As the only African-American player on the White Sox, Tim Anderson felt honored on to step on the field Sunday.
“The numbers are going down,” he said of the number of Black players occupying places on Major League rosters — 7.8 percent. “But it’s such a blessing to still be one that is still around and bringing a lot of excitement and energy to the game. Those guys paved the way for guys like me.”
“Those guys” are the players from the Negro Leagues, which celebrated a 100-year anniversary of their founding Sunday.
“Me being the only black guy on the South Side, it’s only right I continue to keep going and keep motivating and keep inspiring kids all around the world to get into the game of baseball,” Anderson said.
Anderson, a basketball standout from Alabama who found baseball later in his youth, doesn’t hide his view that baseball isn’t as exciting as some other sports. He has done his part to liven it up with demonstrating energy on the field and in the dugout, and, most notably, in the batter’s box after some of his home runs with bat flips.
“Just being honest. With all respect, the game is boring,” said Anderson, who led the majors with a .335 batting average last season. “There isn’t a lot of excitement, and I think the game is moving to show more guys and show more personality. I like the way it’s going, but I always just do me. I stay in my lane and strive to get better and also just continue to grow as myself and learn as much as I can.”
Players, managers, coaches and umpires are wearing symbolic Negro Leagues 100th anniversary logo patches Sunday. The Sox remembered iconic Negro Leaguers, including Andrew “Rube” Foster, Minnie Miñoso, Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe and Jackie Robinson, dis-playing commemorative cutouts near the Sox dugout.
Anderson was right to say the numbers have declined during his lifetime but they did increase from 68 to 80 on Opening Day rosters this year. He’d like to see more African-Americans play his game, but “the game is expensive when you are younger,” he said.
“The game is expensive to get in and it requires a lot from parents and from kids to continue to follow their dreams in this sport.”
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