For most Americans, April 15 is the infamous day by which each year we must "render unto Caesar." But in the world of baseball, this date marks a turning point in the sport.
On this date in 1947, Jackie Robinson took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the color barrier in major league baseball. Robinson was no "token." He is in Cooperstown not because of the color of his skin, but for the quality of his playing between the lines. Dodgers manager Clay Hooper told owner Branch Rickie he would rather die than manage a black man. Then he saw Jackie Robinson play and he became color blind. Robinson was named Rookie of the Year in 1947. Today the Rookie of the Year award in Major League Baseball bears Jackie Robinson's name. The Dodgers went to the World Series that year but lost to the Yankees. But Robinson was now the talk of the town in New York, just months after having to deal with hate mail and death threats.
He beat out the immortal Stan Musial to become the league's MVP in 1949, his greatest year ever.
Robinson is remembered for one of the most dazzling and outrageous plays in the history of the game - stealing home in the 1955 World Series. By 1955, Jackie was in the twilight of his career. It happened in the 8th inning of Game One with the Dodgers trailing the Yankees 6 to 4. The Dodgers went on to win the game and the series. That feat is immortalized on the plaque given to the Rookie of the Year each year.
Jackie Robinson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962, and he died in 1972. He grew somewhat hard and embittered in his later years, discouraged about the slow progress blacks were making in baseball. Young black activists viewed him at the time as an Uncle Tom. It wasn't until the 50th anniversary of his breaking the color barrier that a new generation of fans learned to appreciate the contributions of Jackie Robinson. Today, on the 60th anniversary, dozens of players on MLB teams sported the permanently retired number 42.
Syndicated columnist George Will frequently writes about how the baseball mirrors life and society. Sixty years ago today, the game of baseball, like the country it originated in, changed forever because of the character and actions of a remarkable hero.
Comments