Education fund sought for descendants of massacre
A Florida lawmaker wants his state to establish an education fund to benefit the descendants of African Americans who were killed, beaten or driven from their homes by white mobs angered by a Black man who demanded his right to vote a century ago in the tiny citrus town of Ocoee.
Sen. Randolph Bracy, whose district includes the community, is proposing that Ocoee descendants be included in a scholarship program that already benefits the youth of Rosewood, another predominantly African-American Florida community that was destroyed by white mobs.
The racial violence in Rosewood, which was dramatized by Hollywood in an acclaimed 1997 movie, occurred three years after the 1920 Election Day massacre in Ocoee.
Ocoee had been mostly forgotten until recently.
Last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law legislation meant to raise awareness about the Ocoee massacre by requiring schools to teach students about the racial violence that occurred in the town west of Orlando.
The Election Day massacre in Ocoee was one of the bloodiest periods in American political history, with the number of deaths remaining in question — although some historians estimate the number could be as high as 60.
The violence began when a white mob swept through the town after Mose Norman, a Black man, showed up at the polls to vote. Over two days of terror, the mob set fire to the community of about 850 people — more than a fourth of them
Black.
In Rosewood, white mobs in 1923 terrorized African-American townsfolk. At least six Black residents died, as well as two white people — but some historians say the death toll might have been as high as 150.
In 1994, the state of Florida agreed to compensate Rosewood survivors and their descendants with a $2.1 million reparations package that included $2 million in direct payments to families. The rest was used to establish a scholarship fund.
The Rosewood Family Scholarship Program awards financial aid to as many as 50 students who are direct descendants of the 1923 Rosewood massacre.
That fund has since grown to $256,000 — and now Bracy and others want to further increase that amount and include youth from Ocoee.
They were coming off arguably their two biggest wins of the year and were playing against the lastplace team in their division. Theoretically, there was a chance for thePanthers to have a hangover as they started their back-to-back at Detroit against the Red Wings on Friday.
In reality, that was far from the case.
The Panthers scored four goals in a nine-minute stretch midway through the first period and were never challenged in a 7-2 win over the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. Florida (11-2-2) is now a perfect 3-0-0 on this road trip, which included wins over the Tampa Bay Lightning
and Carolina Hurricanes and ends with the second gameagainst Detroit at 5 p.m. Saturday.
The Panthers have outscored their opponents
17-9 on the road trip and, with 24 points through 15 games, hold onto their spot atop the Central Division.
Detroit fell to 4-12-3.
Juho Lammikko, MacKenzie Weegar, Patric Hornqvist and Aleksander Barkov scored the quartet
rett and Daniel Castano and right-hander Nick Neidert.
Rogers and Garrett are both former first-round picks of the Marlins.
Rogers was 1-2 with a 6.11 ERA in seven starts for the Marlins last summer. He struck out 39 in 32 innings but also allowed 45 baserunners. He showed flashes of brilliance in stretches but also allowed five home runs.
Garrett, who had Tommy John surgery four games into his professional career in 2017, was 1-1 with a 5.87 ERA in four Marlins starts last season. He allowed 13 baserunners in 7 ⅔ innings. Mattingly gave a lengthy assessment of Garrett here, noting “Braxton is a guy that is going to have to be able to locate and get numerous pitches over.”
Castano, a 2017 19th-round pick of the Cardinals who was acquired by the Marlins in the Marcell Ozuna trade, was 1-2 with a 3.03 ERA in
seven appearances, including six starts for the Marlins in 2020. He struck out only 12 and allowed 30 hits and 11 walks in 29 2⁄3 innings but was generally effective.
Neidert, a 2015 secondround pick of the Seattle Mariners who was acquired in the Dee Gordon trade, appeared in four games — all out of the bullpen — last season and had a 5.40 ERA in 8 ⅓ innings.
Mattingly mentioned
those four pitchers as the challengers for a rotation spot but also noted that the Marlins see Jordan Holloway as a starter (he made the Opening Day roster as a reliever last summer) and that Rule 5 pickup Paul Campbell can start or pitch out of the bullpen.
Of all the prospects that we haven’t yet seen in a Marlins regular-season game, the three most ballyhooed are pitchers Cabrera and Max Meyer and outfielder JJ Bleday. So losing
Cabrera is a setback.
Cabrera was dominant in the minors in 2019, finishing 9-4 with a 2.23 ERA in 19 starts between Jupiter and Jacksonville, with 116 strikeouts and 65 hits allowed in 96 ⅓ innings.
Cabrera, who turns 23 in April, signed with the Marlins as an international free agent in 2015.
The Athletic’s Keith
Law, who has been a smart evaluator of prospects through the years, rates Cabrera the top prospect in the Marlins’ entire system.
“As good as Sixto Sanchez is — and he’s very, very good — there’s a solid chance Cabrera will be better because he has the swing-and-miss secondary pitch Sanchez lacks,” Law wrote this week. “Cabrera is 96-100 mph with a plusplus changeup that’s among the best in the minors. Pick your poison: They’re both potential aces.”
Cabrera is also imposing at 6-5 and 217 pounds.
No. 1 Florida Gators baseball still owns the Miami Hurricanes — unless the Canes prove otherwise Saturday and Sunday.
In the first game played at the Gators’ new $65 million Florida Ballpark, Florida erased a 1-1 tie with three runs in the fifth inning and escaped a four-run, ninth-inning UM rally for an eventual 7-5 season-opening victory.
It was Florida’s sixth consecutive victory over Miami and its 16th win in the past 19 games between the programs. The Gators, who were 16-1 in last year’s pandemic-shortened season, were ranked No. 1 in all six college preseason polls. The Hurricanes were ranked as high as No. 6 by Collegiate Baseball and as low as No. 21 by D1Baseball.com.
UF starter Tommy Mace threw 90 pitches in five innings, allowing one earned run on three hits for the victory. Reliever Christian Scott allowed no hits and two walks in three innings, before freshman Chase Centala gave up a hit to Yohandy Morales and walked two to load the bases the ninth with no outs.
In came UF reliever Ben Specht and Miami redshirt junior Christian Del Castillo then doubled home pinchrunner CJ Kayfus and Morales to make it 7-3. Tony Jenkins’ sacrifice fly brought home Jared Thomas as UM cut the lead to 7-4.
With one out and runners on the corners, the Gators brought injunior Franco Aleman, who got JP Gates to fly out, scoring Del Castillo and making it 7-5. Anthony Vilar flied out to end the game.
Offensively, the Gators were led by second-year freshman Nathan Hickey, who hit a firstinning solo home run to right
in field and added a two-run double.
Miami starter Daniel Federman, last year’s closer, allowed four earned runs on seven hits in 4 1⁄3 innings for the loss.
After Hickey’s homer, the Hurricanes tied it at 1 in their next at-bat on an RBI-single by Del Castillo (2 for 3 with 3 RBI), a Seton Hall transfer and the older brother of UM star catcher Adrian. Freshman Morales, who opened the inning with a double, scored the run.
It appeared UM would end the inning leading 2-1 when Alex Toral seemed to reach home plate before the elder Del Castillo was tagged out at third for the final out. But umpires reviewed the play and confirmed their initial out call.
Toral was at the center of another Canes disappointment in the third inning as he struck out looking with bases loaded after beginning with a 3-0 count.