Postgame Show: Roy Wood Jr.
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podcast with NPR. It's called road to Rickwood. It's about the oldest professional baseball stadium in America. It's seen everything from a clan rally to the first integrated sports team in Alabama and Rickwood field in Birmingham was home to more history. Last week, major league baseball was already planning a celebration there for both, uh, the Negro leagues and Birmingham's own Willie Mays. When the say, Hey kid passed away on Wednesday. And then on Thursday during the Fox pregame show, uh,

Alex Rodriguez asked Reggie Jackson a question, and the answer was surprising to a whole lot of people, but shouldn't have been. But I wouldn't wish it on anybody. People said to me today, I spoke, and they said, you think you're a better person. You think you won when you played here in Concord. I said, you know, I would never want to do it again. I walked into restaurants, and they would point at me and said, you can't eat here.

I would go to a hotel and they'd say, the n***a can't stay here. We went to Charlie Finley's Country Club for a welcome home dinner and they pointed me out with the N-word. He can't come in here. Had it not been for Raleigh Fingers, Johnny McNamara, Dave Duncan, Joe and Sharon Rudy, I slept on their couch three, four nights a week for about a month and a half.

Finally, they were threatened that they would burn our apartment complex down unless I got out. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. At the same time, had it not been for my white friends, had it not been for a white manager and Rudy Fingers and Duncan and Lee Myers, I would have never made it. I was too physically violent.

I was ready to physically fight some. I'd have got killed here because I'd have beat someone's ass and you'd have saw me in an oak tree somewhere. People should watch the full clip because Fox Sports just let Reggie talk. I saw a quote from our friend Eli Mustel from The Nation said, this is why Republicans work so hard to keep history out of schools. They don't want white children to know what their parents and grandparents did. Roy, thank you for joining us. Thank you for your work this past week. What was the reaction like down there?

You know, in the city of Birmingham, you know, it was love and appreciation and reverence for all of the Negro League. It's not just Willie Mays. You know, I think what Reggie Jackson said was relevant. It was poignant, but it was also important to understand that's what we're trying to remember, but also in a way grow away from. And I think that the fact that you could have a game

of that significance in a place where things that heinous took place on a regular basis, I think is a testament to a lot of the growth that is happening in the state of Alabama. I just love the fact that the Brickwood game happened because normally when you're talking about my hometown of Birmingham is dogs and fire hoses. So to be able to talk and at least be able to give those brothers a moment in the sun to tell them thank you

you know, it's not going to fix everything that happened to them. But I think it's a very, very important part of growing past all of it. You know, the one thing that was dope, I was in the stadium when they announced when Willie Mays had passed on Tuesday night and

And you saw strangers crying and hugging, white, black, whatever. And I think that's exactly the spirit of what Willie Mays was in using the sport of baseball to bring people together. I will tell people again, new four-part podcast with NPR, Road to Rickwood. What were the highlights of doing it for you, Roy? You have any number of opportunities on things you can be doing. Why is this the important one for you?

but because you get to sit down with living griots the whole podcast we're talking to retired Negro leaguers former architects of the stadium people who lived and played during that time white and black and they're just telling stories of how this stadium became the one place where you could figure out whether like the fact that the you already said it at the time the first integrated sports game happened there part of the reason for that is that the

The black, the Birmingham black barons outsold the white barons in tickets during the days of integrated baseball. White people would come to watch black people play. So it became a place where integration was, there was a level of racial tolerance between both parties. So Rick Wood became the perfect test kitchen, if you will, for desegregation in the South. In the same way it was the first integrated sports game, that same game was also the first integrated crowd, right?

