Today I covered the press conference that announced the MLB Beacon Award winners during Civil Rights Game weekend June 19-21 in Cincinnati. The game, between the Reds at White Sox, is on June 20.

The Beacon Award winners are Muhammad Ali, Bill Cosby and Hank Aaron — some pretty huge names.

During the press conf, I was amazed by the group of former Negro League players. It’s pretty cool to have that history in one room, along with Frank Robinson.

“That’s a tremendous lineup,” Robinson said of Ali, Cosby and Aaron. “It’s too bad they couldn’t get somebody to hit fourth. That’s a great group.”

Robinson was a 2008 Beacon of Life winner. Below is a picture from today with Chuck Harmon, the Reds’ first African American player, Robinson and FSN’s George Grande.

And here is a group shot of everyone at today’s press conference: 

Among those attending the press conference today were:

                   Frank Robinson – Cincinnati Reds and National Baseball Hall of Famer
                   Dusty Baker – Manager, Cincinnati Reds
                   Phil Castellini – Chief Operating Officer, Cincinnati Reds
                   Jimmie Lee Solomon – Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations, MLB
                   Rick Walls – Executive Director, Reds Hall of Fame and Museum
                   Chuck Harmon – First African-American player for the Cincinnati Reds
                   Don Johnson – Negro Leagues Veteran
                   Tom Turner – Negro Leagues Veteran
                   Ron Warren – Negro Leagues Veteran