Hello, this is Black Horizons, I'm Chris Moore.

Today we have baseball, music, movies, and as we always like to say, much more.

In fact, today's show is so jam packed that we're just gonna get started and get right with it right now.

My first guest is Al Gordon, Director of Community Services and Sales, I can't say sales, for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

He's here to tell you all about the RBI program that the Pirates are sponsoring.

What is this RBI program?

RBI program is called reviving baseball in the inner city, it was formed in 1989 in Los Angeles.

And we brought it to Pittsburgh last year and we're expanding it here in 1995.

The program is geared for youngsters between 13 and 15 for the juniors, 16 to 18 for the seniors, and we're adding in women's fast pitch softball this year for women 16 to 18.

We are concentrating the program in five key neighborhoods, Wilkinsburg, East Liberty, Homewood, Northside, and Hill District.

And is it designed to get urban kids more involved Yes.

in some form of baseball, softball?

-- Yes, -- Right.

It's not only to get them involved in baseball and softball but also to educate them and to make sure they graduate from high school and hopefully go on to post-secondary education.

Okay, so there must be some mentoring Yes.

and studying part of the history.

There's a mentoring, a tutoring, and a grade monitoring program that's all coupled with it.

Now, if people are listening, how do they get their kids involved?

It seems like you're gonna have to form teams from neighborhoods and all of that?

Last year we did it in three key neighborhoods, the Northside, Hill District, and Homewood.

We had over 150 children take part in it.

We had a total of eight teams.

As we expand to the two additional communities, we hope that we'll probably add another 100 kids to it and obviously proportionally more teams.

Well, the Pirates must feel it's successful based on your pilot program, right?

Yes, yes.

What are some of the success stories that you can tell?

Well, one of the key things is that we were probably one out from making it to the RBI World Series this year.

It was an outstanding game.

- - Sounds like the Steelers.-- Right, right, right.

And a few of our pirate games too.

But Roberto Clemente, who the program is also in conjunction with Roberto Clemente Foundation and Roberto Clemente Jr.

benched a couple of the star players just because of their attitude.

Is that right?

And so the program is not only to develop players but also to develop attitude and community pride.

You know, I interviewed him last year when you were kicking this off and he talked about how much the community meant to him because he was very young and growing up here Right.

with his father playing baseball here and the chance to give back.

Yes.

And he was actually that tough a coach.

Yes, yes, yes.

Vince the star players.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And they lost.

They lost.

And what did he tell him about what?

He just said, "Hey, we have rules.

"This is what you're to go by."

And as we had our first community meeting last night, he shared this that the one fellow that was the real boisterous of all of the players and then kind of got the others off kilter as they came back from Virginia where they had the regional finals, he apologized.

He said, "I'm sorry, coach, that I messed up "and therefore I couldn't play."

Well, you might be saving Jim Leland and some other managers a lot of hands because you get the kids that play team ball and to recognize the importance of teamwork early on, right?

Yes, yes.

The RBI program is the other end of a bookend.

Five years ago in 1989 here in Pittsburgh, we introduced rookie ball, which takes the kids from five to nine, realizing that in many neighborhoods there was already a Little League program, but not necessarily a good feed into it.

So, Rookie ball, which we started five years ago, takes kids five to nine, uses a pitching machine to develop baseball skills, and then taking the other end, the 13 to 18 year olds, we found in our community as well as in many other urban communities.

When the youngsters have developed their skills, they get to that plateau where they cannot get into Legion baseball or may not have a good high school baseball program.

So they kind of say, "Well, hey, I've spent four "or five years, I'm really good, "but where do I go from there?"

Well, when are you gonna start a T-ball league for adults like me with no hand eye coordination?

You really wanna challenge us, don't you?

(laughing) I think that this is a super program.

I'm glad to know that it's going into another year.

Is there a phone number that people can call if they wanna enroll their kids, and what's the procedure for doing that, too?

The procedure is one of two things.

They can call me at the Pirates, my number is 323-5089, or they can call Carter Mitchell at the Roberto Clemente Foundation, and Carter Mitchell is the program director for RBI.

Okay, well let's stick with your phone numbers, since that's the one that we can display.

If you'd repeat it again, please.

323-5089.

Okay, and age levels, that kind of thing?

Age levels, juniors are 13 to 15, seniors are 16 to 18, and women for the fast-pitched softball is 16 to 18, and signups will begin in March.

Is this a first-time thing for the women?

Yes.

Okay.

Yes.

I remember talking to Roberto Clemente Jr., he was talking about how he really particularly wanted to reach to the young men, but I guess you have to be kind of even-handed.

