Jackie Robinson: Difference between revisions

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	== The Dodgers ==
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	In the late 1940s, ] was club president and ] of the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Dodgers began to scout Robinson, and Rickey eventually selected him from a list of promising African-American players. Robinson became the first player in fifty-seven years to break the ].

	In ], the Dodgers assigned Jackie Robinson to the ]. Jackie proceeded to lead the International League in ] with a .349 average, and ] with a .985 percentage.<ref name=Journal>TheJournalofSportsHistory.org</ref> That winter he also married Rachel Isum, his former UCLA classmate.<ref name=Gale_Group>http://www.galegroup.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/robinson_j.htm</ref> It should be noted that Robinson was greeted with strong support by the Montreal fans and not hatred as he would later feel in the Major League. Because of Jackie's play in 1946, the Dodgers called him up to play for the major league club in ]. Robinson made his Major League debut on ], ], playing first base when he went 0 for 3 against the ].

	Throughout the season, Robinson experienced harassment at the hands of both players and fans. He was verbally abused by both his own teammates and by members of opposing teams. Some Dodger players insinuated they would sit out rather than play alongside Robinson. The mutiny ended when Dodger management informed those players that they were welcome to find employment elsewhere.

	On ], ], during a game between the Dodgers and ], Phillies players called Jackie a "]" from their ], and yelled that he should "go back to the cotton fields."<ref>Ken Burns' documentary, BASEBALL, Part 6, minute 120</ref> Rickey would later recall that the Phillies' ], ], "did more than anybody to unite the Dodgers. When he poured out that string of unconscionable abuse, he solidified and united thirty men."<ref>Ken Burns' documentary, BASEBALL, Part 6, minute 122</ref> ] ] admonished the Phillies and asked Chapman to pose for photographs with Robinson as a conciliatory gesture.

	Dodgers shortstop ], who would be a teammate of Robinson's for the better part of a decade, was one of the few players who publicly stood up for Robinson during his rookie season. During the team's first road trip, in ], Robinson was being heckled by fans when Reese, the Dodgers team captain, walked over and put his arm around Robinson in a gesture of support that quieted the fans and has now gained near-legendary status. Reese was once quoted saying about Robinson "You can hate a man for many reasons, color is not one of them." In addition, the ] baseball star ], who had faced considerable ] earlier in his career, made a point of welcoming Robinson to the major leagues.
	]]]
	For his services, Jackie earned the major-league minimum salary of $5,000, which was standard for many rookies at the time. That year, he played in 151 games, hit .297, led the National League in ]s and won the first-ever ] Award. Although Jackie played every game that season at first base, Robinson spent most of his career as a ]man.

	Two years later, Jackie won the ] award for the ]. He would win his only championship ring when the Dodgers beat the ] in the ]. After the ] season, Robinson was traded by the Dodgers to the ] for ] and ]30,000 cash. Rather than report to the arch-rival Giants, Robinson chose to retire at age 37.

	Robinson was a disciplined hitter and a versatile fielder. He had a .311 career ] and substantially more ] than ]s and was an outstanding base stealer. No other player since ] has stolen home more than Robinson, who did it 19 times in his career.<ref>http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/R/Robinson_Jackie.stm</ref> During his career, the Dodgers played in six World Series and Jackie played in six All-Star games. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and a member of the All-Century Team. In one of his most famous quotes, he said "I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me... all I ask is that you respect me as a human being."<ref>http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/history/robinson/index.htm</ref>

	== Post-baseball life ==		== Post-baseball life ==

Revision as of 14:58, 30 May 2007

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Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) became the first African-American professional baseball player of the modern era in 1947. While not the first African American professional baseball player in history, his Major League debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers ended approximately eighty years of baseball segregation, also known as the baseball color line. The Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Robinson in 1962 and he was a member of six World Series teams. He earned six consecutive All-Star Game nominations and won several awards during his career. In 1947, Robinson won The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award and the first Rookie of the Year Award Award. Two years later, he was awarded his first National League MVP Award. In addition to his accomplishments on the field, Jackie Robinson was also a forerunner of the Civil Rights Movement. He was a key figure in the establishment and growth of the Freedom Bank, an African-American owned and controlled entity, in the 1960s. He also wrote a syndicated newspaper column for a number of years, in which he was an outspoken supporter of Martin Luther King Jr. and, to a lesser degree, Malcolm X. Template:MLB HoF Robinson engaged in political campaigning for a number of politicians, including the Democrat Hubert Humphrey and the Republican Richard Nixon.

