In the late 80s, Bob Hieronimus began seeing Babe Ruth in his dreams. The Babe, a native of Baltimore City, was always Bob’s absolute favorite player. At the time, he was heavily involved with the Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum [link] and would often dress as Babe at costume parties. Most would think that Babe Ruth then showing up in Bob’s dreams was just a matter of fandom. However, already trained in esoterica and knowing the power of the subconscious mind, Bob paid close attention to these dreams. In them, Babe told Bob to advocate for the Negro League players. Bob had attended Negro Leagues games as a child but had no idea what happened to the players. From then on, Bob began a mission to find out everything he could about the Negro Leagues and spread their legacy.

This mission began at what seemed to be a perfect time – the Negro Leagues were much lesser known and respected compared to today, even by baseball historians. They needed as many advocates as possible. Up until that point, no Negro League player had succeeded in being accepted into Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame. None had even received a nomination. As Dr. Bob began meeting Negro League players, he found that on top of being obscured to the public, most were also struggling to get by financially. Entry into the Hall of Fame is of course a major boost to a player’s social reputation – but it also renders merchandise related to that player more valuable. The baseball card collecting “bubble” was just beginning and if a player was in the Hall of Fame, your card’s base price increased.