n”,”providerName”:”Twitter”,”providerUrl”:”https://twitter.com”,”sort”:”wealthy”,”width”:550,”__typename”:”ExternalEmbedContent”},”$ROOT_QUERY.getForgeContentBySlug({“locale”:”en-us”,”slug”:”andrew-young-inspires-players-at-2022-hank-aaron-invitational”,”sort”:”story”}).elements.6″:{“knowledge”:{“sort”:”id”,”generated”:true,”id”:”$ROOT_QUERY.getForgeContentBySlug({“locale”:”en-us”,”slug”:”andrew-young-inspires-players-at-2022-hank-aaron-invitational”,”sort”:”story”}).elements.6.knowledge”,”typename”:”ExternalEmbedContent”},”sort”:”oembed”,”__typename”:”ExternalEmbed”},”$ROOT_QUERY.getForgeContentBySlug({“locale”:”en-us”,”slug”:”andrew-young-inspires-players-at-2022-hank-aaron-invitational”,”sort”:”story”}).elements.7″:{“content material”:”Lombard and his father knew tales about Posy’s work within the motion, however the homicide of George Floyd in 2020 spurred them to dig much more. And listening to Younger communicate solely helped paint a greater image.nn“The character that she had and the way she was capable of battle all this, she was out of the norm, coming from the northeast as a white feminine to battle for African American individuals within the south,” Lombard mentioned. “She needed to face hate from individuals, and the way she was capable of deal with it and the way she was capable of carry herself by means of every thing, that’s one thing you look as much as and may be very particular.””,”sort”:”markdown”,”__typename”:”Markdown”},”$ROOT_QUERY.getForgeContentBySlug({“locale”:”en-us”,”slug”:”andrew-young-inspires-players-at-2022-hank-aaron-invitational”,”sort”:”story”}).elements.8.knowledge”:{“html”:”
3:38 AM UTC
ATLANTA — Sunday’s Hank Aaron Invitational was an enormous second for Florida highschool shortstop George Lombard Jr., since he bought to carry out at a showcase on a Main League discipline. But it surely was particularly candy due to whom he bought to fulfill earlier than the sport at Truist Park.
Lombard’s grandmother, Posy, was a civil rights advocate within the Nineteen Sixties. Coming down from New England, she was in Montgomery, Ala., when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. marched from Selma in 1965, and she or he protested alongside civil rights icon Andrew Younger, who was a keynote speaker on Sunday.
Lombard had heard tales from his father, a former Main Leaguer who’s at the moment the Detroit Tigers bench coach, about Younger, but it surely was particular to lastly meet the person who struck up a friendship together with his grandmother.
“All of the expertise he has and what he’s gone by means of in his life is fairly particular and an inspiring story,” Lombard mentioned. “Studying somewhat extra about my grandmother and his friendship together with her and his connection together with her, it’s info that I can’t actually get anyplace else.”
Lombard and his father knew tales about Posy’s work within the motion, however the homicide of George Floyd in 2020 spurred them to dig much more. And listening to Younger communicate solely helped paint a greater image.
“The character that she had and the way she was capable of battle all this, she was out of the norm, coming from the northeast as a white feminine to battle for African American individuals within the south,” Lombard mentioned. “She needed to face hate from individuals, and the way she was capable of deal with it and the way she was capable of carry herself by means of every thing, that’s one thing you look as much as and may be very particular.”
Younger had lots to share, together with his deep roots within the civil rights motion. After main the Southern Christian Management Convention, he served as a U.S. congressman, ambassador to the United Nations and mayor of Atlanta.
In his pregame speech, Younger additionally wished to impart on the gamers the significance of baseball within the American custom.
“What they’re doing is not only their success,” Younger mentioned on MLB Community. “That like Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron and plenty of others … you could have been a part of the glue that retains America collectively, that permits us to beat our variations and to root for one crew.”
Lombard was one of many high performers in Group Robinson’s 8-3 win over Group Aaron on Sunday, scoring two runs after working a pair of walks. However simply as essential was what he took away from assembly Younger and dealing with dozens of former Main Leaguers on the Hank Aaron Invitational teaching workers.
“There’s not many locations on the planet the place you will get a lot info in a single place,” Lombard mentioned. “Simply being there and taking every thing in like a sponge was the most important factor for us, as a result of you know the way a lot expertise all these guys have.”
