Baseball. Apple Pie. Racism. These are all equally American things; some of this country’s most enduring traditions.
On July 14, 1887, baseball as it was then constituted acted to limit, diminish by attrition, and eventually eliminate the growing presence of Black players from the game.
As venerated as he is, there have been plenty of times where we’ve failed Jackie when it comes to his legacy and how he felt when it came to his politics.
The Daytona Tortugas are one of the 42 minor league teams in danger of going extinct. This is part of their story.
A closer look at the Jackie Robinson biopic.
Major League Baseball tweeted a Martin Luther King Jr. tribute yesterday, although the league initially declined to delay the season when he was assassinated; did Dock Ellis *really* throw a no-hitter on LSD?
Symbols provide hope to the powerless. They connect people who are isolated, universalizing experiences and silently voicing calls to action. From the raised fist of the IWW to the rainbow flag, symbols have been at the forefront of social and political movements throughout history, anchoring concrete plights and aims to universal characters. But the passage…
My 12 year old was in an opera in Cedar Rapids this weekend about Grant Wood. They needed some kids to sing and dance and be part of Wood’s grade school class for a scene from his life as a teacher, before he got successful, and my son jumped at the chance. He’s very into…
Recently, as part of their Fan Fest activities, several members of the San Francisco Giants engaged in an imitation game, emulating their own teammates’ batting stances and pitcher’s mound presences. As the introductory music reels out, Brandon Crawford trundles to the plate, head down and hangdog. In a little while, his act will be identified:…
Ben and Sam talk about events from baseball’s history that would be bigger stories today, then dicuss narratives to explain the Nationals’ season.
How Jay found out about Jackie.
Some expanded historical background on the events of the new movie about baseball’s integration.
The price of our national pastime, it turns out, is $40-$50 million, which is how much MasterCard is spending on their ‘MasterCard Presents Major League Baseball Memorable Moments’ campaign. I can’t believe it’s that low, considering they’ve shown those commercials so frequently that I get nauseous looking at that shot of Jackie Robinson. Keep in mind, Robinson is one of my favorite baseball players, one whose autobiography I wore down reading repeatedly.