With Ken Griffey Jr’s help, MLB hosts HBCU All-Star Game hoping to create opportunity for Black players

Ken Griffey Jr. holds a plethora of titles, especially in this part of the country. Hall of Famer. Cultural icon. The guy who made baseball in the Pacific Northwest relevant. Arguably, the greatest of his generation.

He even holds a title in association with Major League Baseball as a special adviser to Commissioner Rob Manfred.

But what’s most meaningful to Griffey currently is his association with Friday’s HBCU Swingman All-Star Classic that serves as the first major event of All-Star Game festivities, featuring players from 17 Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The event was an idea generated by Griffey, fostered into…