You teach the kids to play the game right: G, 57.

0:00All right. What’s up, man? What’s up? What’s going on? It’s been a great day. My name is Maceo. I’m here with We Them Media. I have a platform where I’ve been interviewing people just out on the street, asking them questions. I’ve actually been making content since 2021. Yep. Where I’ve been highlighting black people in the cryptos currency space and people who are making music or doing other cool, interesting things in the arts. Right. And now I’m exploring, expanding more into just like community journalism, community news, just communities reporting, talking to people in the community and hearing them, you know, speak on what they do. And I passed by you, and I played baseball for a long time, actually, and so I thought it’d be sick to interview an umpire. I never took time to really speak to the umpires, but you guys make all the calls, right?

0:35I appreciate that. Yes, we do. So what’s your name, sir? G. G, okay. And how old are you? 57. Okay, cool. And where are you from? North Philly. Okay, sick. And so how long have you been an umpire? 10 years. Oh, wow. Yep. And how is that? You played baseball when you were younger? I played baseball all my life, yep. Okay, cool, cool. I played for the Tetris. Okay. softball, won championships. Talk about it, talk about it. We won championships, what, 92, 93, 94, 92, 93, 94, 95, four years in a row. My man Paul King was the coach at Alfie Morrison. Yup. Okay. And what’s your best baseball memory? Winning championships. That’s

1:20right. Winning championships. Back to back, back to back, back to back. We won four years That’s crazy. Y’all are holding it down. Y’all are doing it. Holding it down. I love that. What makes the championship team? Well, of course, the players. You gotta have love for the game. Love for the game and play the game right. What makes a good coach? A good coach is a leader and everybody follow his lead. Yep. And what do you see some coaches do that you would advise them not to do? Yell at the kids. Yell at the kids. Let the kids be kids. Let them have fun. And what do you see works when it comes to leading kids?

2:07I’m looking at working at the Boys and Girls Club up here, and I’m going to have to be leading kids if I do that for sure, right? Right. You’re going to have to be leading the kids for sure. The kids are going to follow your lead. Whatever you tell them to do, they’re going to do it.

2:20That’s cool. That’s cool. I’d love for you to share a little bit about what you know about the baseball stadium. You told me earlier you grew up near the baseball stadium from the Negro Leagues, right? Yeah, that was 22nd Lehigh, a county max stadium. I was two blocks from there. I’ve never been there, but I grew up 22nd Indiana. The park was at 22nd Lehigh. So it’s called like the Negro Leagues though, right? No. What was it called? I don’t know what it was called back then. Damn, here I go saying stuff. I don’t know, it wasn’t a Negro League. I feel like my dad did something like that.

2:48It was a Negro League, but I don’t think- It wasn’t called that, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was a Negro League, but it wasn’t that. Do you know anything about it? Like you could share anything? No, not with the stadium being at 22nd of Lehigh Okay, okay, that’s okay, that’s okay And so how has it been for you seeing like baseball here and like being an umpire in this league? It’s good because I like, I love, I love the kids You teach the kids, you also teach the kids while you umpire You teach the kids and that’s what I’m here to do Teach the kids to play the game right

3:17Yep Okay, I love that What do you think, like what the community could do to most support these kids who are playing baseball Support the kids. Like show up? Like what does that mean? Support the kids. Come out. Cheer for the kids. Cheer for your kids. Cheer for other kids. That’s all. Keep the kids in. We got to keep these kids in sync because a lot of kids out here running wild. Yeah. You have to keep these kids in sync. Yeah, we got to keep them in sync. Okay. When you think about the city and Philadelphia more broadly, what comes to mind? Crime. We Got To Put The Guns Down, We Got To Put The Guns Down, We Got To Put The Guns Down, We Got To Get These Kids Something To Do, Besides Be In These Streets, It’s A Different Upcoming From The Way I Came Up, I Had To Be In The House When The Street Lights Come On, These Kids Hangs Out With Their Parents And All That No, It Wasn’t That Type Of Party With My People, But You Know, All That Come From Babies Having

4:26Yeah, yeah, yeah. I hear that. That’s all that is. People not being ready. Not ready. Yup. Yup. Yup. Okay. And what do you think about the Philadelphia community? When you think about community in Philadelphia, what comes to mind? On a more positive note, right? Well, something positive. I can’t really come up with nothing. That’s okay. What’s your best memory of community in the city? Basketball leagues, baseball leagues, recreation centers. Yeah, yeah, giving the kids something to do, giving us something to do with these kids, yup Okay, I appreciate that, and if you could ask people around the city, one question, what would you ask them?

5:17Let’s stop the violence Yeah, I got that, you got a message to the city, let’s stop the violence Let’s stop the violence Okay, and then last thing, if you could speak to people around the world, what would you say to them? Stop the violence Whole world, same thing Everybody, stop the violence, where’s the love? Where’s the love, that’s the question Where’s the love, that’s what we want, the love, yup Okay, and I guess that’s a different question. When you look at the city, where do you see love showing up? When you think of Philadelphia, where do you think of love? Like what’s, does anything come to mind? At this point in time, no. No, not really, to be honest with you. So where should we start? All is really start from home, raising your kids right. But I understand once your kids are out of sight, you don’t know what they’re gonna do. But you gotta raise the kids right. That’s, you know, that’s what I believe. All right, man. Well, thank you. It’s going up on my YouTube today. Yep.

6:10As long as my internet permits, it’s gonna get up there and I got people around the world who I’m doing content with got people actually in Nigeria and Kenya and Uganda share content as well. And so we’re trying to do something international, something global. So thanks for taking time to speak with us. Shout out to For Real Umpire Association. Okay, tell us a little bit about that. Go ahead, go ahead. Is it on? Yeah, yeah, it’s right there. Yeah, For Real Umpire Association. Okay, sponsored by them, right? Yeah, sponsored by my man Marvin Atwell. Okay, and so tell us a little about him. What do you want to say about him? Give him his kudos, his acknowledgments, his credit.

6:39That’s my man, he’s getting it together, he’s getting it together, he’s getting it together, he gets on my fucking It’s okay, it’s cool man, I don’t give a fuck He gets on my nerd, but that’s my man, and I love him, Marvin Atwell, the founder of For Real Umpire Association Okay, and that’s like I’m giving a shout out to him Okay, shout out to all the umpires All the umpires, as a matter of fact, you’re right Yeah Marvin Atwell, Greg Holmes

7:08Marvin Atwell, Greg Holmes, and a couple of other people, you know, but them the two, honchos The Honchos Yeah, yeah, yeah Okay, shout out to all y’all Yup, that’s right, to all the Umpire Association Y’all are making the calls, y’all are like our local ethicists Even if they bad, they good calls You’re doing the work, right? For real, Umpire Association Founder, Marvin Atwell Boom, you heard it here I love it, appreciate it, man Alright, thank you Thank you