This past Saturday, there was a special baseball game at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, N.Y., home of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The 2024 Hall of Fame East-West Classic featured 30 former Black Major League Baseball players honoring the history and legacy of the Negro Leagues, representing the long and deep tradition of the American cultural institution by wearing the jerseys of Negro Leagues teams. More than 5,700 fans came out to watch former All-Star and Hall of Fame players.
The East defeated the West 5-4 in six innings.
Philadelphia Phillies legend Ryan Howard, the 2005 National League Rookie of the Year, 2006 National League MVP, and 2008 World Series champion, was named the Classic’s MVP after hitting a go-ahead three-run homer in the fifth inning to give the East the lead.
“It’s always been a fraternity,” Howard said after the game. “The cool part about it is you have your teammates that you play with coming up in the Minor Leagues, and a lot of the guys you play against at each level in the Minor Leagues, so in a sense, you’re coming up together with them, as well…And just to have this kind of brotherhood and continue to have it is special.”
Curtis Granderson, a 16-year MLB veteran from 2004–19, during which he was a three-time All-Star, hit the first home run of the 2024 game, wearing a Newark Eagles jersey.
“It’s cool,” he said. “Anytime I got a chance to play in these [Negro League throwbacks] throughout the course of a season, I always looked forward to it and loved it, so I’m happy to get a chance to put it back on again today.”
Edwin Jackson, who pitched for more than a dozen MLB teams from 2003–19, registering 1,508 career strikeouts, took the mound to start the game. The home run derby contest preceded the game as Adam Jones, who is most remembered for his years (2008–18) with the Baltimore Orioles in a career that spanned from 2006–21, defeated Prince Fielder.
The son of Cecil Fielder (1985–98), a two-time AL home run leader and 1996 World Series champion with the New York Yankees, Prince Fielder had a notable career. He played in MLB from 2005–16 and was a six-time All-Star.
One player who received a lot of recognition from the crowd was Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., widely considered one of the greatest players in baseball history.
Along with the game, the weekend featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the “Souls of the Game” exhibit. Rowan Ricardo Phillips, an award-winning poet, was one of the consultants who was included in the development of the project, and he was pleased to see the support.
“The fact that people really want to start and think about the roots of the story, the voices, from the beginning, people we don’t often think about—Bud Fowler, Octavius Catto, those types of players—it really excites me,” he said.
“I think what’s really wonderful about the exhibit is, we can rethink the story of baseball that we want to tell to ourselves and to our future selves, instead of thinking, ‘Well, let’s pick this up from 2020 or 2024 or whatever.’”
For more about the East-West Classic, visit MLBbro.com.
They began a three-game series Tuesday night on the road versus the Los Angeles Angels with Nestor Cortes’s turn in the rotation holding a 1 1/2 lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East division standings. The Yankees were 37-18 and 11-3 in their 14 previous games, a sizzling clip for a club that has only lost three straight games once this season, from April 14-16, over six weeks ago.
The Yankees have been bolstered by their depth of talent of position players and pitchers. They have been one of the best teams in Major League Baseball despite being without their ace Gerrit Cole, the 2023 Cy Young Award winner. Cole has yet to make his 2024 regular season debut as he works his way back from right elbow nerve inflammation and edema. On Saturday, the 33-year-old righty threw two innings against minor league players at the Yankees player development facility in Tampa, Florida. Last season, Cole was arguably the best pitcher in MLB, registering 33 starts, a 15-4 record, 2.63 ERA, 0.981 WHIP and 222 strikeouts. His 209 innings pitched were the second most in Cole’s 11-year career.
In his absence, the Yankees’ pitching staff went into Tuesday with the lowest ERA (2.77) in MLB. The collective five man rotation of Cortes, Marcus Stroman, Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt, and Luis Gil has been capable but surprisingly superlative. As of Tuesday, all but Cortes, at a solid 3.29, had ERAs under 3. Long Island native Stroman, who the Yankees signed to a two-year, $37 million free-agent deal in January, has epitomized the team’s strength and resolve in withstanding Cole’s injury. The 33-year-old Duke University alumnus is scheduled to start tomorrow on the road against the San Francisco Giants boasting a 4-2 record with a 2.76 ERA.
Stroman, who had a combined 44 starts for the Mets in 2019 and 2021, and a member of the Chicago Cubs in 2022 and 2023, giving them 50 starts, went six innings allowing just three hits and no runs last Saturday in his most recent appearance in a 4-1 Yankees victory over the Padres in San Diego.
