Rev. William H. Greason, the long-serving pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, has been a constant presence in the lives of his congregants for over five decades. The Reverend, who wears a long purple robe, has officiated his parishioners’ weddings, baptized their children, and served as a comforter in their moments of loss. According to many of his parishioners, Greason’s impact has been enormous. “God has always had a plan and a purpose for each of our lives,” says Greason in his slow, gentle voice that is heard from the pulpit, and many people in the pews respond with “Amen” and “All right.”
But Greason’s life has had a different journey before he became a preacher. A photograph of the Birmingham Black Barons, the baseball team of Negro leagues, taken during their 1948 pennant celebration, is displayed on a shelf in Greason’s study at Bethel Baptist, surrounded by his old theological books. In the image, a young Greason smiles at the center of his teammates. Greason, who is now 98 years old, is regarded as one of the “forgotten heroes” of baseball, according to the Center for Negro League Baseball Research. He led Black Barons to the team’s only win in the final Negro World Series, after defeating the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro American League’s championship series in 1946.
The Whiz Kid
Greason started playing baseball in the 1930s in Atlanta. He played semipro baseball for a pencil factory team when he was in his teens. Greason was drafted into the military in 1943 when he was shining as a right-handed pitcher in baseball. He became one of the first black marines at Montford Point, a segregated camp in North Carolina. He served at Iwo Jima during World War II, where he witnessed the death of many of his fellow marines and was fortunate to survive himself. In Iwo Jima, he promised to do whatever God asked of him if he made it out alive.
Despite experiencing the horrors of war, Greason returned to baseball after the war. He started with Negro minor leagues and then made his way to the Black Barons in 1948. Greason gained recognition and became known as “The Whiz Kid” due to his top-notch fastball and curveball pitches that entertained crowds at Rickwood Field in Birmingham. At that time, this ballpark staged games by the first-half greats such as Babe Ruth, Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, and Shoeless Joe Jackson. During his time with the
