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Dodgers Dugout
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Robinson (Associated Press)
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell and today we honor the memory of Jackie Robinson.
Jackie Robinson Day
Todayâs newsletter has only one focus: Jackie Robinson. On April 15, 1947, Robinson made his major-league debut at Brooklynâs Ebbets Field before a crowd of 26,623. He walked and scored a run in the Dodgers' 5â3 victory. Thus began one of the most amazing careers in sports history. Robinson broke the color barrier and faced challenges few major leaguers ever had to endure.
Some players on his own team didnât want to play alongside him, starting a petition saying they would rather not be his teammate. Manager Leo Durocherâs response: âI donât care if the guy is yellow or black, or if he has stripes like a â¦. zebra. I'm the manager of this team, and I say he plays. What's more, I say he can make all of us rich. And if any of you canât use the money, I will see that you are traded."
Players on other teams called him every racial insult in the book. Some opposing managers were worse. Fans, some of them little kids parroting what their parents were saying, called him vile names. And Robinson could have only one response: No response at all. Give in and lose his temper, then the racists would say âSee, his kind arenât strong enough to play in the majors.â It would be used as leverage to kick him out and keep the majors âpure.â
So, Robinson took it. But he not only had to take it, he also had to play at a high level to prove African Americans could play in the majors. He ran the bases with reckless abandon. He excelled as a fielder no matter where they put him. He led the Dodgers to victory after victory, including their first World Series title in 1955.
Imagine trying to do your job every day with thousands of people surrounding you, hurling racist taunts at you. Imagine going on vacation and not being able to stay in the same place your co-workers stay, but being forced to room with someone across town because you are not the right color. Imagine having a wife and child who have to go through the same thing. Imagine a policeman coming into your workplace and threatening to arrest you and shut down your business unless you left, because they donât appreciate âyour kindâ in their city. Imagine getting death threats every day in the mail.
Most people would not be able to do what Robinson did. He set the example that players such as Larry Doby of Cleveland, the first African American in the American League, were able to follow.
Itâs sad that sometimes I will hear fans of other teams complain that Robinsonâs 42 is retired and listed alongside the numbers of the legends from their team, because âhe didnât play for their team.â
Even now, some people will try to see out any flaws that Robinson had in order to cut him down a bit. âHe supported Richard Nixon.â or some such nonsense.
What they donât realize is that pointing out whatever flaws he had doesnât make him seem less impressive, it makes him even more impressive. Because it shows he was an imperfect man who performed one of the most perfect human achievements of all time.
But words donât adequately describe what Jackie Robinson did or what he went through. They canât. Itâs embarrassing to even try.
Whatâs a good way to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day? Find anyone you know under the age of 18 and make sure they know who Jackie Robinson was and what he did. Donât let his memory be forgotten. Show them the movie â42.â Give them a book on Robinson. Or sit down and talk to them about him. Itâs the best gift you can give them.
Weâll talk about this yearâs Dodgers in the next newsletter. But today the stage is Jackieâs.
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In his own words
Some of the best quotes from Jackie Robinson:
âPlenty of times I wanted to haul off when somebody insulted me for the color of my skin, but I had to hold to myself. I knew I was kind of an experiment. The whole thing was bigger than me.â
âA life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.â
âIâm not concerned with your liking or disliking me. All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.â
âLife is not a spectator sport. If youâre going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion youâre wasting your life.â
âThereâs not an American in this country free until every one of us is free.â
âDuring my life, I have had a few nightmares which happened to me while I was wide awake.â
âIâm grateful for all the breaks and honors and opportunities Iâve had, but I always believe I wonât have it made until the humblest black kid in the most remote backwoods of America has it made.â
"Many people resented my impatience and honesty, but I never cared about acceptance as much as I cared about respect."
âNegroes aren't seeking anything which is not good for the nation as well as ourselves. In order for America to be 100% strong -- economically, defensively and morally -- we cannot afford the waste of having second- and third-class citizens."
âBlacks have had to learn to protect themselves by being cynical but not cynical enough to slam the door on potential opportunities. We go through life walking a tightrope to prevent too much disillusionment.â
âAbove anything else, I hate to lose.â
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These names seem familiar
What recently departed Dodgers are doing around the league:
Brian Dozier, Nationals, .159/.213/.250
Kyle Farmer, Reds, .154/.154/.769
Logan Forsythe, Rangers, .241/.333/.448
Yasmani Grandal, Brewers, .391/.453/.826
Daniel Hudson, Blue Jays, 0-1, 6.75 ERA
Tim Locastro, Diamondbacks, .429/.429/.429
Matt Kemp, Reds, .162/.162/.270
Manny Machado, Padres, .246/.348/.561
Yasiel Puig, Reds, .163/.200/.395
Zac Rosscup, Mariners, 1-0, 2.08 ERA
Alex Wood, Reds, on IL with sore back
TV schedule
KTLA will televise eight more Dodger games during the season. They are:
Thursday at Milwaukee, 5 p.m.
Wednesday, April 24, at Chicago Cubs, 5 p.m.
Saturday, April 27, vs. Pittsburgh, 6 p.m.
Saturday, May 11, vs. Washington, 6 p.m.
Monday, May 27, vs. New York Mets, 5 p.m.
Thursday, May 30, vs. New York Mets, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 1, vs. Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 15, vs. Chicago Cubs, 6 p.m.
Up next
Today: Cincinnati (Luis Castillo) at Dodgers (*Clayton Kershaw), 7 p.m.
Tuesday: Cincinnati (Tyler Mahle) at Dodgers (Kenta Maeda), 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Cincinnati (Sonny Gray) at Dodgers (TBA), noon
*-left-handed
And finally
Jackie Robinson is interviewed by Dick Cavett in 1972. [Watch it here](.
Have a comment or something you'd like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? [Email me](mailto:houston.mitchell@latimes.com) and follow me on Twitter: [@latimeshouston](.
* This advertiser has no control over editorial decisions or content.
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