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Post by Hiram on Apr 15, 2010 13:57:31 GMT -5
Today Major League Baseball is commemorating the 63rd anniversary of Jackie Robinson's breaking of the color barrier. Every player will wear the number 42 in his honor. Jackie's widow, Rachel, and their daughter Sharon, will be at Yankee Stadium. Jackie Robinson Foundation scholars will be honored at the 11 ballparks hosting games today and this evening.
Ball clubs that are not hosting games today will have an opportunity to honor Robinson, as any team that is not playing at home will hold Jackie Robinson Day celebrations at their ballparks during another homestand in April. The celebration at each ballpark will include a ceremonial home plate and special lineup cards to commemorate the day.
Since the foundation was established by Rachel Robinson in 1973, more than $18 million has been awarded to 1,300 people.
The integration of major league baseball prefaced integration in the U.S. military and public schools. April 15, 1947 was a pivotal day in American history, not just for baseball fans, but everyone who believes in the rights of individuals and their respective dignity.
I'm sure they are more than a few fans of the National Pastime on this forum. There are many baseball forums out there, I myself sometimes post on one of them. I think, however, it would be nice to have an ASF thread dedicated to the history of the game, since this is a history-based forum. Any thoughts?
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Post by Jim Boylston on Apr 15, 2010 14:11:57 GMT -5
Thanks for posting this, Hiram. A momentous occasion to be sure. I have no probelm opening a baseball thread in our "Off Topic" area if there are some interested members. It's fit fine alongside "The Jook Joint." Let me know! jim
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Post by Allen Wiener on Apr 15, 2010 14:48:07 GMT -5
Baseball, or what's left of it, is a topic I'd take part in, if only to grouse about being stuck with both the Orioles and Nats!
Also see latest issue of "American Heritage" for a good article on Satchel Paige. Same issue has a preview of Philbricks new Custer book and an article on the "Lost" Roanoke Colony.
Allen
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Post by Hiram on Apr 15, 2010 14:48:08 GMT -5
Thanks Jim.
Baseball is a unique sport in terms of how its history is interwoven with the fabric of American history and culture. It's a natural marriage, history and baseball.
I'm a huge fan of the game (since 1964) and it's history. I personally envision a baseball thread on ASF to cover such areas as personal reminisces (first game you saw, favorite players as a kid), discussing the merits of retired players, favorite baseball movies and books, and so on.
I hope other forum members join in, I would like to read what they have to say on the subject.
Hiram
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Post by Hiram on Apr 15, 2010 18:04:30 GMT -5
I'm a Cardinals fan, but I appreciate other teams that play the game as it should be played. For my money, the Orioles of the mid-60s to the mid-70s were the class of the AL. Four 20-game winners in 1971; Dave McNally (21 wins), Mike Cuellar, Pat Dobson, and Jim Palmer (20 wins each).
They lost the Series in seven to the Pirates (Clemente, Stargell, et al), but they were very good.
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Post by Herb on Apr 16, 2010 12:29:33 GMT -5
I'm a Cardinals fan, but I appreciate other teams that play the game as it should be played. I used to follow baseball, and was a Cardinal fan, but quit in the early 80's ( it just wasn't any fun after the death of "Whitey Ball") plus it was too hard to follow overseas while in the army. When I was a little kid I lived in St Louis, and whenever the Dodgers came to town for a series, my grandfather would come to town and we would hit the bleechers in old Sportsmen Park. In back to back days you'd see Gibson vs Koufax, and Carlton vs Drysdale - I don't know if there has ever been a series that rivaled those games.
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Post by Allen Wiener on Apr 16, 2010 14:00:43 GMT -5
Those were the days, Herb! Living near New York, I took it all too much for granted in the 1950s, when I'd see Whitey Ford vs. Early Wynn or Bob Lemon. I agree -- it's not the same and I've never totally gotten over the 1994 strike against the fans. But, as I said to Hiram the other day, if you strip away the ego, the expansion, the watering down of talent, the outrageous salaries and high ticket prices, it's still fundamentally the same game. And, with that in mind, I agree with Babe Ruth -- the only real game in the world.
Allen
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Post by Hiram on Apr 14, 2011 0:02:12 GMT -5
Good news for the game of baseball and the legacy of Jackie. goo.gl/JqGQY
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Post by Hiram on Apr 14, 2011 0:08:37 GMT -5
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Post by Allen Wiener on Apr 14, 2011 8:49:40 GMT -5
That is good news.
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Post by Hiram on Apr 14, 2011 20:30:31 GMT -5
Tomorrow MLB will once again celebrate the enduring impact of Jackie Robinson.
"I had to fight hard against loneliness, abuse, and the knowledge that any mistake I made would be magnified because I was the only black man out there."
It is noteworthy that MLB was desegregated a full year before Executive Order 9981 was signed by President Truman.t.co/8AZyVFU
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