5-6-2003
Jackie
Robinson was born January 31, 1919, in the small town of Cairi, Georgia. He was
the youngest of five children. Growing up, Jackie and his brother Mark became
outstanding athletes. Jackie was the best player on his team, in basketball and
football, at Pasadena Junior College. His worst sport was baseball.
After college Jackie entered
the army. After World War II, he entered the first baseball league for African
Americans. The Negro League was home to some of the best players. He often
played two or even three games a day.
After
playing in the Negro League, he joined the minor league baseball team. In his
first game for the Montreal Royals, Robinson hit three singles and a home run
and stole two bases.
The
Royals were one of the Dodgers’ teams. The Dodgers star player Dixie Walker
protested against Robinson from wearing a major league uniform. From the late
1800s until 1947, major league baseball teams were all white. There was a vote
with team owners about if Robinson should play with the major leagues. The only
one to vote “yes” was Branch Rickey. Commissioner A. B. “Happy” Chandler,
however, sided with Rickey and overruled the vote. Commissioner Chandler
approved Robinson for the major leagues. Other teams insulted Robinson from the
dugout. He promised Branch Rickey that he would not respond to this treatment.
In
the majors, Robinson finished his first season with an excellent 297 batting
average. He led the Dodgers in homeruns with twelve and stole a league high of
twenty-nine bases. He was named the National League Rookie of the Year.
In
1962, Jackie Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Not only had he
been the first black player in the major leagues, he was also one of the best
players of his time.