In recognition of his accomplishments, Robinson was posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

On April 15, 1997, the 50 year anniversary of his debut, Major League Baseball retired the number 42, the number Robinson wore, in recognition of his accomplishments both on and off the field. In 1950, he was the subject of a film biography, The Jackie Robinson Story, in which he played himself. He became a political activist in his post-playing days.

In 1946, Robinson married Rachel Annetta Isum. In 1973, after Jackie died, Rachel founded the Jackie Robinson Foundation.

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Post-baseball life

File:JRandDavid dc march photo.jpg

Jackie Robinson and his son David being interviewed at the "March on Washington"
August 28, 1963
From the National Archives

Robinson retired on January 5, 1957. He had wanted to manage or coach in the major leagues, but received no offers. He became a vice-president for the Chock Full O' Nuts corporation instead, and served on the board of the NAACP until 1967, when he resigned. During the early to late 1950s, Jackie and Louis Ostrer owned Jackie Robinson's, a men's clothing store located on 125th St. in New York City.

He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, his first year of eligibility, becoming the first African-American so honored. In 1965, Robinson served as a color commentator for ABC's Game of the Week telecasts. On June 4, 1972, the Dodgers retired his uniform number 42 alongside Roy Campanella (39) and Sandy Koufax (32).

Robinson made his final public appearance on October 14, 1972, before Game 2 of the World Series. He used this chance to express his wish for a black manager to be hired by a Major League Baseball team.

This wish was granted two years later, following the 1974 season, when the Cleveland Indians gave their managerial post to Frank Robinson, a Hall of Fame bound slugger who was then still an active player, and no relation to Jackie Robinson. At the press conference announcing his hiring, Frank expressed his wish that Jackie had lived to see the moment.

In 1971, his eldest son, Jackie, Jr., who had beaten back drug problems and was working as a Daytop Village counselor, was killed in an automobile accident. Also, Jackie suffered from diabetes, virtually went blind, and suffered heart problems.

Robinson died from heart problems and diabetes complications in Stamford, Connecticut on October 24, 1972 and was interred in the Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. The highway that goes through the cemetery (previously known as the Interborough Parkway) was renamed the Jackie Robinson Parkway in 1997.

Awards and recognition

File:Jackie Robinson Park 2.JPG

A statue of Jackie Robinson in Stamford, Connecticut, where a major street has the honorary name Jackie Robinson Way.

According to a poll conducted by Jimmie Fidler in 1947, Robinson was the second most popular man in the country, behind Bing Crosby.

In March 1984, President Ronald Reagan posthumously awarded Robinson the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

In 1987, Major League Baseball renamed the Rookie of the Year Award the Jackie Robinson Award in his honor.

On April 15, 1997, Jackie Robinson's #42 was retired by Major League Baseball, meaning that no future player on any major league team could wear it. Players wearing #42 at the time, some of whom said they did so as a tribute to Robinson, were allowed to continue wearing it, thereby grandfathering the number's retirement. The only player currently wearing the number is New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera.

In 1999, he was named by Time Magazine on its list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.

In 2000, he ranked number 44 on The Sporting News's list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

On October 29, 2003, the United States Congress posthumously awarded Robinson the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award the Congress can bestow. Robinson's widow accepted the award in a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda on March 2, 2005.

