from left: Zion Spearman at the Harlem RBI Field of Dreams; the team at Kelly Ingram Park in Birmingham
I
T’S A WEDNESDAY evening in mid-June, the sun hot but not oppressive, when the bus reluctantly lurches into gear and groans past the redbrick row houses on 17th Street in South Philadelphia. Built in 1947— the year Jackie Robinson broke into the majors—the bus is pearly white with a bubble-shaped roof and a navy blue stripe streaking across each flank. “Anderson Monarchs Civil Rights Barnstorming Tour” is inscribed in bold on the rear. But what the exterior projects in grandeur, the inside lacks in luxury. There is no air-conditioning. Nor is there a functioning gas gauge. There are wood-paneled ceilings and 29 seats wrapped in worn, shamrock-green cloth. Draped across those seats are 13 boys, one world-famous girl, four coaches, and one driver—plus a mechanic, Tom, whose dedicated post is the first seat behind the driver. There is one thing upon which everyone agrees: Tom is the most important person on the trip. A few rows back is Zion Spearman, the shy cleanup hitter with square, hulking shoulders who often felt adrift as a kid. “I actually believe that the Monarchs saved his life,” says his mom, Trazanna Spearman, who has raised him alone. Nearby sits Jahli Hendricks, the second baseman with aspirations to sell “I look better in baseball pants” T-shirts. He commutes 45 minutes to practice with
the team every day—a small sacrifice, he says, because they’re like family. When Jahli was young, his dad inspired in him an interest in the Civil Rights movement. Next is the 13-year-old girl who, after a dominating performance in last year’s Little League World Series, appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated and became a global sensation. She’s pitched to Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, published a memoir, won an
Espy award, met the Obamas at the White House, and starred in a short documentary directed by Spike Lee. Mo’ne Davis has waistlength braids, a 70-mph fastball, and the most striking hazel eyes you’ve ever seen. All the way to the back is Scott Bandura, the catcher and leadoff hitter, and to his right sits his dad, the team’s head coach. Steve Bandura grew up in a northeastern Philadelphia neighborhood with
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