Well, not only that, but we have a number of sisters in the community that would really like to develop their talents, and so this is a matter of making it a total community involvement.

Okay, well it's great, and I hope that a lot of people will call you and sign up for it.

That phone number, one more time?

323-5089.

Gordon, thanks for being here.

Thank you.

Can't let you go, though, without asking.

You thought I was going to let you go.

(laughing) What about this season, man?

What's gonna happen, huh?

There will be a season.

I mean, obviously there's been a lot of Rocky Road.

In our case, two different issues, not only the players' strike, but the team being for sale.

But let me kind of go in reverse order.

Even what the Rocky Road is for is a team being for sale.

We will be in Pittsburgh in 1995, and we're making every, every effort to make sure we're here beyond 1995.

The players' situation-- But they say there's shopping all over now.

Well, you've been in business, and you kind of have to do some things in order to bring a thing to a head.

As far as baseball itself, you know, all of the teams are working diligently to make sure that spring training opens in February, and that our opening day here in Pittsburgh is April 3rd.

Okay, thanks for being here.

Thank you, Chris.

Much luck with the new season, professionally, and with the RBI teams also.

Thank you.

All right.

"Malcolm X, Make It Plain", is the best documentary about Malcolm that I have ever seen.

This program was produced last year and aired on WQED.

If you missed it then, you're gonna get another chance to see it, don't miss it again.

He dared to speak out loud what Black America was thinking.

Not a problem of civil rights, but a problem of human rights.

It's gonna be the ballot or the bullet.

By any means necessary.

Do you consider yourself militant?

I can fool myself, Malcolm.

Malcolm X, Make It Plain.

On the American Experience.

"Malcolm X, Make It Plain" airs on WQED Wednesday, February 1st at 9 p.m.

Tom Johnson is the newest artist on the LJ Records label.

He joins us now to sing his latest release titled, I Don't Mind.

I only came to know The way your heart gets broken Since we last up long ago You told me things that I Just could not understand And still today I don't know We've been through some changes Some changes are for good Looks like we've been to the end And how do I keep from dying Not knowing why you left Or if I'll ever see you again I don't mind I don't mind, baby You're not mine I'm gonna love you anyway I don't mind Don't mind, baby You're not mine But I miss you I'd like to think you miss me As much as I do Do love some still blow your mind I'd like to call and tell you For all is worth I'm sorry Can we talk it over tonight Why won't you come and see me Can't help but think you want to Girl, why are you holding it in It's been a long time, baby Since you started talking to me Girl, were we more than just friends Oh, and I don't mind Don't mind, baby You're not mine No, I'm gonna love you anyway I don't mind Baby, you're not mine I don't mind But I miss you, girl And I don't mind I don't mind, baby You're not mine I'm gonna love you anyway I don't mind I don't mind, baby You're not mine But I miss you, girl I don't mind, baby You're not mine I'm gonna love you anyway I don't mind I don't mind, baby You're not mine I don't mind I don't mind I don't mind, it's Tom Johnson's latest release on LJ Records and it's available at record stores everywhere.

Joining me now are Benjamin Mustafa and Monn Washington, Kuntu Repertory Theater.

And they are here to tell us about Kuntu's latest production.

It's a tribute to Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr.

called "Roads of the Mountaintop."

Welcome, gentlemen, how are you?

Nice to see you again, Chris.

All right, tell us about the play, Benjamin.

"Roads of the Mountaintop" is, again, as you said, a tribute to Dr.

Martin Luther King.

Wait a minute, stop, stop.

I get the feeling that you played the title part.

No.

Wrong again, sure.

This is Dr.

King here.

This is Dr.

King.

Okay, nevermind, go away.

I just had that feeling.

I play a character by the name of Harold who is basically patterned after the Jesse Jackson Operation Bread Basket Movement out of Chicago, so I'm basically Dr.

Martin Luther King's man in Chicago.

How is your character treated in the play?

Well, he's sort of kind of an antagonist of Dr.

King, if you will.

He, again, is out of Chicago, so he's dealing with Mayor Daley and the Chicago Daily Machine, and so he's basically sort of kind of a hardliner.

The young Turk, huh?

Yes, but conforming to the nonviolent movement of Dr.

Martin Luther King.

Okay.

Dr.

King.

Yes, Chris.

Let me, in your best Dr.

King, let me hear it.

Well, I don't like to imitate him because what that does is that makes people think of him, and if it doesn't come off the way some people feel that it should, then you're sunk, so I'm just bringing my own interpretation of how I feel King's was.

Is it at all inspiring to try to put yourself in that character?

Well, it's all inspiring for me for a lot of reasons.