“The other starters have been incredible,” Stroman said following the win. “We’re all doing this without having the best pitcher in baseball, Cole, who we’re all dying to get back.” The Yankees end a three-game series against the Angels today and will play the Giants three games tomorrow through Sunday. They are back home in the Bronx for a three-game set beginning Tuesday versus the Minnesota Twins before the World Series favorite Los Angeles Dodgers visit New York for three June 7 through June 9.
With her freshman year of high school at a Pennsylvania boarding school completed, 14-year-old Hazel Pratts is looking forward to demonstrating her equestrian skills this summer.
At age 4, the Brooklyn native revealed to her parents a desire to learn how to ride a horse, which proved more than a simple childhood wish. She has since immersed herself in equestrian competitions, winning major events for her age group.
The lessons of riding competitively have been significant to her social and academic development—she ended the school year with a 3.7 GPA. The high achiever transfers her love of being a rising equestrian scholar-athlete to her classmates and teammates.
“I actually really do like watching my friends ride, and cheering them on is my favorite thing,” said Pratts. “Also, recording them—I love getting good videos and talking about them after the horse shows. I really do enjoy winning and (take away) from losing because it’s all about the improvement.”
Pratts explained that she has a visceral connection to the horses she rides and feels their energy and spirit. “Mine is very energetic, very friendly, and very emotional,” she said. “It’s really cool being around so many horses. You can see the different types of emotions and back stories just by looking at them.”
Hazel’s mother, Hasoni Pratts, a member of the New York State Board of Regents, told the AmNews that her daughter has been committed to riding ever since she was first introduced to colts.
“Hazel truly knew what she wanted to do,” said Pratts. “Her father (Michael Pratts) and I thought maybe when she had to clean stalls, that would change her mind, but it didn’t deter her at all. She soaked up every experience of being around stables.”
The young Pratts found it challenging to fulfill her desire to become an accomplished equestrian within the five boroughs, so the family decided that she would attend an equestrian boarding school. There, Pratts was assigned a horse and she said they clicked instantly. The school is also academically demanding, which she appreciates, and the opportunity to ride during the school day is gratifying.
“I couldn’t ask for more,” she said.
Pratts competes year-round. The school arranges for the students to attend shows, to which she and fellow students travel as a team. Pratts said she was fortunate to ride in multiple shows. She also participates in individual competitions, in two divisions. One is equitation, a discipline in which judges focus on how the rider controls the horse and executes movements.
“Showing is the best thing,” Pratts said. “No matter what, riding is amazing, but showing is incredible. I’m very competitive.”
Her immediate goal is to jump higher and then move to a higher level of competition. Her career goal is to become a veterinarian. She doesn’t anticipate riding during college, but will resume afterward.
“I always want to be a part of the equestrian world,” Pratts said.
This weekend on Governors Island, roughly half a mile from Battery Park in Lower Manhattan and a quarter mile from Brooklyn, NYC Footy will welcome approximately 1,200 players and 100 teams to compete in its annual co-ed Governors Cup, which began in 2019.
NYC Footy was launched in 2010 to bring better organization to recreational soccer.
“As a player in numerous rec (recreation) leagues prior to starting NYC Footy, I was seeking a more professional experience at the rec level,” NYC Footy CEO and Co-Founder Tarek told the AmNews. “Rec leagues are notorious for being one small step above organized pickup, and it was evident that to experience something more polished and professional, we’d need to create it ourselves. What we didn’t anticipate was just how much our vision for recreational soccer was almost universally shared by the soccer community here in New York City.”
The Governors Cup will feature seven-on-seven soccer teams composed of both men and women, as opposed to the 11-on-11 format of professional games.
Pertew said the unprecedented success of the Governors Cup is the byproduct of bottling the appealing attributes of rec soccer into one jam-packed day.
“It offers the best elements of physical and mental wellness—friendly competition, camaraderie, social interaction, and outdoor play—and puts it into overdrive for a full day of soccer stimulation,” he said. “It’s become such a can’t-miss event that players will schedule major summer plans, including weddings, around the Governors Cup. Some folks request a delayed start to their internship, others return from a summer overseas.”
The event offers plenty of entertainment for spectators.
“As a soccer-loving spectator, there is probably no better place to be on June 1 or 2 than the Governors Cup,” Pertew said. “Our sponsors have become more numerous and the off-field activities have become more entertaining. We have fun sport-related activities from the likes of BetterPlayer, NYCFC, and Gotham FC, and product activations from Waterloo, Modelo, BodyArmour, and VAE Labs. Plus, this year, we are streaming the Champions League Final in our Beer Garden.”
