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Nate “Bo Bo” Smalls of the Danville Stars likes to think of his team as The Harlem Globetrotters of baseball. Smalls, a former Negro League player, dazzles Danville school children by throwing four pitches at once into the gloves of four different catchers.
Yet the Stars pitch something else besides baseball hijinks when they take their show to elementary schools. They can be silly while doing baseball stunts, but they’re serious about taking an anti-drug, anti-gang message to kids. Prairie Fire features a look at the The Stars who feel it’s worth the effort if they can reach even one kid during a performance. “They likethe idea of being role models,” said WILL-TV producer Jack Kelly.
Smalls, who played for the Indianapolis Clowns in the Negro Leagues, also leads the players through a demonstration of “shadowball,” slow motion baseball without the ball. It’s ideal for the school gyms where the Stars perform.
Segment duration: 08:32
Producer: Jack Kelly
This segment is filed in these categories: Ethnicity/Culture • Illinois Culture/History • Sports • Danville
Movie stars in other regions too have their own star value. For instance, in Asian film industries, many movies often run on the weight of the star’s crowd pulling power more than any other intrinsic aspect of film making.
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