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Political correctness Warning:

I can forgive Cap Anson, Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Rogers Hornsby, and all the other players of their time for their prejudice against darker skinned folks. They were a product of their times.
The Press,Baseball itself, and the powers that have run baseball?
It's tough to forgive them.

Most of you probably know that Jackie Robinson was not the first black player. During the 1800's, there were professional teams who played black players or would even try to sneak them into a lineup.
One such player was Moses Fleetwood Walker.
Walker was a catcher. Back then, there were no masks or catchers mitts, and predictably, catchers were injured a lot.
To make extra money, professional teams would barnstorm and play semi-professional teams.
Cap Anson's White Stockings rolled into Toledo to play the Mudhens (Yes Jamie Farr,even back then, they were called, the Mudhens)
Anson was THE Superstar of his day. Some, including Bill James credit Anson for saving professional baseball in the 1880's.

Unaware that Walker was hurt and was told to sit out the game vs. the White Stockings, Cap Anson made a big stink about playing against any 'niggers'.
The Mudhens Manager, Charlie Morton, got so pissed at Anson that he changed his lineup and inserted Walker in Center Field.
Anson and Morton jawed with each other for an hour into their scheduled game time.
Morton declared that if Anson and the White Stockings did not play, the packed house that came to watch them and his gate receipts would be gone.
Anson's pocketbook superceded his prejudice and the game was played. The next year, the Mudhens gained entry into the American Asoociation, and Walker and his brother became the first blacks in professional baseball.
Between 1884 and 1887, 20 blacks would play in professional baseball.
The best being George Stovey. Stovey had become a star in negro leagues and semi pro leagues. Stovey was one of the best pitchers of this time and ironically, the guy who caught him most was Moses Fleetwood Walker. Stovey endured the slurs from players and fans, and worse, from umpires.

All of this leads up to 1887, when the premiere sports paper of the time, The Sporting News, ran an editorial that set blacks in baseball back 50 years. That would be the next time a black man set foot on a Major League field for any long length of time.

'A new trouble has just arisen in the affairs of certain baseball associations, which has done more damage to the International League (have to love the irony of the name) than any other we know of. We refer to the importation of colored players into that body'

Three days after this editorial ran, Cap Anson's White Stockings were scheduled to play the Newark Giants. Stovey and Walker's team.
Before the game, Anson looked at Stovey warming up and yelled at the Newark Manager, loud enough for everybody in the ball park to hear him, "GET THAT NIGGER OFF THE FIELD!"
This time Anson was unrelenting. Stovey feigned an injury and Walker was replaced in the lineup.
That same day, International League owners agreed not to sign more black players and soon other leagues followed suit,
In 1897, the last of the known black players were gone.

It was a tough time. Blacks had only gained their freedom 20-30 years earlier. They were a far cry from being treated as equals, although the 14th Amendment granted them those rights.
It wasn't written in National or American League rules that blacks could not play.
More of a gentleman's agreement.

Most latin players were barred also. Some, who could pass the 'Ricky Riccardo test' of being fair skinned and speak English well were allowed to play, most were barred.
When Jackie Robinson played in 1947, other teams slowly opened their doors to black and Latin players. The National League doors opened freely. Black players had to kick down American League doors.
The National League became the dominant league. The Yankees won the World Series four times from 1954-1965.
The rest were all won by National League teams.
From 1950-70, there were 24 All Star games played. The National League won 19.

Here are the 1961 All Star game lineups:

American League-
1. Johnny Temple
2. Norm Cash
3. Mickey Mantle
4. Roger Maris
5. Rocky Colavito
6. Tony Kubek
7. Johnny Romano
8. Brooks Robinson
9. Whitey Ford

National League-
1. Maury Wills
2.Eddie Mathews
3. Willie Mays
4. Orlando Cepeda
5. Roberto Clemente
6. Bill White
7. Frank Bolling
8. Smoky Burgess
9. Warren Spahn

For the American League, Elston Howard was on their bench. The only player of color.
The National Leagues lineup was over 50 per cent black with Frank Robinson, Hank Aaron, George Altman, and Johnny Roseboro on their bench.


Jackie Robinson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962.
Baseball all but forgot Robinson. Although his path and legacy was to be followed by others for years after he arrived, MLB did little but let dust settle on Robinson's plaque.
Then in 1997, to commemorate Robinson, MLB did an about face and retired his number in every park. Trying to make up for past wrongs by baseball owners, the 'Sporting News', Cap Anson, and others, baseball tried to fix all by having that number 42 in every Major League Park.
It's overkill, to be sure.
Although Jackie Robinson changed baseball, he's not alone. Other game changers like Babe Ruth, Alexander Cartwright, AG Spalding, Marvin Miller, or even Branch Rickey, the 'inventor' of Jackie Robinson, have not been as lauded as Robinson has over the last 15 years.

Baseball has used Robinson and his commemmoration as a tool to say, 'Hey, everything's ok now'.
It's not.
Since retiring Robinson's number everywhere, less and less black kids are playing major league baseball.
The sand lots have all but dried up and inner city basketball is the new king.
Now that the doors are open for these kids, they're not walking through.
The same doors, their ancestors wanted to break down years ago.
And all the 'Jackie Robinson Days' and all the retired numbers in the world won't fix that.

not exactly sure where you were going with this.
there is a laundry list as to why baseball has lost its popularity among kids, inner city or otherwise.

i think, intentional or not, you diminished the legacy of jackie robinson a bit.

you've intrigued me with many of your dailies, but this one didn't sit right. just my less than humble opinion.

The political correctness part was a warning about diminishing Jackie Robinson a bit. Even though it is more about diminishing Major League Baseball in the way they've handled the whole thing.
Robinson has God like status. For years, Robinson was revered for breaking the color line, and for that he should be lauded.
But over the last 15 years, Major League Baseball has driven Jackie Robinson down our throats. This after getting into Cooperstown and hardly a mention of Robinson afterwards...till 1997.
It was a marketing ploy.
What other retired player has a day each year?
Who else has his number retired in every ball park?
What MLB is doing is not right. Essentially, they're using Robinson as a tool to right past wrongs.
There is no need. What is done is done.
Where is there a word about Branch Rickey?
Moses Fleetwood Walker or George Stovey?
Not to mention that even though they followed Robinson, players like Monte Irvin and Larry Doby endured the same thing, but are never mentioned.
Robinson should be appreciated, just not in the way that baseball has done it.
Major League Baseball made a mistake by closing a door that should have been open.
Another Jackie Robinson Day won't change a thing.

I know others do not share this opinion. By lambasting MLB, Robinson catches some of the schrapnel and that won't sit right with most folks. But, it's the way I feel and I can't change that.
Besides, show me somebody who writes a lot, and that everybody agrees with, and I'll show you a writer of obituaries.

really cool stuff. had no idea about stovey, walker, and the other negro players before the color barrier was broken again. its so sad to think about how different this country and world were just a lifetime ago. a lot of things have changed but i agree with you some things don't and that marketing ploy is certainly one of them. while on the outside the celebration was very sweet, you showed another dirtier side of the case. I, as am open minded person, always enjoy seeing, reading, and hearing different view points.

love the posts..