Thursday, December 24, 2009

First African American To Hit Home Run in AL Was With the STL Browns

The great Willard Brown, whom some teammates would call "Sonny" because, they said, Willard would only play hard on sunny days. Sonny Brown was the first African American to hit a home run in the American League -- he borrowed a bat from teammate St. Louis Browns teammate Jeff Heath and hit an inside-the-park homer off Hal Newhouser. When Brown returned to the Kansas City Monarchs -- he only played 21 games in the big leagues -- he apparently told Buck that after the home run, Heath broke the bat.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Roy Sievers Wins Jack Buck Legends Award

Bill Borst's introduction of Roy Sievers, recipient of the Jack Buck Legends Award, December 17, 2009.
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"It is both a privilege and a pleasure for me to be here tonight, representing the St. Louis Browns Historical Society. We started our club 25 years ago so people would not forget that there used to be two teams in St. Louis.

I am also tickled pink to have been invited to present the Jack Buck Legends Award to Beaumont High School’s: Roy Edward Sievers

I will not regale you with a long list of his Sabermetrics but will say Roy had the numbers! As Casey said “You could look it up!” Lets just say that Roy was a legitimate power hitter for several teams, including the Browns, Phillies and a pair of Senators.

He was hitting scores of home runs when players did not get their strength from a pill bottle or… a syringe. Roy’s numbers were so good in 1949 that you could argue---they named the award after him.

Would you believe the Brownies signed him for a pair of baseball spikes? That was their oddest deal since they traded infielder Buzzy Wares for stadium rent in 1913.

Roy was the first American League player to win a ROY and the last Brownie to achieve major recognition.

His boyish smile and good humor belie his 83 years of age. He is the personification of Roy Campanella’s observation that “you need a lot of the little boy in you to play this game.”

"I give you the 1949 ROY, Mr. Roy Sievers."

Sievers receiving award from Bill Borst