Jackie Robinson 3 AB, 1 R, 0 H, 0 RBI, 1 SAC Today is Jackie Robinson Day. On this date 62 years ago, April 15th, 1947, baseball changed life. The integration of baseball came before the military integrated and before black people were even allowed to vote.
Baseball was ahead of the times and so was Robinson. He came before Malcolm X or Martin Luther King or Muhammad Ali. It could be argued he did more than they ever did, combined. So when considering the pantheon of great Civil Rights leaders in the world’s history, Jack Roosevelt Robinson’s name should be included.
Let’s also mention pioneer Branch Rickey
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rickebr01.shtml?redir
It took serious guts for Rickey to sign him.
This may be this blog’s best piece of writing on here.