in honor of Jackie, #42
we should remember that on this day in 1947 he made his major league debut. It was not spectacular: he went hitless.
His career was not long by major league standards - he only played 10 years. During that time he was selected to 6 all-star teams, was Rookie of the Year in 1947, and MVP in 1949.
He came from an athletic family - his older brother Mac was an Olympic medalist. He himself was an all-round athlete, playing football, basketball, track, and tennis as well as baseball, all at a high level. In college he would earn letters at UCLA in all of these except tennis. He was a member of a 1936 high school all star team that included two other future Hall of Famers, Ted Williams and Bob Lemon. After dropping out of college, he briefly played professional football before World War II intervened.
I met Jackie Robinson once, when he visited our junior high school. Most of my classmates were Yankee fans, but even they were excited by his visit. He was gentle and patient with the young people, something very different than the fierce competitor that he was in athletics and in life.
Please keep reading.
His career was not long by major league standards - he only played 10 years. During that time he was selected to 6 all-star teams, was Rookie of the Year in 1947, and MVP in 1949.
He came from an athletic family - his older brother Mac was an Olympic medalist. He himself was an all-round athlete, playing football, basketball, track, and tennis as well as baseball, all at a high level. In college he would earn letters at UCLA in all of these except tennis. He was a member of a 1936 high school all star team that included two other future Hall of Famers, Ted Williams and Bob Lemon. After dropping out of college, he briefly played professional football before World War II intervened.
I met Jackie Robinson once, when he visited our junior high school. Most of my classmates were Yankee fans, but even they were excited by his visit. He was gentle and patient with the young people, something very different than the fierce competitor that he was in athletics and in life.
Please keep reading.