At the November 2006 groundbreaking for a new New York Mets ballpark, Citi Field, scheduled to open in 2009, it was announced that the main entrance, modeled on the one in Brooklyn's old Ebbets Field, will be called the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. Additionally, Mets owner Fred Wilpon said that the Mets and Citigroup would work with the Jackie Robinson Foundation to create a Jackie Robinson Museum and Learning Center in lower Manhattan, as well as fund scholarships for "young people who live by and embody Jackie's ideals."

60th anniversary tribute

On April 15, 2007, the 60th anniversary of Robinson's major league debut, Major League Baseball invited players to wear the number 42 just for that day to commemorate Robinson. The gesture was the idea of Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr., who first sought Rachel Robinson's permission, and, after receiving it, asked Commissioner Bud Selig for permission. Selig extended the invitation to all major league teams. Ultimately, more than 200 players wore number 42, including the entire rosters of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Considering that the Phillies and the Cardinals had probably inflicted the most abuse on Robinson when he came up to the major leagues, it was considered quite a tribute that their entire teams chose to wear his number to honor him.

Notes

Rothe, p544
^ Williams, Michael W.- Editor. An African American Encyclopedia. 1993.
MLB.com
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/jackie/news/story?id=2828584
http://www.nycroads.com/roads/jackie-robinson/
http://www.fulton.k12.ga.us/teacher/stratton/robinson2.html
TIME 100: Jackie Robinson
"METS HONOR ROBINSON AT NEW HOME". New York Daily News. 2006-11-14. Retrieved 2007-04-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
"Griffey, Jr., others to wear No. 42 as part of Jackie Robinson Day Tribute". MLB. 2007-04-05. Retrieved 2007-04-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
"A Measure of Respect for Jackie Robinson Turns Into a Movement". New York Times. 2007-04-13. Retrieved 2007-04-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

References

Rampersad, Arnold. Jackie Robinson, a Biography, Alfred A. Knopf (New York), 1997. ISBN 0-679-44495-5
Tygiel, Jules. Baseball's Great Experiment, Oxford (USA), New York, ISBN 0195106199
Bigelow, Barbara Carlisle, ed. Contemporary Black Biography vol. 6. Gale Research Inc. 1994. ISBN 0-8103-8558-9
Moritz, Charles, ed. Current Biography Yearbook 1972, H.W. Wilson Co, New York, 1972. ISBN 0-8242-0493-X
Rothe, Anna, ed. Current Biography, Who's News and Why 1947, H.W. Wilson Co, New York, 1948.
MLB.com - http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/nyy/history/retired_numbers.jsp
Journal of Sports History - http://thejournalofsportshistory.org/history-of-baseball/jackie-robinson-a-triple-threat.html
Robinson, Jackie. I Never Had It Made. G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1972
Robinson, Sharon. Promises To Keep: How Jackie Robinson Changed America Scholastic, 2004.
Thorn, John. "Our Game" pp1-10 In Total Baseball: The Official Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball 7th ed. John Thorn et al eds. Total Sports Publishing, New York, 1992
Williams, Michael W.- Ed. An African American Encyclopedia 1993.
Frommer, Harvey. Jackie Robinson Watts Press, 1984.

Preceded byNone, first holder of the award	Major League Rookie of the Year 1947	Succeeded byAlvin Dark
Preceded byStan Musial	National League Most Valuable Player 1949	Succeeded byJim Konstanty
Preceded byStan Musial	National League Batting Champion 1949	Succeeded byStan Musial

v t e Major League Baseball All-Century Team
Pitchers	Nolan Ryan Sandy Koufax Cy Young Roger Clemens Bob Gibson Walter Johnson Warren Spahn Christy Mathewson Lefty Grove
Catchers	Johnny Bench Yogi Berra
Infielders	Lou Gehrig Mark McGwire Jackie Robinson Rogers Hornsby Mike Schmidt Brooks Robinson Cal Ripken Jr. Ernie Banks Honus Wagner
Outfielders	Babe Ruth Hank Aaron Ted Williams Willie Mays Joe DiMaggio Mickey Mantle Ty Cobb Ken Griffey Jr. Pete Rose Stan Musial

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