Tuesday, July 19, 2022 – The Native American pastime

Cherokee pitcher Ryan Helsley is headed to his first MLB All Star game. The St. Louis Cardinals’ flame-throwing, right-handed reliever from Tahlequah, OK is having a career year with a miniscule 0.69 ERA and fastballs topping out at 103mph. Helsley, along with fellow Cherokee reliever Adrian Houser on the Milwaukee Brewers, are the two Native players in the show right now and are part of a long line of Native Major Leaguers providing inspiration for players on reservation diamonds all over the country. Today on Native America Calling, Shawn Spruce takes us out to the ballgame with  Ryan's dad Jason Helsley (Cherokee), who is in Los Angeles for All-Star game; Brandon Bailey (Chicksaw), a pitcher in Cincinnati Reds organization; Kailyn Bearpaw (Euchee and Creek), rightfielder for the University of Tulsa and member of the American Athletic Conference All-Rookie Team; and Curt Brown, history columnist for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and champion for the often-forgotten career of Native Hall of Famer Charles Bender.