Orioles to celebrate 100th anniversary of Negro Leagues

Dwight Smith, Jr. knows his baseball history.

The Orioles outfielder also knows who paved his way to play.

CELEBRATING THE ONE-HUNDREDTHANNIVERSARY OF THE NEGROLEAGUES.

WMAR-2 NEWS SHAWSTEPNER HAS THE DETAILS.Dwight Smith, Jr. knows hisbaseball history.

The Oriolesoutfielder also knows whopaved his way to play.

DwightSmith, Jr., OriolesOutfielder: Without them weprobably wouldnopportunity today.

Them arethe players who comprised theNegro Leagues, which werefounded 100 years ago.

The Oand teams all around the bigswill celebrate the anniversaryon Sunday.

Remembering all ofthe great baseball playersbefore integration.

Stepner:For you, whatsignificance of thiscentennial celebration of theNegro Leagues?

Smith Jr.: Iteverything.

The Negro Leaguesis the reason why me and manyother African Americans get toplay this great game obaseball.

Among othercommemorations, players willwear a patch on their jerseys.And expect some throwbackstyle adjustments.

Smith, Jr.:Youbaggy uniforms. Probably a lotof old school stirrups.Baltimore is rich with NegroLeague history.

The two mostwell- known teams, theBaltimore Black Sox and theBaltimore Elite Giants.

RayBanks is the cofounder of theHubert V.

Simmons Museum ofNegro Leagues Baseball inOwings Mills.

For Banks, the100th anniversary is special.Ray Banks, Negro LeaguesHistorian: Itsurvival.

What they enduredback in the day.

What they hadto go through.

And before tOafternoon, Banks will throwout the virtual first pitch.Heof the Negro Leagues and alsohis son, Ray Jr., who passedaway in January.

Banks: Thefirst pitch has a lot ofsymbolic meaning to me.

Ireally throwing that firstpitch out also in his memory.Keeping decades of memoriesand history alive at theballpark.

Shawn Stepner,WMAR-2 News.NETFLIX IS TESTING