[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 102 (Thursday, July 17, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1456]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            A TRIBUTE TO THE ANDERSON MONARCHS BASEBALL TEAM

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. THOMAS M. FOGLIETTA

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 17, 1997

  Mr. FOGLIETTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a group of 
young athletes from south Philadelphia who have just returned from a 
barnstorming baseball tour in tribute to the late, great Jackie 
Robinson. The Anderson Monarchs are a team of 15 boys between the ages 
8 and 12 who play in the RBI, Reviving Baseball in the Inner Cities, 
League of Philadelphia. The team is named for Jackie Robinson's Negro 
League team, the Kansas City Monarchs, and plays its home games at the 
Marian Anderson Recreation Center in the heart of south Philadelphia.
  Leaving Philadelphia last week in a restored 1947 bus, the team drove 
west to participate in the Kansas City Royal's celebration of the 50th 
Anniversary of Jackie Robinson's entry into the Major Leagues. The 
team, sponsored by the Philadelphia Phillies, Mellon PSFS and Acme 
Markets, embarked on a 13-day journey that began with a game in 
Brooklyn, NY, the former home of Jackie Robinson's Dodgers. From 
Brooklyn, the Monarchs traveled to Cleveland, where they participated 
in All-Star game festivities, then played a game against a local team. 
From there it was off to Detroit, Chicago, and Iowa, where they visited 
the site of the Field of Dreams, made famous by the movie of that name. 
Many of these youngsters have never been far from the urban landscape 
of Philadelphia, so traveling through the rural Midwest was quite an 
experience for them.
  In Kansas City, the Monarchs visited the Negro Leagues Baseball 
Museum, where they were introduced to Hall-of-Famer, Buck O'Neill, a 
former Monarchs teammate of Jackie Robinson. Meeting this living legend 
and hearing his bittersweet tales of the Negro Leagues was the high 
point of the trip for many of the young ballplayers.
  From Kansas City the team bus wound its way back, with stops for 
games in St. Louis, Louisville, and Pittsburgh, before returning to 
Philadelphia. Mr. Speaker, these youngsters are more than just 
ballplayers, they are ambassadors for Philadelphia, and I have received 
reports that they have represented our city with great honor throughout 
their travels. They have learned about the legacy of segregation in 
baseball, and they have taught others of these lessons along the way. 
In honoring the anniversary of Jackie Robinson's entry into the Major 
Leagues, the Monarchs have been a major success. They have demonstrated 
admirably the sentiment engraved on Jackie Robinson's gravestone that, 
``A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.'' 
In recognition of their successful tour, I ask that my colleagues join 
me today in honoring Philadelphia's Anderson Monarchs.

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