6 WEEKLYPRESS.COM · UCREVIEW.COM · JULY 11· 2012 Te Traveling


Monarchs By Napoleon F. Kingcade Press/ Review Sports Re- porter


T


wo months before the Anderson Monarchs were scheduled to hit


the road to visit 21 cities in 13 days in honor of former Brooklyn Dodger Baseball Legend Jackie Robinson, Brandon Gibbs was told by both of his parents that his report card would have to produce all As and Bs or else he could cancel all his plans to travel with his team. With this in mind, Bran- don knew exactly what he needed to do. The 10-year- old first baseman buckled down in his books and when report card time rolled around, Brandon was able to produce all smiles on his face and also all As and Bs on his report card. Those great marks enabled Brandon to jump on the team bus and travel with his teammates. T oday, Brandon Gibbs is somewhere on a non-air conditioned bus traveling between Kansas City and St.Louis, Missouri with his teammates as the Monarchs are scheduled to play their sixth road game. His base- ball team, the Anderson Monarchs, is enjoying its 4,200-mile journey as the crew is helping to celebrate the 65th Anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the baseball color line in Major League Baseball. The Monarchs left Philadelphia on June 29 and our young boys will not return home until July 22.


On the team’s 1947 Flex- ible Clipper Tour bus, Brandon Gibbs and his teammates are enjoying each and every moment of their historic baseball ride through the good USA. The Monarchs, a baseball team made up of mostly African-American players ranging from the ages of 10 to 11-year olds, are visiting cities across the country and they are playing games as a great road team. So far, the team’s record is 4-1 which includes road victories over New York, Pittsburgh and Detroit. Right now, the team is on fire. The Monarchs are making the City of Phila- delphia a very proud city today. The Monarchs are the only little league baseball team that’s traveling across the United States. “That’s one thing I like about the Anderson Mon- arch’s baseball organization, is that the coaches and par- ents all care about the play- ers and each other,” said Brandon’s father, William


In the team’s photo are: Scott Bandura, Tamir Brooks, Brandon Gibbs. Gibbs.


“Just like they say,‘It takes a village to raise a child,’ the same thing goes on here with our children on this team. The coaches, the par- ents and even some of the people from the community look out for our children. That’s what attracted me to the team in the first place. Everybody cares for each other at the recreation cen- ter.” William Gibbs said his son, Brandon, has been playing with the Monarchs since he was four years old. He said his son started playing in the Tee-off Baseball League with the Monarchs. And then his son played soccer and basketball for the Mon- archs. Marian Anderson Recreation Center is the place where the Monarchs make their home, located at 740 South 17 Street, near 17th and Fitzwater Street. “I began my boxing career here at Marian Recreation Center when I was 22-years- old,” said William Gibbs who current holds a 20-4 record with 16 knockouts as a pro middleweight. “And then after my son was born, I started bringing him to the gym and the recreation cen- ter. That’s when he started peeping the activities at the recreation center and want- ing to play baseball and soccer.”


In addition to being a good first baseman for the Monarchs, Brandon is also a great goalie for the Mon- archs soccer team. For the


last two years, the Monarchs soccer team has won City titles back-to-back. “I think he does better in soccer than baseball,’ said Brandon’s father. “Right now, we are trying to get his hitting together. I’m trying to get him to hit home runs. He’s struggling with that right now.”


Despite his struggles at the plate, Brandon contin- ues to be a great fielder at first base. During the team’s travels, Brandon has kept in good communication with his father and also his mother, Patrice Gibbs. Both parents have kept Brandon in check with his school work at Spruce Hill Chris- tian School located at 42nd and Baltimore Avenue. At the school, Brandon plays different sports while main- taining good grades as a hardworking Honor Roll student. The parents always tell Brandon that his school- work comes first before baseball.


“Barnstorming Tour” across the globe. It’s a tour that he has been doing each year to teach his ball players all about the history that sur- rounds Jackie Robinson and the Negro Baseball League. His team play against other teams in each city and the players visit historical base- ball sites in each city as well. The Negro League Base- ball Museum and Jackie Robinson’s gravesite in Brooklyn are just a couple of the popular sites the Monarchs visit during their national baseball tour across the country. In preparation for their


and a few of his friendly teammates will be treated to some homemade barbeque courtesy of Brandon’s father and mother who live on the 5500 block of Warrington Avenue in Southwest Phila- delphia. “Well, he does deserve that af- ter what he made on his report card,” said Brandon’s father.


The rest of the team players on the Anderson Monarchs team include : Demetrius DeRamus, Alex Johnson, Tamir Brooks, Myles Eaddy, Tyree Sheard, Scott Ban- dura, Monie Davis, Terrance Rainey, Cole McNeil, Jahli Hendricks, Femi Awodesu, Nasir Jackson and Darius Issac.


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“I want his school work to back him up in case the ath- letics don’t work out,” said Brandon’s father. “When the colleges recruit the kids, they always look at your academics first, that’s what I tell Brandon all the time.” As the team bus rolls


through another city, Bran- don is keeping a tight and close relationship with his baseball buddies; Tamir Brooks and Scott Bandura, the son of Monarchs coach Steve Bandura. Since 1997, Coach Bandura has led the Monarchs team on its


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tour, the Monarchs have always raised money for their national trips. Also, Dr.William C. Meyers, in South Philadelphia, has always helped sponsor the baseball team on its tours. Dr. Meyers has sponsored trips through his practice called The Core Perfor- mance Physicians, located at 4623 South Broad Street. With a female ball player on its team, the Monarchs did find the time to visit former female Negro League pitch- er Mamie “Peanut” Johnson who once played for the old Indianapolis Clowns. The team did visit her in Wash- ington D.C. during its tour. The Monarchs are proud to have a female pitcher name Mon’e Davis on its team. During the team’s visit in New York, the Monarchs were able to spend time with New York Yankee great Derek Jeters along with Yankees outfielder Curtis Granderson and Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathian. While in Pittsburgh, the team paid a visit to Josh Gibson’s grandson. While Tuesday night’s Major League Baseball All-Star game was played in Kansas City, the Monarchs managed to sit in luxury box suites to watch the All-Star players perform.


The team’s final stop will be in Coopertown, New York, the home of Baseball Hall of Fame.


Once the team arrive home on July 22, Brandon Gibbs


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