everyday conversation either - it’s a real flaw of mine…one of the many. I appreciate the recommendation above by “EWalsh4” for the “Black Diamonds” podcast, and am about to check out an episode of it right now. I just think is such a brilliant idea to merge in the Negro Leagues with what has to easily be the most played/enjoyed baseball video game franchise in existence because it’ll give a lot of these great ball players of the past brand new life and hopefully make these worthy players a whole new generation of fans, allowing them to never be forgotten, which would be a tragedy if it occurred. I cannot wait!
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@BxnnyMxn__PSN said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
I’d like to apologize for hijacking this topic and turning it into a Bo Jackson extravaganza. I can never stay on topic during everyday conversation either - it’s a real flaw of mine…one of the many. I appreciate the recommendation above by “EWalsh4” for the “Black Diamonds” podcast, and am about to check out an episode of it right now. I just think is such a brilliant idea to merge in the Negro Leagues with what has to easily be the most played/enjoyed baseball video game franchise in existence because it’ll give a lot of these great ball players of the past brand new life and hopefully make these worthy players a whole new generation of fans, allowing them to never be forgotten, which would be a tragedy if it occurred. I cannot wait!
Never apologize for talking about Bo Jackson. It's a crime he isn't in the game.
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I'm looking forward to playing this mode and learning about this era of baseball and who these guys were. As a long time baseball fan, I don't know much about it. Probably because it's not talked about much.
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@thinkbluedgr_PSN said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
I'm looking forward to playing this mode and learning about this era of baseball and who these guys were. As a long time baseball fan, I don't know much about it. Probably because it's not talked about much.
They may not be talked about much but we do have the internet. Those stories are readily available for people who wanna learn about them.
I remember when i first discovered the wonder of Wikipedia, i would Google random baseball players and just end up going down the rabbit hole for hours at a time.
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@thinkbluedgr_PSN said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
I'm looking forward to playing this mode and learning about this era of baseball and who these guys were. As a long time baseball fan, I don't know much about it. Probably because it's not talked about much.
A long time baseball fan 🧢 and don’t know about these men??
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@thinkbluedgr_PSN said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
I'm looking forward to playing this mode and learning about this era of baseball and who these guys were. As a long time baseball fan, I don't know much about it. Probably because it's not talked about much.
I agree with you, friend. To each, their own. I am more akin to the fella who posted just before mine, I enjoy hours of reading and deep delving (however I’m still stuck in the past and prefer the library to online), but others learn better from listening (audiobooks, lectures), some from seeing (videos, slideshows), and then some prefer the interactive approach, or hands on/ practical application - like those involved in re-enactments and I think what SDS has chosen to do here with this incredible bit of history falls into the same category…allowing an interactive way for people to learn while enjoying an awesome gaming experience!
I think this is a win all the way around…well almost - there will always be those like myself who can have the greatest assemblage of (virtual) talent and STILL find all sorts of new and unique ways to lose!
Speaking of that, does anyone know if there’s a way to make your player run faster when trying to beat out a throw to first? The last baseball game I played was Triple Play Baseball ‘97, and I’m pretty sure you could smash the ‘X’ button repeatedly to get yourself to first quicker. Not too unlike how you’re expected to do in this game when called upon to do reps of barbell squats in order to gain a few points towards attributes…speaking of which, my forearms are still aching from doing that two days ago and only got four stinking reps!
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@Blind_Bleeder said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
@BxnnyMxn__PSN said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
I’d like to apologize for hijacking this topic and turning it into a Bo Jackson extravaganza. I can never stay on topic during everyday conversation either - it’s a real flaw of mine…one of the many. I appreciate the recommendation above by “EWalsh4” for the “Black Diamonds” podcast, and am about to check out an episode of it right now. I just think is such a brilliant idea to merge in the Negro Leagues with what has to easily be the most played/enjoyed baseball video game franchise in existence because it’ll give a lot of these great ball players of the past brand new life and hopefully make these worthy players a whole new generation of fans, allowing them to never be forgotten, which would be a tragedy if it occurred. I cannot wait!
Never apologize for talking about Bo Jackson. It's a crime he isn't in the game.
I saw Bo hit a HR at Anaheim Stadium after he was hurt and playing for the White Sox. It was an absolute Bomb. Too bad we never got to see his full baseball potential.
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So is this just going to be a revamped version of the story type missions we had a few year back? Just a series of interconnected moments? I seem to recall one for The Cubs run and another where you played through Babes career, etc.
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@BxnnyMxn__PSN said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
@thinkbluedgr_PSN said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
...Not too unlike how you’re expected to do in this game when called upon to do reps of barbell squats in order to gain a few points towards attributes…speaking of which, my forearms are still aching from doing that two days ago and only got four stinking reps!
