Dennis “Bose” Biddle spends his days telling children about the Negro League’s hidden stories.

He stories range from his days as a strong-armed 17-year old pitcher to his memorable dinner meeting with baseball legend Jackie Robinson.

His eyes widened Tuesday afternoon as he told a group of 30 Wredling Middle School students tales about his short time with the Negro League and inviation to spring league training with the Chicago Cubs. Biddle was invited by Wredling assistant principal Linda Fehrenbacher to speak to students at the school.

He said the Negro League, which started in 1920, died in 1960, when Major League Baseball jealous of its financial success, drafted the league’s younger players.

On Feb. 14, 1920, Rube Foster, a black pitcher, started the eight-team league.

National newspapers have questioned Biddle’s story saying that other Negro League players have questioned his history with the Chicago American Giants, a team Biddle said he played for in 1953 and 1954. Biddle said history books and newspapers often get facts wrong.

“Our history has been destroyed and misquoted,” said Biddle, a native of Magnolia, Ark. “People are making millions off our name and likeness.”

Questions haven’t slowed Biddle from educating young people about the contributions of the league, which include the bunt-and-run technique and the baseball helmet worn by batters.
 
“The Negro League did things with baseball that had never been done before,” Biddle said.
“I want them to know what really happened,” he said. “The players did all the dirty work: carrying bats and balls.”

Shawn Gibson, eighth-grade language arts teacher at the St. Charles school, said Biddle sets a good example for Wredling students. As part of the school’s book club organized by reading specialist Beth Zdeblick, students read the book “We are the Ship: The History of the Negro Leagues.”

Biddle also co-authored a book “Secrets of the Negro League” with L.G. Martinez.

“It’s good for [students] to see a ballplayer who played for the love of the game and not the money,” Gibson said. “[Biddle] is passionate about what he’s doing.”