So if it can happen there, then the idea of desegregation can kind of tentacle off from Rickwood. And that's partly what happened. The one thing they messed up and I found this out in the podcast, they, the Charlie Finley, the owner of the Barons at the Barons at the time, they did a giveaway at the first integrated game for the crowd. And it was razor blades. Now,

I don't know if weaponry should be the thing you give to black people and white people when they sit side by side for the first time. But old Gillette made a push for the sponsorship. So,

It's a lot of interesting facts just about how baseball intersects with our society and just silly fun stuff like that. You know, we we talked to retired Negro Leaguers. Many told me stories of how they would send light skinned players into white restaurants so that they could get food and then just pray that the player doesn't take his hat off and that Afro come jumping out from underneath the hat.

But I think the thing that I that I left last week with was how much the retired Negro leaguers, most of them that I talked to, I'd say 95 percent,

They look back at their time playing in the Negro Leagues with a level of reverence and happiness because they were around friends. And it was hard, but it was the one part of their life that wasn't completely crazy. And they still have an appreciation for those days. You played in the celebrity softball game. Anything of note to report from that? Never again. Never again. What? I...

I will never, I've done it. I don't need to play in no celebrity, nothing, no more, never again. I will be the hype man on the side, like that dude in those and one mixtape. Like I will attend a celebrity game and just be there in the dugout. But the idea of being on the field, here's the problem with every celebrity athletic event. You have people who want to win and then you have people who just here to have fun.

I'm just here to have fun. I'm not trying to win. I don't care about winning. And they get these athletes who are just like 10 years or less since their retirement. So they're still strong. They're still able-bodied. Steven Jackson...

And this is the play that we'll talk to Stephen Jackson before we even get to me and him almost colliding in left field. Stephen Jackson, Matt Barnes, who was the MVP of the softball game. Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes took this game so seriously. And I have nothing but the highest respect for them. I knew from the locker room I wasn't going to do nothing.

Steven Jackson was stretching. His Jordans matched his outfit. Them ain't even the Jordans they gave us. They gave us free sneakers that matched the uniform. And Steven Jackson was like, nah, I got this. We start losing. We start losing. We're getting our ass whooped the whole game, our team.

And there is an intensity with professional athletes, even if they're not suiting up anymore, that I just, unless you've done it, I just don't think you can plug into it. I couldn't plug into it. There's a play where there's a fly ball to left field. It's my ball. It is clearly my ball. I'm coming in and I'm looking up and I can hear Steven Jackson and I can hear him just, yeah.

And I don't know if that's how he calls for fly balls. But in my brain, my brain is telling me he's not going to stop. He's Steven Jackson. He's locked in. Maybe you should get out of the way. And I get out of the way at the last second. Steven Jackson catches this fly ball, turns around and runs back towards the infield and mumbles. And I quote, I got this. This is what I do. And I'm like, who the fuck?

talking to? It's just you and me out here. I don't have that gear. Neither do I. Whatever that gear is for you to talk to yourself. No.

So never again, man. Respect to Steven Jackson, man, but I can't play softball like that. That man was talking trash like he was going back up the court in transition on a baseball field. Just to be clear so the audience understands if they just got audio here because we played the video, that was a fly ball to left field. Roy Wood was the left fielder. That fly ball was caught by the shortstop, Steven Jackson. He came out like Jeter and just catches it.

And goes, I got this. This is what I do. Clearly, this is what you do, sir. You can have the ball. I'm not trying to collide with nobody at no celebrity softball game to tribute the Negro Leagues. I'm good. Roy, did you feel confident? I'm good. Did you feel confident, though, that you were going to catch that ball?

Yeah, I thought so, you know, but if I hadn't have caught the ball, now I'm face to face with Steven Jackson. So it's probably better to just get out of this man's way. It was, it's just these celebrity games, man. It's just people trying to prove they still got it or it's a rapper trying to take over.

Y'all got it, man. Y'all got it. And shout out to LeBron's company, Spring Hill, who helped organize it and CeCe Sabathia with the Players Alliance. They sent a questionnaire and they ask you, what position do you like to play? What's your skill level? What's your ability at this sport? Because they can decide how to roster you. The only question they should ask is whether or not you got this.