Emily Li of No Hands FC reflected that “our team’s first year competing at (the) Governors Cup (in 2022) was right after our very first season competing as a team, including our first championship win. We were so excited to keep up the momentum, and the Governors Cup was the perfect opportunity to do so in-between seasons.”For more information about the Governors Cup, visit nycfooty.com or govcup.org.
The 20 members of the U.S. Olympic fencing team met with the media at the New York Athletic Club to share details of their training, preparation and goals for the Paris Olympics this summer. The team includes fencers with New York City roots, high academic achievers and some future physicians.
Miles Chamley-Watson is headed to his third Olympics—having captured a bronze medal in the men’s foil team event in 2016. At 34, Chamley-Watson said that despite also finding success in the fashion/modeling world, he has found a new love for the sport. He acknowledged being a Black man in a predominantly white sport comes with unique pressure, but he sees that as a privilege.
“I’m dealing with the celebrity world—the last couple of years my life has taken a turn for the best and I’m very grateful—and juggling all that is pretty exciting,” he said. “I’ve won everything in the sport (Chamley-Watson has two World Championship gold medals)—Grand Prixs, World Cups—winning an Olympic gold medal would be a dream come true.”
Among the youngest members of the team is Queens native Lauren Scruggs, who comes from a fencing family. She began fencing at a club in Brooklyn and as she progressed found her way to The Fencers Club in Manhattan. The Harvard University student-athlete is an alumna of the famed Peter Westbrook Foundation, a six-time world champion and 2023 NCAA women’s foil champion.
“The style I developed in fencing is, I think, quite unique for a woman’s foil,” said the 21-year-old Scruggs. “I like competing, I like winning, I think it’s fun. … I think I bring a youthful energy to the squad. I’m a little silly, while some of the older fencers might be more serious, which is needed, obviously. It’s fun to compete with them.”
Another New Yorker is Anne Cebula, epee, a 2020 graduate of Barnard College/Columbia Athletics. She has spent the past four years training while also working to support herself, including some modeling. With no pro fencing circuit, Cebula sees this Olympic opportunity as the pinnacle of the sport.
“Because you can’t go pro, you learn from a very young age that you can’t just be a fencer; we want to excel in school,” said Cebula. “This past year, I put everything on pause and trained. I told myself either I was going to make the Olympics or not, but I’m going to retire after this.”
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown was overlooked by voters, composed of writers and broadcasters, for this season’s three All-NBA teams, 15 players in total, and the league’s first and second All-Defensive teams, made up of 10 players.
“We’re two games from the Finals,” said Brown of his omission following a 40-point outing in the Celtics’ 126-110 victory over the Indiana Pacers last Thursday in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Finals matchup. “Honestly, I don’t have time to give a f—k.”
But after a stellar showing in the best-of-seven series, in which Brown proved to be one of the game’s best two-way practitioners in averaging 29.8 points as the Celtics produced a 4-0 sweep over the Pacers, he walked away with a more meaningful—at least in the moment—honor.
Subsequent to scoring 29 points, grabbing six rebounds, and affirming his defensive bona fides with a critical block with 65 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to help cement the Celtics’ 105-102 Game 4 win, Brown was presented with the Larry Bird Trophy as the Eastern Conference Finals MVP by team radio announcer Cedric Maxwell, the 1981 NBA Finals MVP with the Celtics. It was fitting and ironic that the award is named after one of the greatest players in the history of both the franchise and the sport.
“I wasn’t expecting it at all. I never win sh—t,” Brown caustically expressed. His teammate, Jrue Holiday, amplified Brown’s sentiments.
“It felt great…It’s even better because he didn’t expect it. That really means, it didn’t matter to him. It’s about winning, whatever it took, however long it took, that’s what was important to him. I think when you have that mentality and mindset you see great people get rewarded for the things that they do.
“It just brings joy so I’m super excited for him. He’s been first team all NBA for the entire season and I wish he would have got that but to see him get this award is big time.” The NBA Finals begin next Thursday in Boston.
After opening the 2024 WNBA season on a four-game winning streak, the New York Liberty went into last night’s (Wednesday) game at the Barclays Center versus the Phoenix Mercury with a record of 4-2 looking to end a two-game losing slide. They began this week second in the Eastern Conference behind the Connecticut Sun, which were 5-0 when they tipped off against the Mercury at home on Tuesday at Mohegan Sun Arena.
