Almost forgot: today is April 15th. Jackie Day.
On this day in 1947, Jackie Robinson debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
He did not get a hit, but his speed forced a bad throw from future Yankee Johnny Sain on a bunt in the seventh inning, something that set up the Dodgers' win, with Robinson himself scoring what proved to be the winning run.
The color line was finally broken.
Robinson, the very epitome of class, had gone off that morning to Brooklyn leaving his wife and their sick baby behind in a cheap Manhattan hotel room. Even with all the burdens of the world on his shoulders, he had enough of a sense of humor left to tell Rachel Robinson, who would be leaving for the game with their son a little later:
"I'll be number 42."
So he was. And so we honor it still.
OK HOSS, I'M PISSED OFF....
ReplyDeleteI'M GONNA BREAK UP THIS PARTY.
WILMER FUCKING FLORES JUST HIT A WALK OFF HOME RUN IN THE 9TH INNING FOR THE METS.
WE HAVE ALL THESE BEHEMOTH'S IN OUR LINEUP.
JUDGE, STANTON, SANCHEZ, DIDI...HOME RUN HITTERS GALORE.
GET US IN A 9TH INNING TIE GAME OR EXTRA INNING SITUATION, AND WE SUCK. AS WE SWING FOR THE FENCES, NOBODY DOES A GAD DAMN THING, AND WE EVENTUALLY LOSE. (CHECK OUR RECORD IN EXTRA INNING GAMES SINCE CASHMAN HAS TURNED US INTO A "NEW AGE" SABERMETRIC "HOME RUN" LADEN TEAM, (ABOUT 3 YEARS).....OUR RECORD HAS TO BE ATROCIOUS.... THAT IS BECAUSE OF THE HOME RUN OR BUST, SABER-MENTALITY..... IT'S STUPID, AND IT'S NOT GOOD "WINNING" BASEBALL NO MATTER HOW YOU SLICE IT.
UNLESS YOU GOT A STAR LIKE WILMER FLORES.
.....AND LETS DISCONTINUE THIS JACKIE ROBINSON DAY FROM HERE ON OUT, PLEASE? (AND I SAY THIS WITH NOT ONE ONCE OF DISRESPECT OR RACISM IN MY INTENTION).
WHAT HE ENDURED WAS HEROIC, AND CERTAINLY VERY, VERY "TRYING" FOR HIM.
....BUT THAT'S ENOUGH NOW.
THE POINT HAS BEEN TAKEN WITH EVERYONE WEARING THE SAME UNIFORM NUMBER FOR I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY YEARS NOW...BUT THAT'S ENOUGH.
IT'S FUCKING BASEBALL PEOPLE. THERE ARE WAR HERO'S OUT THERE THAT GET NO DUE...NONE.
SO THERE, I SAID IT.
WILMER FUCKING FLORES, THE METS, THE RED SOX, AND THE RAIN BROUGHT ME TO THIS.
I'm with you ANONY, I'm not the biggest fan of Jackie Robinson day. I find it to be over the top and bordering on deifying the guy. He played baseball well and had the right attitude, congrats. I've always found it to be disrespectful to the other black players that came in around that time as they get nothing. They went through the same shit, some maybe worse, but they're chopped liver to the MLB. Everyone wearing a 42 should be a Dodger thing, how everyone else goes about the day is up to them. And fuck the Mets' bullshit luck and their Jackie Robinson rotunda. He never played for them. Where's the shrine to John McGraw, Sandy Koufax, or Roberto Clemente? When has never having played for the team ever stopped them from hitching their wagon to a legend? Yogi took a train to Queens once and they act liked he was the bedrock of the franchise.
ReplyDeleteGLAD YOU'RE ON BOARD LEINSTERY.
ReplyDeleteI THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO GET GANGED UP ON AFTER THAT POST, AND WHO KNOWS, I STILL MIGHT.....BUT ENOUGH IS ENOUGH......GREAT POINT ABOUT OTHER BLACK PLAYERS, AROUND THAT TIME, GOING THROUGH A LOT AND BEING TOTALLY OVERLOOKED.
RIGHT AFTER I POSTED, I READ SOMETHING ABOUT JACKIE ROBINSON'S WIFE COMPLAINING ABOUT SOMETHING TODAY..... I DIDN'T BOTHER READING THE ARTICLE. (TOO AGGRAVATED), BUT WHAT COULD BE HER PROBLEM ON HER HUSBAND'S DAY?
BABE RUTH WAS THE MAN WHO SAVED BASEBALL, THE GAMES GREATEST AMBASSADOR, (AND PLAYER), THE GAME HAS EVER KNOWN..... BUT I DON'T SEE A DAY WHERE EVERYONE WEARS NUMBER 3 ON THEIR UNIFORMS.
I DON'T LIKE SOCIAL "STATEMENTS" IN MY GAME.
JUST PLAY BALL.
C'mon. Robinson's not like the others. Not even like the Babe, much as I love him and honor his memory.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good point that we should honor the other black players of the time. Larry Doby, Campanella, Newk, etc. Also, there should be something done about all those incredible players who never got the chance, all the Martin Dihigos, and Devil Wells, and Judy Johnstons and Pedro Cepedas, etc., and the guys who were too old to ever show us all their stuff, like Satchel Paige.
But however you want to do it, it's worth doing. It was an ignominious thing, the color line, that went on for a long time, and was really unspeakable.
And as the point man, Jackie Robinson took the brunt of it. Constant death threats, constant criticism, unbearable scrutiny. You ever read just about the trip that he and Rachel took to spring training the first time? Horrendous.
The Babe was treated like a god, from the time he was 19 until he died. We still worship him.
You ever hear what Mattingly said when the clubhouse guy first pointed out Ruth's locker? "You mean Babe Ruth was real?"
Ruth was constantly showered with money and forgiven for his every transgression. Little boys and girls used to run after him to jump in his arms. Everybody in the game loved him, even Ty Cobb.
Well, all right, not Leo Durocher. But you know what Dick Young said about Leo Durocher.
Jackie Robinson got hate mail and death threats. Jackie Robinson got Bob Feller saying he would never make it. Jackie Robinson got the Philadelphia Phillies lining up to pretend to shoot him, and Joe Garagiola trying to spike him.
Jackie Robinson stood up to it. He deserves his day. And you know what's also great?
The very last guy to wear number 42 was the greatest relief pitcher of all time. Our guy. Which is very cool. I don't see a problem with it. I'll always have great associations with No. 42.
Oh, and don't worry about the fucking Mets!
ReplyDeleteThe Mets will almost certainly find a way to fuck this up. Even if they don't, it will be their first world championship since 1986. I mean, Joe Piscopo was still on SNL for cryin' out loud. Willie Randolph was still our second baseman.
Every dog will have its day. There's won't last long. If it shows up at all.
Lincoln died on April 15. so, yeah. The date's important.
ReplyDelete
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