Congressman Cohen Statement Regarding the Passing of Baseball Legend Minnie Minoso

[MEMPHIS, TN] - Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) issued the following statement after learning that his friend and hero Minnie Minoso passed away this morning:

"Ever since an exhibition game in Memphis where he--through a white player because of segregation--gave me a baseball and befriended me when I was only 5, Minnie has been a hero of mine. That initial meeting and the fact that he felt he could not give me, a child on crutches because of Polio, the ball directly and had to hand it to a white player instead made him my hero."

"Five years later, when Minnie came back to Memphis for another exhibition game, I visited him at the Lorraine Motel where he stayed with other black players while the white players stayed at the Peabody. These early experiences in my life helped me understand the horrors of segregation, discrimination, and prejudice."

"I spoke about Minnie on the floor of the House of Representatives when I worked to pass a resolution recognizing the contributions of the Negro Baseball Leagues to our nation's history, and as recently as last December because he was once again denied admission the Baseball Hall of Fame. The last time I saw him was at the Civil Rights Baseball Game in 2009. I told him that the Negro Leagues Resolution had been stopped in the Senate and amended by Senator Jim Bunning, who during his time in the Major Leagues was known to brush back and often hit batters, to take out the portion I'd written that said Minnie would have been in the Hall of Fame but for the years segregation. Minnie, who was known to crowd the plate and often led the Majors in hit-by-pitches, then told me of his history with Bunning. One year at an exhibition game in Cuba, Bunning hit Minnie with a pitch, so Minnie responded by hitting a triple off the left field wall. He told me that Bunning never forgot that day, and apparently he did not."

"Minnie had a great baseball career but an even better life. He was an all-star on the diamond, but also an all-star as a human being. He was a major part of my life, influencing it for the better. I grieve him today as a family member."