Defending a Friend
By Alan Peel

 Originally, I had wanted to write about the great weekend enjoyed by Kansas City-area sports fans. The Royals finished the 2008 season with their best record since the “We Believe” Royals of 2003 thanks to the best American League record (this is not a misprint) in the month of September.  The Chiefs also snapped a 12-game losing streak by defeating the Denver Donkeys 33-19 thanks to the stellar performance of Larry Johnson.

 Despite all of this, there is something that I need to get off my chest in order to stand up for a friend of mine:  Negro Leagues Baseball Museum Executive Director Don Motley.  Mr. Motley (as I will refer to him throughout the duration of this piece because of my deep respect and friendship for the man I have) has given his life to the sport of baseball as a Major League Baseball scout, baseball coach, and as the Executive Director at the Negro Leagues Museum at 18^th and Vine. 

However, what I read yesterday in Jason Whitlock’s column about my friend in the Kansas City Star got me irritated beyond all belief.  The portrait that Whitlock painted of my friend of 20 years can’t even begin to describe the anger that I am experiencing at this moment.  It isn’t the first time that Whitlock has treated people in the Kansas City sports community like this.  Sadly, it won’t be the last either.

 The piece centered on the issues surrounding the Buck O’Neil Research and Education Center and the office politics of the Negro Leagues Museum.  While I am not as well informed as Jason Whitlock claims to be, I will discuss the man who I know has given his life to baseball in comparison to the man who has been self-serving his entire career in Kansas City.

 Mr. Motley was a professional baseball scout and instrumental in breaking a number of color barriers in the local Ban Johnson Baseball League, a league for college-aged players that I have been associated with for the past ten years.  In 1951, Mr. Motley introduced Joe Watson, Bill Rowan, and Lester Phifer as the first African-American baseball players to play in the league despite Kansas City’s segregation laws.  In 1968, Mr. Motley became the league’s first coach with Milgram before ultimately becoming the team’s manager in 1971, another first for African-Americans in the league.

 Mr. Motley is also a silent hero in Kansas City sports history.  In 1970, there was a tryout held by the Kansas City Royals for their new Royals Academy.  Mr. Motley made a phone call to Bill Rowan to have Rowan encourage a former Ban Johnson player named Frank White tryout.  Today, Frank White is synonymous with the greatness of the Kansas City Royals.

 This past summer, Mr. Motley and Milgram captured their fifth league championship under his tutelage.  On the way to winning the league’s championship this past summer, Milgram defeated the two teams with the best regular-season record.

 Mr. Motley has also given back to his sport by making efforts to spread the game among inner-city youth in Kansas City.  This is difficult considering that  there are a number of Major League Baseball teams that do not have one African-American player on their roster more than 60 years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier.

 Finally, in his role as the Executive Director of the Museum, Mr. Motley has been on the public-relations offensive by promoting the Negro Leagues despite having never played in the leagues himself.  For these contributions, Mr. Motley is someone who has given a lot to and gotten a lot out of baseball.

 On the other side is Jason Whitlock who, in 1998, Whitlock was suspended by the Star for heckling New England Patriots fans over their then-starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe.  A number of patrons at the Chiefs-Patriots game that year alleged that Whitlock held up a number of derogatory signs including one that said “Drew Bledsoe is gay.”

 On the commentary front, Whitlock has been none the better.  He had called Chiefs running back Larry Johnson and defensive lineman Turk McBride busts in the past.  Ask the Denver Broncos defense if Larry Johnson is a bust after torching their defense for 198 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 28 carries.  Ask Donkey wide receiver Eddie Royal who was stripped by McBride 20 yards from the line of scrimmage on Denver’s second offensive play of the game.

 Also, Whitlock admitted in the piece that the only person he ever gives a pass to is his high school chum and former NFL washout Jeff George.  In a piece that appeared in the Kansas City Star after the injury to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Whitlock pleaded for the 4,712^th time that the Patriots needed the 40-year old former top-pick-tuned-journeyman.  It’s sad when a columnist is doing more legwork for an athlete than his agent.

 George played for the Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, and Washington Redskins over his 12-year career that saw him win 46 of his 124 career starts and was highlighted by a sideline blowup with former Falcons coach June Jones, a gift interception against the Chiefs while with the Raiders on Monday Night Football in 1997, and being the victim of six Derrick Thomas sacks in the Chiefs season opener in 1998 while also with Oakland.

 Come to think of it, the Colts could have drafted Junior Seau, Emmitt Smith, Tim Grunhard, Shannon Sharpe, and Matt Stover who all played in the NFL Pro Bowl at some point of their careers (George never did made the Pro Bowl).  It would not be until 1998 when the Colts drafted a quarterback in the first round when they drafted Peyton Manning.

 Moreover, Whitlock has been less than courteous when it comes to his former employers AOL Time Warner and ESPN.  After being released by each of these organizations, Whitlock had less than gracious things to say after they showed him the door.  I will not envy Fox Sports when they ask Whitlock to no longer grace them with his presence. 

Alan Peel is a local internet marketer and author living in Leawood, KS.  His book Personal Finance Freedom is available on his website www.personalfinancefreedom.com.