The Liberty fell to the Chicago Sky 91-80 last Thursday in front of a sellout crowd at the Barclays Center and two days later lost a road game to the Minnesota Lynx 84–67. Starting forward Jonquel Jones, who was averaging 13.5 points and eight rebounds before facing the Mercury, was uncharacteristically held to eight and four points respectively by the Sky and Lynx. “They played her really physically,” said Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello after the loss to the Lynx. “They didn’t allow her to get the ball. There were three people around her every time she caught it. I thought Minnesota’s defense was extremely good with their activity and their pressure and physicality. In the end, we need to work out how do we get her more open looks and get her into the game because she’s important. If we get her scoring, it will help the rest of us.”
Liberty newbie Leonie Fiebich, who before joining New York played overseas in Europe and Australia dating back to 2016, had 11 points versus the Lynx. Brondello said the solid outing will increase Fiebich’s confidence, which will be beneficial as the season progresses.
“For me, it’s always fun to be on the floor, to be around my teammates,” said Fiebich. “I love to cut; I love to shoot the ball, and they put me in a good spot today. It certainly helps that the shots go in. I will continue to fill gaps, whatever the team needs, and be tough on defense.”
Reigning WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart had strong showings in both losses, posting 18 points and 10 rebounds against Chicago and 20 and 11 in the Minnesota defeat. However, Brondello emphasized that the Liberty’s defense needs to be better.
“We’ll go back and watch the film and work on areas we have to get better at,” said Brondello. “We have a few holes at the moment, but still believe in this team. Facing some adversity now is not a bad thing for us. It will help us grow.”
The Liberty are back on home court tomorrow night against the Washington Mystics and on Sunday against the Indiana Fever. The team then heads out on a three-game road trip taking on the Sky next Tuesday, the Atlanta Dream next Thursday and the Connecticut Sun next Saturday, June 8. They return home on Sunday, June 9 to host the Mystics.
Pedro Martinez is an iconic former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1992 to 2009. He was one of the most dominant pitchers of his era, winning Cy Young Awards in 1997, 1999, and 2000.
Born and raised in Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic, a suburb of Santo Domingo, the island nation’s capital, Martinez the first pitcher to earn the award in both the American and National Leagues. He won his first and only World Series title with the Boston Red Sox in 2004. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015.
The Amsterdam News spoke exclusively with Martinez at the Sports Emmys last week at Jazz at Lincoln Center about his time playing for the New York Mets from 2005 to 2008, memorable battles against the New York Yankees throughout his career, and the pitchers he enjoys watching the most in today’s game.
“Just the fans, the atmosphere,” Martinez, who had a career record of 219-100, said of his time playing at Shea Stadium, former home of the Mets. “I remember the fans not really being all that demanding. Not really expecting all that much, even though we went really far. But I remember just how happy everybody was just to see us on the field, just to see each one of us.
“Believe it or not, I really enjoyed my time in Queens. I really enjoyed the atmosphere with the fans and the back and forth. The kids (were) always fielding balls in the outfield. I used to love flipping balls all over the bleachers just to see the kids catch (them). I love the way they behave over there in Queens.”
Martinez, who is now a baseball analyst for Turner Sports, also looked back on facing the Yankees nearly two decades ago.
“I had the saddest moment in my career at Yankee Stadium in (2003) and also the happiest moment in (2004), when we were able to come back from 0-3 and beat them in their own stadium,” Martinez said. “That was like it for me. The biggest highlight of my career is always going to be being able to beat the Yankees after being (down) 0-3 (in the American League Championship Series) and doing it in the old Yankee Stadium before they tore it down.”
As MLB has evolved and rules were implemented to increase the pace of the game, including a pitch clock, which limits the time pitchers can take between pitches, the eight-time MLB All-Star discussed some of the men who command the mound in the current era whom he finds compelling.
“Right now, I’m really getting to enjoy Tyler Glasnow,” Martinez said of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher. “I believe Tyler Glasgow brings back some memories because he’s a bully. I love Gerrit Cole, (Justin) Verlander, all those guys. Jacob deGrom—I love deGrom. I don’t get enough of deGrom, but he needs to be healthy. Right now, I’m really intrigued about Tyler Glasnow finishing the entire season and seeing what he’s capable of doing.”
LAS VEGAS — They operate in places like an airport, a resort, and a distribution center, tucked away from the public eye but close enough for easy access. They often emit laughter — and the sound of tumbling blocks, bouncing balls, and meandering tricycles.
They’re child care centers based at workplaces. And in the fraught American child care landscape, they are popping up more frequently.
Skyrocketing child care costs and staffing shortages have complicated arrangements for working parents. Some have left jobs after struggling to find quality care. Employers, in turn, view their entry into the child care realm as both a competitive advantage and a workplace morale booster.
