Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) addressed the House of Representatives this morning to celebrate the induction of his childhood hero, Minnie Minoso, into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Congressman Cohen, who first met Minoso in 1955, has advocated for his induction for decades.
In his floor speech, Congressman Cohen said in part:
“In 1954, I was stricken with polio. And in 1955, not quite six years of age, I went to a baseball game in a segregated Memphis, Tennessee. I had crutches and a White Sox cap and a White Sox T-shirt. A player gave me a baseball – a white player. I went to my dad and told him about it and we went down to thank him. And he said ‘don’t thank me. Thank that player over there, Number 9…Minnie Minoso.’ Minoso didn’t feel comfortable giving a baseball to a white boy in Memphis in 1955 at an exhibition game.
“That lucky moment for me gave me a hero and an angel who stayed with me all my life…On Sunday, he was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame…Thank you, Baseball Hall of Fame. Thank you, Minnie Minoso. You’ve been my hero.”
Original source can be found here.
