First Base: Get Your Glove

Call of The Sandlot takes you back to the time when kids played until their mothers called them in for dinner. Flatland looks back into the city’s baseball history to tell you why sandlots disappeared and how Sam and Ana Beckett, a Kansas City couple, and the Kansas City Royals are looking to bring the tradition of the sandlot back.

Discover what it was like for Frank White to play baseball while growing up in KC. Discover how the Royals are hoping to instill leadership skills and discover untapped talent with the Urban Youth Academy being built in Parade Park behind the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Get ready to heed the Call of The Sandlot.

In the first episode, venture back to the beginnings of Kansas City’s love for baseball with Frank White and Sam Mellinger, sports columnist for The Kansas City Star. Meet the Becketts, who are keeping the tradition of the sandlot alive with a neighborhood game that has been going for 20 summers.

In the next episode, you’ll learn about the rich history of sandlot ball in KC and exactly what inspired the Becketts to launch their own game.

Explore this four-part series on Wednesdays through Aug. 23 on flatlandkc.local. The entire series airs as a television program at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 24 on KCPT.