'Dressed to Nines' to salute Negro Leagues

KANSAS CITY -- Wearing replicas of Negro Leagues uniforms, the Royals and the Orioles won't be the only folks dressed for the occasion on Sunday.

The Royals, in their first "Dressed to the Nines" event, are encouraging fans to wear their Sunday best to the game in the tradition of the Negro Leagues crowds of the past. The first 10,000 fans will receive a Kansas City Monarchs fedora to top off their finery.

The Royals will wear Monarchs cream and navy blue uniforms from the mid-1920s and the Orioles will wear late-20s Baltimore Black Sox jerseys. All of the game-worn and autographed uniforms from both teams will be auctioned off after the game at royals.com/NLBM or mlb.com/auction.

It's a busy weekend for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City.

Former Royals Willie Wilson and Al Fitzmorris helped lead a three-man panel at the NLBM's Legends Luncheon on Friday.

Wilson, Fitzmorris and Orioles manager Buck Showalter told old baseball stories and discussed the state of the game in preparation for NLBM's Saturday opening of their Negro Leagues Beisbol exhibit, which aims to celebrate the cultural connection between the Negro Leagues and Spanish speaking countries.

"You want to educate not just the area, you want to educate the whole world," said Wilson, who played for Kansas City from 1976-90. "If you can take one little step at a time, then all those steps equal a big step. That's what we're trying to do, and for me to be a part of it is something I cherish, and I just want to keep it going."

In addition to the exhibit opening on Saturday, former Negro Leagues players held a discussion and an autograph session at the museum.