The Black Baseball Mixtape

Dana Brown, the only African-American General Manager in baseball, was fired by the Astros. Kwanza Jones is the first (and only) African-American woman owner of an MLB franchise. Does this make you want to buy Padres gear? And the podcast crew held a tribunal on the Black-on-Black crime: Tommy Pham versus Dane Myers. All of that and more. The Black Baseball Mixtape Podcast is in partnership with the Players Alliance, Minority Prospects, and Numbers Game Scorebooks.

Back in April of 2025, I got my first and only opportunity to meet and interview Butch Huskey. Mr. Huskey was in New York for the Players Alliance Legendary Weekend. The brief interview took place at the Bronx Children’s Museum, where the museum was launching an exhibit that featured Mets and Yankees legends. Mr. Huskey was one of those legends. Special shout-out to former TPA Executive Director Margertte Purvis for her action in making the event happen and bringing Mr. Huskey. Butch Huskey played seven seasons in the MLB. He was a beloved Met and one of the last players to wear the number 42 before it was retired throughout MLB.

Mo Vaughn has never been a small man. He stands 6-1 and, in the height of his playing days, weighed around 225 lbs., mostly muscle. He hit towering home runs and was very light on his feet for a man of his stature. My guess is that if you saw the former 3X All-Star and 1995 AL MVP approaching you in a dark alley, you may walk the other way. But most who know Vaughn know the “hit dog” carries a jovial demeanor. Last weekend, at the Perfect Game All-American Classic, I saw Vaughn in his true element, at the ballpark. He flashed smiles and gave out daps and hugs like the true ambassador of the game he is. Vaughn was the Manager of the PG All-American East Team. The East team featured some of the very best high school players in the country (Class of ‘27), and, according to Perfect Game Rankings, the top two African American players in the game, Chase Fuller (#3) and Kinon Bastian (#4).I visited with Vaughn at Citizen Bank Park for the Black Baseball Mixtape Podcast. We discussed his involvement with Perfect Game and his passion for leading young baseball players. We also talked about why there are not more Black coaches in the the professional and college ranks. Vaughn is insightful and passionate. His work at the grassroots level of youth baseball gives him a perspective worth sharing, and I know you will enjoy hearing it.The Black Baseball Mixtape is in partnership with the Players Alliance, Minority Prospects, and Numbers Game Baseball [email protected]

I’ve spoken to Kash Shaikh before. Kash’s mission-driven attitude is infectious, and his enthusiasm is contagious. You may remember him from his two previous appearances on the Black Baseball Mixtape podcast. In both episodes, Kash talked about his role as founder and CEO of Baseball United. This visit is different — Kash is different. For the first time in person, I spoke with Kash, now the Chief Marketing Officer for Perfect Game — the largest amateur baseball organization in the country. Kash’s mission is to grow PG both domestically and internationally.Perfect Game is one of those ubiquitous organizations involved in everything amateur baseball. I bet you the majority of all players in MLB have had some interaction with PG at some point in their career. But do you really know how involved Perfect Game is in setting the standard for a multi-billion-dollar youth baseball industry? Let me tell you, PG is heavily involved. But does that mean PG is responsible for the current travel ball structure? Is PG responsible for the cost of every travel organization? The actions of every travel coach? They can’t possibly be responsible for all of that, right? What I can share is that PG takes the hit for a lot of things, good and bad, within the travel ball ecosystem. The honest answer is more complex, so I’ll let Kash explain. PG is indeed the leader within amateur baseball. PG’s decisions affect the entire travel ball landscape. They wear that mantle with pride, but it’s also true that some things are beyond PG’s control.Last weekend, I set out to better understand Perfect Game. This is just the start of my journey. I thank Perfect Game and my friend Kash for sitting down with the Black Baseball Mixtape and sharing this conversation with our community.

On this episode of the Black Baseball Mixtape podcast, Cheats, Flobo, and April talk about the future of Black Nats All-Star CJ Abrams. Will moving to second base be the end of him in Chocolate City? Also, would you want Joshua Baez' historic debut? Flobo takes on Banana Ball in Denver. Cheats went on assignment to the Perfect Game All-American Classic in Philly, and April is still reminding us who won the last two World Series—all of that and more. The Black Baseball Mixtape is in partnership with the Players Alliance, NumbersGame Scorecards, and Minority Prospects.