Jackie Robinson is rightly revered as a pioneering figure in baseball’s integration. But he was not alone and, as Jesse Goldberg-Strassler notes, pioneers like Buck O’Neil and Emmett Ashford deserve recognition from baseball fans during Black History Month. In an AP story from March 18, 1962, titled innocently “Cubs Assign Coaches for Farm Clubs,” the […]
Tag Archives | jackie robinson
Pro baseball returns to Vero Beach — for a day
Worth the trip: the High Class A Florida State League Brevard County Manatees and Lakeland Flying Tigers are playing a single game at Historic Dodgertown’s Holman Stadium on Tuesday, April 15 at 6:30 p.m. in celebration of Jackie Robinson Day in baseball. This will be the first time that a Florida State League game will […]
Robinson, Reese statue defaced in Brooklyn
A statue of Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese outside MCU Park, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones (short season A; NY-Penn League), was defaced with swastikas and anti-Semitic epithets overnight. Cyclones employees were able to remove most of the spray paint before a scheduled matinee today. From ESPN New York: The statue shows Reese with […]
MLB (temporarily) returning to Montreal?
The Toronto Blue Jays are negotiating to play exhibition games in Montreal in the future, bringing Major League Baseball back to Olympic Stadium, the former home of the Montreal Expos. Many MLB teams schedule a pair of exhibition games after spring training and before the regular season, and a two-game series of this nature is […]
Cromartie: We’re launching feasibility study on return of MLB to Montreal
Former Expo Warren Cromartie has assembled a professional team to determine the feasibility of a return of Major League Baseball to Montreal. The feasibility and survey study will be undertaken by Cromartie’s group, Montreal Baseball Project, as well as Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal (BTMM), Ernst & Young and BCF LLP. “I am pleased to […]
Chattanooga rallies to support Engel Stadium
Closed down recently for safety reasons, Engel Stadium is on the mend and could host between 100 and 150 events next year, as Chattanooga rallies to preserve a historic asset. Engel Stadium is the former home of the Chattanooga Lookouts (Class AA; Southern League), but after the team moved to AT&T Field, the 1929 ballpark […]
Holman Stadium turns 75
Here’s your little piece of history for the day: Holman Stadium, where Don Newcombe and Roy Campanella broke the minor-league color line with the Nashua Dodgers, is now 75 years old. Tom King has a nice look back at the historic facility, now home to the Nashua Silver Knights (summer collegiate; FCBL). King dwells on […]
Still generating cash: the Montreal Expos
Never let it be said we passed on a good opportunity to display a Montreal Expos logo: despite the demise of the team many years ago, the ‘Spos logo is still a big seller. It’s not necessarily baseball fans who keep the Expos logo and colors on the tops of some best-seller lists, but rather […]
Luther Williams Field standing in for City Island Ballpark
The filming of the movie 42 has moved to Macon, where Luther Williams Field is standing in for Daytona’s City Island Ballpark, where Jackie Robinson crossed the color line during spring training. The movie, starring Harrison Ford, details how baseball was integrated thanks to the efforts of Branch Rickey (portrayed by Harrison). Also in the […]
In memoriam: Bill Mardo
Bill Mardo, the crusading Daily Worker sports editor who helped force Major League Baseball to integrate with Negro Leagues players, has passed away. He was 88. Mardo died of complications from Parkinson’s disease. From his position as sports editor and columnist with The Daily Worker, Mardo led the call to bring African-Americans to Major League […]
City marks 65th birthday of Danville Stadium
Danville Stadium, the former home to professional ball and now the home of the Danville Dans (summer collegiate; Prospect League), marked its 65th anniversary yesterday with a big crowd and other festivities. There were 4,163 fans on hand for the Dans game, where former players and pro alumni were invited to turn out. The press […]