Memoir of a Little Leaguer

By Ricardo Andrade

Ricardo Andrade is a first time author who has decided to write a Memoir about his very unique experience of becoming a little league baseball player and the impact it had on his life. It is dedicated to all young people who play sports.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ricardo Andrade
• Release date: Jul 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201309824

Book preview

PREFACE

This is my memoir of my childhood as a young boy born in a segregated neighborhood on Cleveland’s east side, to a housing project on the S.E. side of Minneapolis, that was totally integrated. I joined a little league baseball team that was also totally integrated. This opened my eyes to learn how sports can unify us all, and would benefit me throughout my entire life.

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED

To all young people who play sports, and how sports can be that lighthouse of life, that shows no matter how rough the waves of life get; sports can be a unifying factor in our lives. It teaches us all how to get along and respect each other no matter who we are.

CLEVELAND, OHIO

I was born on June 24, 1952 in Cleveland, Ohio to Emanuel and Bernetta Andrade. I have an older sister named Sheila and a younger brother named Manny.

The first place that I lived was on Somerset Avenue near East 105th street on the east side of Cleveland, in a neighborhood called Glenville. I loved Glenville; it was a mostly Black neighborhood full of big stately homes. East 105th street was the gold coast, with every store that you could imagine, along with beautiful churches.

Glenville was once a Jewish neighborhood and was the birthplace of Superman. Hmmm, maybe that is why I would run around the house with my robe sleeves tied around my neck with my arms spread out pretending to fly!

I thought Cleveland was a great city when I was a kid. The Cultural Gardens were within walking distance of our neighborhood. They are on what was called then Liberty Blvd, and is now called Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. We would go there all the time, I even got lost there once.

My dad decided that he was going to become a Baptist Minister, and was ordained at Safeway Baptist Church on Cedar Avenue by Reverend Vaughn. We went to Sunday School and church services there every Sunday. I really loved the gospel singing, I heard some great music!

Even though my dad had become a minister, the only sport that he liked was baseball. At the age of six, he would buy me a nice baseball glove and we would play catch. This was the one thing that we could do together, because he was busy working a job and preaching, he did not have much spare time. One thing that I could do with that baseball was throw it exactly to where his glove was at, and that early talent would serve me well later.

I do not know the details but one day dad came home and stated that we were moving to Boston, Massachusetts so that he could be closer to his family. So off we went to Boston to what would be a very brief moment.

Dad got a job as a taxi driver and put his preaching on hold. We stayed in an old apartment building and we got a black cat that we named Midnight. There was an older woman that stayed in our apartment building that always looked like she was homeless and dad and mom were always nice to her. Mom and dad said that she told them if anything ever happened to her, to be sure and get her mattress. My parents said that they could not understand why she thought that they would want her old mattress.

Well, one day the nice older lady passed away and they truly regretted that they did not get