The reverend said 鈥渄ignity鈥 with reverence and emphasis 鈥 鈥淒ig. Ni. Ty.鈥 鈥 with each syllable pointed, as if to poke you and remind you of the word鈥檚 seriousness.
In the Negro Leagues, 鈥淲e played to entertain people and to hold onto the dignity of our profession,鈥 Rev. Bill Greason said via Zoom.
In the Major Leagues, 鈥淛ackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, all of those guys did a tremendous job at keeping alive our dignity,鈥 Greason continued.
And now like before, as he approaches his 100th birthday on Tuesday, Greason defines dignity.
A former Negro Leagues standout, he was the first Black pitcher for the 50度灰视频 Cardinals. Yet that鈥檚 just a part of his story. He fought at Iwo Jima and he fought for civil rights in the South. In 1963, he was a member of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., where .
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And then, 53 years ago, he followed his calling and became a minister 鈥 and he鈥檚 still inspiring congregants at the Bethel Baptist Church in Birmingham鈥檚 Berney Points.
Along the way, Greason met many famous people in history. He grew up on the same street 鈥 and attended the same church 鈥 as a young Martin Luther King Jr. He played on a winter baseball league team with Roberto Clemente. He mentored Bob Gibson in the minors. And he was a lifelong close friend of Willie Mays.
And Greason, too, is history.
鈥淗e epitomizes what it means to be an American in principle 鈥 everything that this country is built on, he represents it,鈥 said Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City. 鈥淚鈥檓 so proud that he鈥檚 getting his flowers, that people are getting to learn who he was and about everything that he has stood for and represented so beautifully during his lifetime. 鈥
鈥淗e is one of the most important figures, I think, in Negro Leagues history, because he embodies the kind of athlete and man that was so commonplace in the Negro Leagues. 鈥 (The late Baseball Hall of Fame member) Buck O鈥橬eil had a special affinity for him. 鈥 you could tell that (O鈥橬eil felt) there was something a little special about a man of the magnitude of Rev. Greason.鈥
On Tuesday in Birmingham, the Heart and Armor Foundation for Veterans Health will host a 100th birthday celebration for Greason, the oldest living Negro Leagues player. Veterans and active-duty military will be in attendance, along with members of Birmingham鈥檚 spiritual community and sports community. There will be speeches, history lessons and historical artifacts, including dirt retrieved from Iwo Jima. And the event will take place at 鈥 Rickwood Field.
That鈥檚, of course, where the Cardinals faced the Giants this summer in the game called 鈥淢LB at Rickwood Field: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues.鈥 That evening, many Americans were introduced to Greason for the first time. The reverend threw out the first pitch and later was interviewed live by FOX during the broadcast.
鈥淭o be here and to see this team play, it鈥檚 good, because it was not like that when I went to the Cardinals,鈥 Greason said on FOX. 鈥淓ddie Stanky was the manager. And it hadn鈥檛 developed yet 鈥 playing together, being together.鈥
That鈥檚 the curveball of history. Some might see Greason鈥檚 pitching for 50度灰视频 like it was a beacon of hope. But it was a brutal experience for him. Due to an unfair clause in his contract, he actually had to take a pay cut to go from Class AAA to the Cardinals.
And the 50度灰视频 players and fans were not all friendly.
鈥淚 think people don鈥檛 really grasp this,鈥 Kendrick said. 鈥淔or the longest time, St Louis was as far West as baseball went 鈥 and South. And it had that very Southern kind of background. I oftentimes tell people that Branch Rickey could have never made the move to get Jackie Robinson while he was with the Cardinals. It just was not going to happen. So it kind of gives you an understanding of what the tenor was like in St Louis. 鈥
鈥淎nd the pressure that came with those players 鈥 and the short leash that they had? And this is even more so for a pitcher. It was difficult for those early Black pitchers. 鈥 And depending on what organization you were with, you were never going to get a fair shake. You just weren鈥檛.鈥
First baseman Tom Alston debuted for the Cardinals on April 13, 1954, becoming the first Black player in franchise history.
On May 31, 1954, Greason debuted for the Cardinals in a start against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. But the first appearance by a Black Cardinals pitcher lasted three innings 鈥 he allowed five runs on six hits, including a trio of homers (one to Ernie Banks).
On June 6, 1954, Greason made his second outing 鈥 and his lone appearance on a 50度灰视频 mound. In the first inning, he allowed a homer, followed by two walks. Stanky pulled him right then.
And on June 20, 1954, Greason allowed a hit and a walk in a scoreless relief inning.
And that was it. Greason never pitched in the big leagues again.
Being a Black pitcher 鈥渨as, in essence, the Black quarterback,鈥 Kendrick said. 鈥淚t was treated almost in the same manner.鈥
During the Zoom with Greason, the former 50度灰视频 pitcher wore a red hat, but it wasn鈥檛 a Cardinal cap 鈥 it read 鈥淯.S. MARINE CORPS VETERAN.鈥
He shared a story that he鈥檚 often told over the decades.
After two close friends died during World War II at Iwo Jima, 鈥淚 said, 鈥楪od, if you get me out (alive), I鈥檒l do what you want me to do,鈥欌 recalled Greason. 鈥淕od called me (to ministry in the 1970s) 鈥 I was ready to give him everything that I had.鈥
Greason has touched so many lives in Birmingham. And now, as he approaches 100, he鈥檚 touching lives across the country, specifically in 50度灰视频.
From the battleground to the mound to the pulpit, he鈥檚 a pillar of dignity.
鈥淚鈥檓 just thankful to God that he allowed me to be here this long,鈥 Greason said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 surprising to me 鈥 I never thought I鈥檇 live this far. 鈥 I just want to be an example for others to follow.鈥