One, the time I got the script.

And to have to try to comprise all that and to really make sure that King's image is not just the European, I have a dream King, but the overall, take him past that level and show the compassion that he had towards his wife and others, or some of the other things that went on.

Was there some slickness in there somewhere that we should read between the lines?

It's that common belief that a lot of people thought that King was promiscuous.

So this really deals with not only the, as you said, the one side of Dr.

King that we may see of him, but his foibles also perhaps?

No, it doesn't even go into that, but that's one of those beliefs that people feel.

You know, And whether or not it's true, most of us weren't there when they happened if they did happen, so we won't know.

But what it takes them is, it really shows the depth of the man, and not so much as that one, get up there, preach, preach, preach King.

But the conflicts that he had within himself, the turmoil that were like any man, he got tired of having to be somewhere.

He had to be in Memphis, he had to be in Selma, he had to be in Chicago.

So it's a lot of turmoil within that.

Sometimes he just wanted to go home to his wife and kids and just spend time with them.

So it shows that loving side of him.

And also to where he had to rear down on his own cohorts and his side kicks.

So like Ray gets a lot of the punishment because Ray is his right hand man.

Ray should be there.

Ray, why aren't you doing this?

Why aren't you doing that?

So it goes into those type of struggles.

You wanna bring into that light so that people don't just see a shallow Dr.

King.

That's interesting.

Yes, and there is a lot of symbolism in the play for the attentive audience, for those who are aware of the innuendos that went on in terms of J. Edgar Hoover, and how Dr.

King was under-- No, no innuendo, there's a lot of fact about J. Edgar.

And even with LBJ.

And his efforts down to mine, yeah.

In a conflict study ran into with LBJ as far as making sure that he followed up on what he said he would follow up on.

And if he didn't, why didn't he?

So it's a really complex but yet solid play, and it's quite enjoyable once you get past the stereotypical, "I will say today "that I have a dream, King."

So once you get past that-- But I guess there's a certain part of that that you have to put into it, right?

I mean, without the oratory, what would a portrayal of Dr.

King be?

His mannerisms.

And that's the hardest thing, and yet the simplest thing to bring about.

Because when he walked into a room, there was the presence that was felt, and it wasn't that he had to open his mouth to say anything, but the aura that emitted from him so that when he said something, that confidence was known, and you stood by what he said.

And if you disagreed with him, then you learned to disagree in a subtle way, and not so much his conflict with him.

What do you think this people will walk away from this play with Benjamin?

A personal understanding of King and just how he got to be the icon that he was.

It takes you where basically the play opens up is at the award ceremony of the Nobel Peace Prize.

So it takes King to his highest pinnacle in terms of the American public.

And then it sort of kind of examines the effect that that had on the average American.

And then it focuses in on his behind the scenes in terms of Mrs.

King and her feelings towards that and where they had come from.

So there'll be a lot of insight for almost everybody.

They'll be able to take something away from this.

Kuntu gets better and better all the time.

You gentlemen are part of that.

My hat is off to Dr.

Lilly always.

I thank you all for being here, and I wish you much success with the play.

Thanks for having us.

"Roads of the Mountaintop" or played by Ron Milner will be performed at the Bellville Annex Auditorium, February 3rd and 4th and the 7th through the 11th.

There are also previews in a Sunday matinee.

So the best thing to do is to call 624-7298 for all the information you'll need.

That number again is 624-7298.

"Roads of the Mountaintop" will probably become a classic production.

So I'm sure you'll want to see it again and again.

Another classic I could see anytime is "Wylie Avenue Days" and guess what?

It's coming soon to a television station near you.

From the 30s to the 50s, Pittsburgh's Hill District thrived.

In its heyday, the hill was one of the most lively, prosperous and influential black neighborhoods in America.

Watch "Wylie Avenue Days," the Emmy Award-winning special about those magic times.

"Wylie Avenue Days" airs Saturday, February 4th at 8 p.m.

Here's one that seemed to tell you about a surefire movie that you won't see everywhere, but you certainly won't want to miss it anywhere that it plays.

Tell us about this movie.

The movie is called "Hoop Dreams" and it's causing a lot of commotion wherever it's opened all over the country.

It's showing at a filmmaker's at the Fulton and I also hear it's going to be at the Waterworks the following week.

They were promise.. "The Suburbs."

"The Filmmakers" was promised exclusivity for three weeks, but somehow it's made its way out to the suburbs, which, go figure.

Well, there must be a lot of heart in this movie or something.

Also, the potential to make some money.

See, that's the thing.

I think it started out as just this small, very well-made, very meaningful documentary that suddenly every critic in the world has jumped all over and said, this is the best thing they've ever seen.

