It's Jackie Robinson Day, when baseball celebrates one of the greatest of all time.
â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â [Los Angeles Times] Dodgers Dugout April 15, 2021
[View in browser]( Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell and today is a very special day in baseball. Itâs April 15, which means itâs time for the annual Jackie Robinson newsletter. 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 Dodgersâ 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. [Jackie Robinson in 1952]
Jackie Robinson in 1952 (Associated Press) 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 ... zebra. Iâm the manager of this team, and I say he plays. Whatâs 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.â 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. 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 Enjoying this newsletter? Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. [Become a Los Angeles Times subscriber.]( So, Robinson took it. But he not only had to take it, he also had to play at a high level to prove Black people could play in the majors. He ran the bases with 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. Imagine going on vacation and not being able to stay in the same place as your co-workers, but being forced to room with someone across town. 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, who broke the color barrier 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 try to find flaws that Robinson had to cut him down. 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. ADVERTISEMENT
In his own words
[Jackie Robinson and his wife, Rachel, in 1962.]
Jackie Robinson and his wife, Rachel, in 1962. (Associated Press) 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 âMany people resented my impatience and honesty, but I never cared about acceptance as much as I cared about respect.â âNegroes arenât seeking anything which is not good for the nation as well as ourselves. In order for America to be 100% strong â economically, defensively and morally â we cannot afford the waste of having second- and third-class citizens.â 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 And finally MLB honors Jackie Robinson before the 1972 World Series and he gives a speech. [Watch and listen here](. Until next time... Have a comment or something youâd like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at [@latimeshouston](. To get this newsletter in your inbox, [click here](. ADVERTISEMENT
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