I figured out an easy way to do the barbell training. Take the controller and hold it between your knees with the paddles pointing up, and the analog sticks facing you. Then hit the L1 and R1 buttons with your fingertips. The reps are pretty effortless if you do it that way.
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@Spin_Doctor01_PSN said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
@BxnnyMxn__PSN said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
@thinkbluedgr_PSN said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
...Not too unlike how you’re expected to do in this game when called upon to do reps of barbell squats in order to gain a few points towards attributes…speaking of which, my forearms are still aching from doing that two days ago and only got four stinking reps!
I figured out an easy way to do the barbell training. Take the controller and hold it between your knees with the paddles pointing up, and the analog sticks facing you. Then hit the L1 and R1 buttons with your fingertips. The reps are pretty effortless if you do it that way.
Oh goodness - this really works! How wonderful of you to share this - thank you! That would have never occurred to me…never. Many, MANY thanks to you - I was extremely pleased when I saw the results of this technique…you da man!
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@BxnnyMxn__PSN said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
@Spin_Doctor01_PSN said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
@BxnnyMxn__PSN said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
@thinkbluedgr_PSN said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
...Not too unlike how you’re expected to do in this game when called upon to do reps of barbell squats in order to gain a few points towards attributes…speaking of which, my forearms are still aching from doing that two days ago and only got four stinking reps!
I figured out an easy way to do the barbell training. Take the controller and hold it between your knees with the paddles pointing up, and the analog sticks facing you. Then hit the L1 and R1 buttons with your fingertips. The reps are pretty effortless if you do it that way.
Oh goodness - this really works! How wonderful of you to share this - thank you! That would have never occurred to me…never. Many, MANY thanks to you - I was extremely pleased when I saw the results of this technique…you da man!
Glad I could be of some help
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@Dolenz_PSN said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
So is this just going to be a revamped version of the story type missions we had a few year back? Just a series of interconnected moments? I seem to recall one for The Cubs run and another where you played through Babes career, etc.
Yes lmao new mode my azzz
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@BxnnyMxn__PSN said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
BTW, Apple + (or whatever the streaming service is called) has a TON of great baseball on there if you’re a subscriber. I mean a ton! You could watch baseball on there all day for years and not see it all…I’ve watched nothing but that on there since discovering that 6 months ago.
Thanks for sharing the info about Apple +. I am a subscriber and didn't realize they had a lot of the old "This Week in Baseball Episodes" on there. I remember as kid in the late 70's and early 80's loving that show and getting so excited on Saturday mornings in anticipation of watching it.
Obviously, this was pre-ESPN, or at least my parents didn't get it, and TWIB was the weekly wrap-up show of all things MLB. The theme song still gets me amped up for baseball!
I watched a few episodes yesterday and loved every minute of it.
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You’re very welcome my friend. They sure don’t make it easy to find, do they? Like yourself, I always made sure to watch this (and Bugs Bunny) as part of my Saturday morning routine. I’ve added so many of these baseball offerings to my “Up Next” lineup that now I’ve forgotten what other gems I discovered along the way, but I’m guessing you’ve discovered some of these for yourself already! Too much to list, ain’t it!? I re-watched Dwight Gooden’s no-no last night, as well as the Epic 1979 MLB All Star game…I bet I re-watched Dave Parker throw out Brian Downing at the plate 50 times!
You know, I’ve got Parker in RF on my DD squad and couldn’t even throw out “0 speed” Pujols at 2B…this is with me letting go in plenty of time to nail him. I suck THAT bad.
PS if you EVER should come across something that you’d like to share from an episode of TWIB, please let me know - I will gladly relish in the nostalgia with you.
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I just watched the recent Show trailer on the Kansas City Monarchs and man, I am even more excited about this mode. I really hope San Diego Studios keeps updating this mode with new players and storylines throughout the year. Keep up the good work San Diego Studios!
On a slightly different note, BxnnyMxn_, there's a really good series that ESPN produced called "The Bronx is Burning." It chronicles the 77 Yankees (Reggie, Billy, Thurman, George, etc...) and the tumultuous time that NYC was going through. It's based on a book by the same name. When I first ran across it I thought it would be a hamfisted attempt at showing the dysfunctionality of the Yankees and NYC, but it was actually well done. It did a nice job of pairing actors portraying real life people with actual tv clips from the time. All of the episodes are on YouTube for free.
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Yet another great trailer. This one talks about the Chicago American Giants. Love the history!
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@EWalsh4_MLBTS said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
@BxnnyMxn__PSN said in The Negro Leagues are in MLBTS 23! Yes!:
Thanks for sharing the info about Apple +. I am a subscriber and didn't realize they had a lot of the old "This Week in Baseball Episodes" on there.
"How About That!"
Mel Allen was the soundtrack of my youth.