And it's just blown up big time and now people want to make money from it.

And it is a great movie.

It's one of the best movies I've seen in a really long time.

So you joined the critics bandwagon?

It's a total indictment of the professional sports system from the grammar school level up into college and through the NBA.

I mean, it's just, it's the dream, the unattainable dream.

And it just has this unflinching gaze at exactly how unattainable it is.

What did these filmmakers do?

Seeing the clips of it, it's a documentary.

It is not a drama.

And it appears that to get the kind of footage that they got, they must have just camped with these folks.

That's exactly what they did.

There are three guys, Steve James, Peter Gilbert, and Frederick Marx.

They're the filmmakers.

And what they did was they, these two young men were just going into ninth grade.

They just graduated from grammar school and going into ninth grade were drafted to go to St.

Joseph's, which is this private high school in a suburb of Illinois.

They basically moved in for all intents and purposes with these kids and their families from the time they went to the ninth grade until they were in their freshman year of college.

And they go to their school based on their ability to play basketball.

On their ability to play basketball.

There's an independent scout who sees them playing at the playground and in their grammar school and drafts them and they get sent to St.

Joe's.

Just like the pros.

Isaiah Thomas went to St.

Joe's.

And so it's the, because of him, because of his reality, it doesn't make the dream seem so unattainable.

And it's just the most heartbreaking thing.

Okay, before we go any farther, let's show everybody a clip of this because people will really want to watch this.

And this is where Isaiah comes back to make a personal appearance at St.

Joseph's.

And one of the kids who's featured in the film gets to play him one-on-one.

Now, as you watch this clip, check out the face of Arthur Agee, the young player, as he faces his idol, Isaiah Thomas.

It was like millions of guys trying to be better than the others.

But to me, I was better than all of them.

So Isaiah.

It's been a great pleasure to introduce you or graduate of St.

Joe's.

High school All-American, All-American from Indiana University.

Five-time NBA All-Star, Isaiah Thomas.

(audience applauding) In everybody's neighborhood, there's a guy who really plays.

He shoots the lights out every time down the course.

Then he goes to St.

Joseph High School and the guy gets cut.

Say, "Tom was real good.

"Why did he get cut?"

See, Tom didn't learn the fundamentals of team basketball, which is what you're learning how to play.

He told my dad that he knew I could play, so he just had to play me hard.

Right by, well.

(laughing) There are a million scenes like that.

At one time, you go back and forth between so hopeful and being so enthused about these guys and what their possibilities are.

And then the reality of the situation dips in and out, just like life.

One minute you're happy and think everything's going your way and the next minute's like, boom, big old kick in the butt and it's just, these are little kids and they suffer.

One of the things that, when I was watching the clips and I have not seen the full film as you have, there's one scene where one of the young guys he's got a box full of mail that's literally this big from Michigan State, from Penn State, from every major college, Georgetown, Marquette, almost every major power, basketball power in the United States.

They're running rebels and he's opening this stuff and he opens one and it says, "There's gold at the end of the rainbow "if you attend our university and $400 for you too."

He looks in the envelope and sees his head there.

It's like they're so hook, line and sinker, they grab him and pull him in.

And it's such a young age when all you've got on your mind is I could play in the NBA, I could play on a big basketball, college basketball team and they have talent.

They don't have time because they're such, they go from being little boys to young men and they never have time to really think about who they are as people because they've got to perform, perform, perform, perform, perform.

Where's this movie gonna play now?

It's gonna be at filmmakers at the Fulton downtown.

The Sunday night screening, which is a benefit for the Ozanam Cultural Center and the basketball camp is completely sold out, so forget about that.

It'll be there for three weeks and it's also gonna be playing, I think, in the following, starting the following week at the Water Works.

Now how do you rate your movie?

If a movie is really good, it's worth the full price of admission, which is up to $6.50.

This movie, I believe, since it's at filmmakers, is only $5 unless they've raised their prices.

But it's worth admission at $6.50 or any price.

It's really an amazing film.

I tell you, just the clips that I saw, they kinda tug at your horse, looking at his face, looking at everything.

There's no actors in it.

Yeah, it's all real people.

I mean, these are these people's lives.

You can't deny.

They struggle.

You see their families fall apart and get back together and regroup and support these people, these young men, in a way that you just, if you're led to believe, these things don't happen in real life.

It's called "Hoop Dreams".

I can't wait to see it.

Thanks, Minnie.

- - You'll love it.-- Okay, well that's it for this week, so we're gonna get outta here.

Say goodbye, Minette.

Goodbye, let's do it.

Bye.