PLAAAAAAAAAAAAY BAAAAALLLLLLLL!
Gil Bailey: Godfather of Reggae passes
Sonia Chin and Gil Bailey at Schomburg Library in Harlem.
Sonia Chin
Caribbean Life, April 17-23, 2020 21
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
Everybody’s supposed to stay
home now.
It’s probably not the “home”
you’re thinking about though.
The home you want to see
involves running around a
diamond, cheers in your ears,
ahhh, you wanna hear that
again. For now, though, you
may have to make do with a
home run like “Who Got Game?
Baseball: Amazing But True
Stories!” by Derrick Barnes,
illustrated by JohnJohn Bajet.
Every day’s a great day for
baseball, right? But this year,
you may have to wait to watch
your favorite players, so why
not learn about the game in
the meantime?
For starters, there was once
a time when baseball was “for
White men only,” and so Black
players and women made their
own leagues. Even so, baseball
wouldn’t be baseball without
guys like Andrew “Rube” Foster,
who’s known as “the father
of the Negro Leagues”; or Hammerin’
Hank Greenberg, who
became the first Jewish Hall
of Famer; or immigrants like
Ozzie Virgil from the Dominican
Republic, or Sadaharo Oh
from Japan.
Through the years, there’ve
been lots of changes to the
game. For one, the spitball
was outlawed in 1934, but not
before a player was killed by
one. Women have been invited
into the game, first by women’s
leagues at various times
in history, and later, by the
first female baseball executive.
African American players were
denied a chance to play so they
made their own leagues, too,
and eventually broke the color
barrier in the majors.
In this book, you’ll read
about forgiveness for a fan.
You’ll read about an influential
doctor who saved careers,
and players who never let a
little disability stop them from
the game. You’ll read about
“a stinking mule” who was a
mascot, a guy who was hit by
287 pitches during his baseball
career, and a player who had
to make good on something
he said.
And if you think age matters
in the major leagues, read
about a forty-two-year-old
rookie, a seventeen-year-old
strikeout pitcher, and baseball’s
youngest major
leaguer…
For a kid who
lives and breathes
baseball, this
lock-down must
be hard. But
dreaming about
getting on the
ball field isn’t all
they can do at
this time. They
can also read
“Who Got Game?
Baseball: Amazing
But True Stories.”
The thing
your child will
love most is that
this book isn’t
filled with things
he or she already
knows. Author Derrick Barnes
and illustrator JohnJohn Bajet
dug out tales from the dugout,
sure, but they also include stories
of support staff and nonplayers
who influenced the
game. Young readers will learn
about the game from its very
inception, as well as modern
stories of baseball, and there’s
some science hidden in sidebars.
Even just browsing the
illustrations inside this book
will invite young players in,
and keep them in their (bleacher)
seats.
Absolutely, a true baseball
fan will love this book, especially
if they’re Little Leaguers
or kids ages 8 to 15. For them
– and you – “Who Got Game?
Baseball: Amazing but True
Stories!“ will be a big hit.
“Who Got Game?
Baseball: Amazing But
True Stories!” by Derrick
Barnes, illustrated by
JohnJohn Bajet
c.2020, Workman
$12.95 / higher in Canada
172 pages
Book cover of “Who Got Game? Baseball” by Derrick
Barnes.
“Who Got Game” author, Derrick Barnes.
Victoria Blackshear
By Vinette K. Pryce
On a day when Caribbean
diasporans reflect the nostalgia
of growing up on sunny islands
and the tradition of celebrating
Easter Monday, the passing
of Gil Bailey, Jamaica’s revered
‘Godfather of Reggae” shattered
the silence of another day of
quarantine from the COVID19
afflictions in New York.
Resonating with sadness and
grief that only a few will be able
to attend his funeral due to the
national state of emergency, his
fans lamented the fact he will be
denied the sendoff he deserved
as a beloved radio veteran.
Going forward, the Jamaican
tradition of merriment with
beach parties, picnics and excursions
previously marked on
Easter Monday will be recalled
with the tragic loss of the relatable
personality.
Early in the day social media
alerts, phone calls and radio station
messages announced the
sad news that the pioneering
radio personality succumbed
from the coronavirus. Reports
are that he had been ailing
and had been hospitalized with
symptoms of kidney failure.
“Shortly after midnight, my
mom lost her father. It hurts
that she wasn’t able to be by
his side while he passed away
due to he contracted COVID
19 and had been isolated,” his
granddaughter posted on social
media.
“My grandfather had a successful
life and career…I’m
Proud.”
Speaking on her mother’s
behalf she said: I’m sorry I
couldn’t say goodbye.”
Throughout the decades —
allegedly five — Bailey consistently
reminded his listeners of
the cultural tradition of partying
after the solemnity of Lent
and the hopeful day of Resurrection
which is followed by
revelry.
But this Easter Monday,
Bailey departed after waging a
fierce struggle to survive symptoms
of kidney failure.
Those familiar with his journey
from Jamaica to London,
England and his trailblazing
radio shows on WHBI-FM will
lament his distinct delivery and
grounded speech pattern that
distinguished him from other
radio personalities.
“He spoke Jamaican patois
– raw chaw and real,” Habte
Selassie said. “I used to listen to
the Earl Chin show then and Gil
would come on afterwards and
it was like no other – straight
from Yard,” the host of WBAIFM’s
Labbrish explained.
“Gil would talk about getting
the bun and cheese, the fry fish,
the bammy and today would be
talking about Gunboat Beach
and Bournemouth where stout
and rum used to flow.”
Immigrants from Jamaica
related to the familiarity. Despite
the fact many considered his
delivery to be unrefined, nonbroadcast
quality and appealing
to a rural Jamaica demographic,
Bailey never abandoned his
native tongue or compromised
standards he thought might
alienate the audience he sought
to reach.
Instead he persevered when
the brokered FM ceased operating
and transferred the Gil
Bailey Show to numerous dials
spanning AM and FM.
At a juncture, his program
expanded with daily airings and
on a Saturday would dominate
the day with news features,
comedy bits, news and music.