Negro Leagues baseball, Italian food — experience both at Christopher’s in Des Moines

If you’ve ever wondered where to go in Iowa to learn about Negro Leagues Baseball, Christopher’s Italian Restaurant probably isn’t the first place that comes to mind. But that’s exactly what you’ll find there, an exhibit titled “Before Jackie” that features dozens of photos and historical details on Black baseball — from the integrated teams during the Civil War to firsts like Bud Fowler, the first Black player to play in a professional paid game in 1878 and Moses Fleetwood Walker, the first Black man to play for a major league team in 1884; from Jim Crow’s effect on Black baseball to Rube Foster and creation of the Negro baseball leagues.

The installation at Christopher’s happened by accident

Ray Bagg, owner of the collection, has been a regular at Christopher’s for more than 50 years. He knew Ron and Kim Giudicessi, who own the restaurant with Ron’s sister, Rene, for many years. One night as the two men shared a drink at the bar, they started talking about Black baseball. Ray invited Ron to his house to view his extensive baseball memorabilia collection.

“We get a kick out of the fact that you can still Google, ‘What’s in Ray Baggs’ basement?'” Heidi Bagg, Ray’s wife, said with a laugh.

Sure enough, a search on that phrase returns a KCCI video that provides a “Still Life” tour of their basement. So Ron and his wife Kim visited and were impressed by Ray’s collection. When they learned Ray and Heidi would be moving, figuring they might be downsizing, Ron invited the Baggs to display photos and memorabilia at Christopher’s that tell the history of Black baseball. Heidi told Ron that some might find the installation controversial because “there were some bad players who were white who were from Iowa.” Specifically, Cap Anson of Marshalltown, Iowa, who played for and managed the Chicago White Stockings.

The card on the wall stated: “Supported by increasing Jim Crow laws, Anson opened a floodgate of racism. This culminated in the winter of 1887-1888, when every Black player in the minor leagues was notified his contract would not be renewed, transforming professional baseball in the United States into a whites-only game. The door to the MLB had been slammed, and it remained bolted for another 59 years.” Heidi remembers Ron’s reply: that it was a story that needed to be told. Kim heartily agreed. So in the Fall of 2023, the Baggs replaced the historical photos of Beaverdale that adorned some of the restaurant’s walls with photos and memorabilia highlighting the history of the Negro Leagues.

In addition to learning about baseball legends like Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, James “Cool Papa” Bell and Oscar Charleston, viewers will also learn about a few Iowa connections. Such as: J.L. Wilkinson, born in Algona, Iowa, who formed the all-Black Kansas City Monarchs and, in 1920, became the only white owner of the Negro National League when he became a founding member. Art “Superman” Pennington, a star player for the Chicago American Giants, who would retire in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the Buxton Wonders, the all-Black (initially) baseball team made up of miners from Buxton, Iowa, in the early 1900s.

The collection began decades ago

Baseball has been a part of Ray’s life since he was a kid. He just knew he was going to be the next Willie Mays or Mickey Mantle. And he was good. In college, he’d been asked if he had any interest in playing in the major leagues. But then he was drafted into the Vietnam War, and when he returned home in 1969, his experiences left him in a fog, and he didn’t feel like doing anything.

After he’d been diagnosed with PTSD in 1979, his doctor told him he needed a hobby to take his mind off of the war–and his nightmares. He’d collected baseball cards as a kid and had continued to read about baseball as an adult, so he focused on baseball and his love of history. In the early 1980s, as he continued reading about his favorite players, he realized he knew a lot about Mickey Mantle but nothing about Willie Mays. Then, he discovered all these intelligent Black baseball players he’d never heard of, the majority of which were rookies of the year.

He also had a personal interest in them.

“Both my daughters married Black men, so I knew I’d have Black grandchildren,” Ray said. “So, I couldn’t have it all being about Mickey Mantle and those guys.”

“And the more you knew, the more you knew you didn’t know,” added Heidi.

Finally, Heidi became interested, too. She’d grown up liking football and basketball but hadn’t been able to get into baseball, despite Ray’s love of it. But as Ray continued to shout, “Hey, listen to this!” with each new discovery, Heidi became hooked. While the technical details, like RBIs went over her head, the stories about the Black players captured her interest.

The Baggs hope that the installation will capture everyone’s interest.

“I want people to understand history and how Jim Crow affected these baseball players,” Ray said. “They were tremendous ball players and they never got the recognition they should have. I want people to see that.”

Heidi agrees. “If we don’t understand history, we’re bound to repeat it.”

This story first appeared in the November Black Iowa Newspaper.

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