Public Relations Communication - A Celebration of Historical Significance - Honoring an Effort and Preserving a Legacy

Sep 24, 2026

Public Relations Communication (December 2021) presents a story behind an original limited trading card collection titled “Legends of the Negro Leagues.” It honors unsung heroes and explains how Trading Faces and its founders built relationships over decades to preserve a legacy. The narrative traces key meetings, including Pedro Sierra’s career milestones, the creation of customized cards and marketing materials, and community engagement through memorabilia sales and events like the Rickwood Classic.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLetters

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time6 min

AccessFree to download

Public Relations Communication December, 2021

Honoring an Effort and Preserving a Legacy

Origins in 1996 and early Trading Faces work

Meeting Pedro Sierra and creating memorabilia

Continuing collaborations and community impact

Public Relations Communication December, 2021 POC: Jim Burgess [Email:](Email: ContactUs@BaseballinLivingColor.com)[ ](Email: ContactUs@BaseballinLivingColor.com)[ContactUs@BaseballinLivingColor.com](Email: ContactUs@BaseballinLivingColor.com) -A Celebration of Historical Significance –“Honoring an Effort and Preserving a Legacy” Baseball in Living Color presents an original “Legends of the Negro Leagues” Autographed Trading Card Presentation. This unique and limited collection of memorabilia was created to pay tribute to baseball’s many unsung heroes. We celebrate the effort of fifty-nine men whose combined baseball careers saw appearances on twenty team rosters, spanning a period of more than 4 decades. Their passion for our national pastime and aspirations on the segregated baselines of Negro Leagues Baseball, laid the groundwork upon which Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier and supported the long arduous integration process that followed. It has been our mission to see that this effort is rightfully honored, and their precious legacy preserved. This team of men are some of the kindest, most respectful, and gracious professionals that I have ever met. Throughout the past twenty-three years, we’ve celebrated some incredible moments together and mourned great losses as well. This is the story behind the relationships that made all of this possible. Our story took root in 1996, when a group of family members set out to start a trading card production company. Chris, John, and I developed and executed a plan with the support of Sandy, Debbie, and a small group of investors, to establish Trading Faces and “The Power of Trading Card Marketing!” We were in business for a little more than two years when, in the summer of 1998, we met Pedro Sierra. He sought to have a trading card created to celebrate his long and eventful baseball career. He explained that he had left Cuba in 1954 with intentions to play professional baseball in the United States. Later that same year, Pedro was hurling the pill for the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League. He spent the ’55 and’56 season pitching for the Detroit Stars. A young man with his heart set on a career in professional baseball, could not have imagined how these experiences would impact and shape his future. Relationships with his coaches, teammates and competitors grew stronger as the years passed. Sierra’s passion for everything baseball propelled him to fulfill his dream. Throughout his multi-decade career, Pedro pitched for many teams. Following his two seasons with the Stars, Pedro, served in the United States Army and proudly pitched for his unit. Upon exiting service, he spent the better part of a decade pitching for minor league organizations in both the United States and Canada. At the age of 33, Pedro got “the call” and appeared with Major League Baseball’s Washington Senators. He took the mound at RFK Stadium to pitch batting practice before what would be the Senators final game of their 1971 season in Washington DC. We were huge Senators fans in those days and couldn’t wait to hear more about his experiences. Throughout the remainder of 1998, we met with Pedro on many occasions and spent countless hours talking everything baseball. Captivated by his Negro Leagues experiences and reminiscing, we listened to stories of fierce competition, barnstorming, PC-Ball, All-Star games, and interactions with some of the most revered personalities and competitors of that day. He would describe each moment as if he were reliving it in front of us – names, places, background, and circumstances in great detail, clear as day. We also scanned old photos and images and designed several marketing materials for which he had great plans. The trading cards and postcards we created made it easy for Pedro to engage, encourage, and inspire the youth at his community center. At venues where memorabilia were sold, Pedro did well, displaying a variety of trad

FAQs

What is the “Legends of the Negro Leagues” presentation about?

It is an original, limited collection of autographed trading cards created to honor many unsung baseball heroes from the Negro Leagues.

When did the trading card company story begin?

The story took root in 1996, when a group of family members set out to start a trading card production company.

How did Pedro Sierra influence the project?

Sierra sought a trading card to celebrate his long baseball career, and the team later designed cards, postcards, and marketing materials while building ongoing relationships with him and his community.

Sep 24, 2026

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