This morning I attended my first meeting of the Schott- Pelican chapter — i.e. the Louisiana/NOLA chapter — of the Society for American Baseball Research, and I had smashing good fun.

I, by and large, stayed quiet, a little nervous and content to sit and listen. I was welcomed with open arms and hearty handshakes, and chapter organizer Derby Gisclair said he and the rest of the crew were glad for some fresh blood, especially someone who could bring a different perspective like the Negro Leagues to the group.

In fact, I was given an assignment: Write the trivia quiz that is ritual for S-P Chapter meetings, with a focus on the Negro Leagues. Derby suggested that half of the quiz be local/Louisiana-based, and half be national in nature. Sounds pretty cool to me.

So, all in all, I left the Holiday Inn Westbank extremely encouraged about the future inclusion of the city and the state’s rich African-American hardball history in the group’s efforts.

I definitely have several goals in mind on which I would like to ask my fellow chapter members for help, such as getting more pre-integration black figures into the New Orleans Professional Baseball Hall of Fame and even perhaps a Negro Leagues Night at a Zephyrs’ game. That, needless to say, would be a dream come true.

So many thanks to everyone who greeted me with a smile and firm handshake this morning. I hope I can contribute, in some small way, to the chapter’s work, even if I am a journalist. 🙂