Jackie Robinson should be remembered every day, not just April 15.
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, 2023
[View in browser]( [Click to view images]( Robinson. (Getty Images) Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and sorry for the lack of newsletter this week. Have a nasty case of COVID-19. Weâll be back to our regular schedule next week. But, today is a very special day, and itâs time for the annual Jackie Robinson newsletter. On April 15, 1947, Robinson made his major league debut at Brooklynâs Ebbets Field in front of 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. Enjoying this newsletter? Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. [Become a Los Angeles Times subscriber.]( Some players on his 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 [Dodgers second baseman Jackie Robinson in 1952.]
Dodgers second baseman Jackie Robinson in 1952. (Associated Press) Players on other teams called him every racial insult. Some opposing managers were worse. Fans, some of them little kids parroting what their parents were saying, called him vile names. And Robinson had 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 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 No. 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 â 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. [Jackie Robinson returns an autograph book to a fan during spring training in the Dominican Republic in 1948.]
Jackie Robinson returns an autograph book to a fan during spring training in the Dominican Republic in 1948. (Associated Press) 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 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 In the words of others ââA credit to baseball and to America.â
Branch Rickey, general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers ââTo do what he did has got to be the most tremendous thing Iâve ever seen in sports.â
Pee Wee Reese, teammate of Jackie Robinson ââThe greatest moment in the history of baseball.â
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred ââHe gave the Black community a sense of hope, a sense of pride.â
John Lewis, civil rights leader ââI didnât know baseball from pingpong. But the point was that he had broken in. I grew inches that day. I puffed out my chest.â
Archbishop Desmond Tutu ââJackieâs character was much more important than his batting average.â
Hank Aaron ââJackie Robinson made his country and you and me and all of us a shade more free.â
Roger Kahn, author of âThe Boys of Summerâ ââThereâs a direct line between Jackie Robinson and me.â
Former President Barack Obama ââHe was the greatest competitor I have ever seen.â
Duke Snider, teammate ââThere was never a man in the game who could put mind and muscle together quicker than Jackie Robinson.â
Rickey ââJackie, weâve got no army. Thereâs virtually nobody on our side. No owner, no umpires, very few newspapermen. And Iâm afraid that many fans may be hostile. Weâll be in a tough position. We can win only if we can convince the world that I am doing this because youâre a great ballplayer, and a fine gentleman.â
Rickey ââJackie Robinson is the best Iâve seen. Robinson is the perfect blend of ballplayer. He has creativeness and imagination. Every move he makes from the minute he steps onto the field is designed to beat the other club. Heâs constantly asking himself, at bat or on the bases, âwhat can I do to beat the other guy?â Thatâs the kind of ballplayer that wins pennants.â
Fresco Thompson, assistant farm director for the Dodgers when Robinson played his first game ââToday we must balance the tears of sorrow with the tears of joy. Mix the bitter with the sweet in death and life. Jackie as a figure in history was a rock in the water, creating concentric circles and ripples of new possibility. He was medicine. He was immunized by God from catching the diseases that he fought. The Lordâs arms of protection enabled him to go through dangers seen and unseen, and he had the capacity to wear glory with grace. Jackieâs body was a temple of God. An instrument of peace. We would watch him disappear into nothingness and stand back as spectators, and watch the suffering from afar. The mercy of God intercepted this process Tuesday and permitted him to steal away home, where referees are out of place, and only the supreme judge of the universe speaks.â
Jesse Jackson, delivering a eulogy for Robinson For more on Robinson, I [recommend visiting jackierobinson.com]( where several of the above quotes and much more can be found. 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
Thank you for reading the Los Angeles Times
Dodgers Dugout newsletter.
Invite your friends, relatives, coworkers to sign up [here](.
Not a subscriber? Get unlimited digital access to latimes.com. [Subscribe here](.
[Los Angeles Times]
Copyright © 2023, Los Angeles Times
2300 E. Imperial Highway, El Segundo, California, 90245
1-800-LA-TIMES | [latimes.com]( *Advertisers have no control over editorial decisions or content. If you're interested in placing an ad or classified, get in touch [here](. We'd love your feedback on this newsletter. Please send your thoughts and suggestions [here](mailto:newsletters@latimes.com). You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from The Los Angeles Times.
[Manage marketing email preferences]( · [Manage newsletter subscriptions or unsubscribe]( · [Terms of service]( · [Privacy policy]( · [Do Not Sell My Personal Information]( · [CA Notice of Collection]( FOLLOW US [Divider](#) [Facebook]( [2-tw.png]( [Instagram]( [YouTube](