Do you got this or not? How serious will you take this game? Because I would have said three, and then you'd have put me over there maybe with Robin Thede or Kel Mitchell from Kenan and Kel. Kel was playing at a three. At a three. Yeah, a three or a two. Hey.

Steven Jackson and Matt Barnes were both on 12. And it's just Jameis Winston was locked in. Des Bryant was locked in. Terrell Owens was locked in. There's just a there is a there is a level that every athlete accesses, whether it is for pay or for exhibition that I do not possess. And I just don't know if I belong out there. Were you at the ceremony at Wrigley Field for Ryan Sandberg?

No, I missed Rhino by a day. I was there the day before where they paid tribute to the 84 team that won the NL East. So Sutcliffe was there. Sandberg was there. A whole gang of the guys from 84. And, you know, that was a great time. I mean, dude, I had a I had a hell of a week, man. I met Reggie Jackson. I had an opportunity to sit down with a 98 year old Negro leaguer and I got Ryan Sandberg's autograph. That was in terms of baseball weeks.

Probably better than me seeing the Cubs win it all in Cleveland. Wow, that is high praise. And we're going to celebrate both you and your athleticism here by taking the opportunity to show everybody a clip from a couple of summers ago when you threw out the first pitch here at Wrigley Field. We're going to all get to it. So you're going to show the bad one. Enjoy this together. Yeah, that's not a great throw there by you. Was there a good one?

All them producers there. All the producers there. You couldn't find the one from last week, though. I had 44 mile an hour over the plate last week. You can't find that. None of your producers. All them computers. Look at all them computers in there. Look at all them computers. It seems like you bounced one into the fire. Look at all them people there. Can't none of them find shit. See you later, Roy. Good talking to you. Good talking to you.

Summer's the best time to run the way you want. Dial it up with new challenges and programs and bring your workouts with you to make the most of outside sunny days. Stugatz, guess what? What? You know what you can do with Peloton? What? Get the app, go outside, ride a bike. Well, I thought you ride Peloton inside. Well, you do. You can ride Peloton inside if it's a rainy day or if it's cloudy or you just don't want to get outside. Maybe it's too hot.

summertime, go outside. I record a lot from my office with you and you've noticed it's sitting there yet. It hasn't been used. Well, now's the time. Summer's the best time to start that push. Right. Can we do it together? Not on the same bike, but we could join a class together. I used to do that. We used to have Guillermo Tan. I'd invite people. We'd all take a class together. Okay. So I think you're starting to get concerned about my health and my age, Billy. I,

I sense that with you. We're beyond starting. Okay. Whatever road lies ahead, your training starts here with Peloton Tread and Tread Plus. It's not just a bike, a treadmill too. I'm going to go outside. I'm going to get in shape. I'm going to do it with Billy Gill. I want to be in your class. I want you to be my instructor. You know what? I won't be your instructor. You don't want to spend more time with me. No, I can schedule a class and we can ride together. I won't be the instructor of the class. We can have Camila could be our instructor. I like the Grateful Dead class. My daughter, she uses the Peloton. Mm-hmm.

She was on it once and an instructor who was playing Grateful Dead 2. So let's do that. Okay. Why don't we go for a run outside? Guided run. Peloton. Me and you. That's something we can do together. Okay. Turn on the app. Me and you go outside. Enjoy the summer. Call yourself a runner with Peloton at onepeloton.com slash running. All right.

Mike Tirico here with some of the 2024 Team USA athletes. What's your message for the team of tomorrow? To young athletes, never forget why you started doing it in the first place. You have to pursue something that you're passionate about. Win, lose, or draw, I'm always going to be the one having a smile on my face. Finding joy in why you do it keeps you doing it.

Be authentic, be you, and have fun. Joy is powering Team USA during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Comcast is proud to be bringing that inspiration home for the team of tomorrow.