“In the absence of government intervention and investment, a lot of businesses have been stepping up to make sure that their employees can access affordable child care,” says Samantha Melvin, an assistant research professor at the Erikson Institute, an independent graduate school for early childhood education.
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This series on how the child care crisis affects working parents—with a focus on solutions—is produced by the Education Reporting Collaborative, a coalition of eight newsrooms, including the Hechinger Report, AL.com, the Associated Press, the Christian Science Monitor, the Dallas Morning News, Idaho Education News, the Post & Courier, and the Seattle Times.
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Parents benefiting from child care at their work sites praise its convenience and affordability.
Frances Ortiz, who works in accounting at the Venetian Resort Las Vegas, can’t imagine a better option. She says her 3-year-old daughter has gained independence and language skills—with mom not far away—at the property’s on-site child care center for employees.
“She runs in here,” Ortiz says. “She grabs my badge. She has to open the door for herself.”
In September, the Pittsburgh International Airport added on-site child care. The center serves children of Allegheny County Airport Authority employees, as well as those of select airport workers, such as food and beverage workers, ground handlers, and wheelchair attendants.
Airport officials say the idea stemmed from wanting to bring more women and people of color into the aviation workforce. Plus, the airport sits 17 miles outside of downtown Pittsburgh, making child care logistics challenging for employees. So far, it’s operating at about half capacity.
“It’s certainly an important proof point to our team that we mean it when we say that we’re invested in them and in what they need,” says Christina Cassotis, CEO of the Allegheny County Airport Authority, which operates the airport.
Child care costs can eclipse rent or mortgages, if parents can access care in the first place. Many find themselves on waitlists.
Experts caution against an overreliance on businesses filling the void. Philip Fisher, director of the Stanford Center on Early Childhood, says doing so could undercut efforts to recognize child care as a public good.
“There’s a lot of well-intentioned people who are thinking this is a really good idea, and for those who would benefit from it, it could be,” he says. “Again, there are lots of downsides even in the short term.”
One of those potential pitfalls, he says, is instability if a parent suddenly loses their job and then has to find new child care and a new job.
The assistance offered by public and private employers runs the gamut. Some run their own centers. Others outsource the operations and management.
The financial arrangements also differ. Many companies and organizations don’t disclose the exact discounts offered to employees.
Walmart, for instance, recently opened an on-site child care center at its massive Bentonville, Arkansas, campus. The Little Squiggles Children’s Enrichment Center charges a monthly rate of $1,117 to $1,258 based on the child’s age, which company officials tell the Monitor in an email is “at market rate or below regional levels for comparable care.”
Another method gaining steam: employers providing subsidies for families to use toward child care options within their own communities.
KinderCare, a large child care operator with locations nationally, partners with more than 600 businesses and organizations to provide employee-sponsored child care, up from 400 in 2019, says Dan Figurski, president of KinderCare for Employers and Champions. Those employers represent the technology, medical, banking, academic, and public service industries, among others.
In Nevada, the Venetian Resort’s child care center, run by KinderCare, sits in a back-of-house hallway steps away from Las Vegas Boulevard.
All employees can enroll their children, as long as space allows, at a cost that’s generally 35% to 40% lower than KinderCare’s normal rate, says Matt Krystofiak, the Venetian’s chief human resources officer. The company also offers subsidies for employees who want to enroll their children in an off-site KinderCare closer to their homes.
“We’re doing this because this is what our team members want,” Krystofiak says. “This is what our team members need.”
Some businesses view investments in child care as a reflection of their company culture.
Patagonia’s foray into child care began in 1983 when some of the company’s original employees started having children. As the clothing retailer grew, so did its child care footprint. Nowadays, it operates three child care centers—two in southern California and one in Reno, Nevada—serving roughly 200 children.
The company charges employees in each location what leaders describe as an “average market rate.” Subsidies are available based on household income, says Sheryl Shushan, Patagonia’s director of global family services. The child care teachers are employed by Patagonia, so they receive corporate benefits as well.
At the outdoor classroom at Patagonia’s distribution center in Reno, children spend hours digging in sand, riding bikes, playing with water, or climbing natural and human-made objects. Patagonia leaders say the benefits on their end are stronger employee retention, a can-do spirit in the workplace, and a greater sense of community. For Alyssa Oldham, a classroom manager in Reno, the job and child care benefit meant rethinking her family size. She and her husband originally envisioned being a one-child family, given child care costs.
Now she comes to work with her 4-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter.
“Working here, I was like, ‘We could have another child,’” she says.
