On the day of new Trenton mayor Tony Mack’s inauguration, we were able to reach outgoing mayor Doug Palmer, the first African-American to hold that position in Trenton and a lifelong fan of baseball. Palmer was a star in Trenton’s West End Little League, in American Legion ball, and was a draft choice of the Pittsburgh Pirates coming out of high school. Here are a few snippets of our conversation with Palmer. For the full transcript, pick up a copy of the Ben Franklin Project edition of The Trentonian on July 4th or go to trentonian.com.
(As told to Andy Edwards)
My involvement with baseball goes back forever. I grew up in the era of the 50s and 60s when baseball was king, when it was truly America’s pastime. Every kid had a glove and a bat and a torn up ball. We used to play pickup games in school lots, on baseball fields, with any kind of ball we could find, so I grew up with baseball as a part of my life. Baseball has always been a part of my life, and a part of my culture, especially after Jackie Robinson. My baseball roots go back to the cradle, basically.
It’s sad, but I think that programs like RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner cities) and what the Trenton Thunder are doing with the leagues is a step. I also believe that you need better coaches that are trained. The coaches need to be well-trained, and we need better-trained coaches that can work with these youngsters. First and foremost, training coaches in every aspect of the game, but also getting coaches that played in the game, that are interested in the game, and it’s not an ego thing for them.
Some of these coaches act like they played in the Major Leagues or something. It’s not all about winning. It’s about teaching these kids the basic fundamentals: how to hit the cutoff man, how to steal, how to slide. That has to come from hard work, but that’s what has to happen because you can get enough kids interested in baseball. If they continue to work and succeed, you’ll get more and more. There needs to be real focus and a plan, and I would involve all four little leagues. We need a true school of baseball in the inner city.
As I stated in my interview RBI and the Trenton Thunder have done minimal at best and they may have fooled a lot of folks in the city by saying what they have done in the past. The truth still remains if anyone asks either of the four presidents of the little leagues in the city you will have a true picture of what they have not done.
Thanks for the note, Rob.
We’ll be putting the finishing touches on the package for Sunday’s paper tomorrow morning, but if you’d like to write something about the lack of help, we’d be happy to run it.
If not, we’ll stick with the stuff from our chat a few weeks ago, which, as you noted, includes your thoughts on the lack of involvement from the Thunder and RBI.