Why do we celebrate Jackie Robinson?

[Lou]

There have been some real classics over the years here @ AW

[mp170.6]

To answer your question, Doby didn't face anywhere near the racism that Robinson had to endure.

Their plights weren't close to being identical.

 

I've read stories that say just the opposite.  Jackie faced racism in NL ballparks.  Doby received the equivalent in AL ballparks. 

 

But who knows if the historical accounts are accurate anymore? 

[Lou]

I didn't mean to make it seem as if Doby just sailed through that season.

However, in 1947, Jackie was THE face of breaking the racial barrier that existed in MLB. He was front and center on the issue. Dumbass racists waited for him to come to their town.

He played every day and played well. Mr Whiteman wasn't happy about that. He finished 5th in the MVP voting and was named ROY.

He appeared in 151 games and had 701 PAs, hitting .297 with an OPS over .800

That's 701 opportunities for an idiot redneck to do something stupid.

At the same time, Doby was appearing in 29 games, starting once. He had a total of 31 PAs and batted .156 with an OPS of .369

For the most part, he was sitting in the safety of dugout.

[HaloMagic]

At the same time, Doby was appearing in 29 games, starting once. He had a total of 31 PAs and batted .156 with an OPS of .369.

Can he play first?

Edited April 17, 2016 by HaloMagic

[Rico]

Because nobody cares about second place.  There was no parade for the Carolina Panthers.

[Lou]

Doby was also the 2nd black MLB manager and the 2nd major leaguer to play in Japan

* this post is sponsored by AO

[Rico]

Robinson is not just celebrated for being the first black player in MLB.  Other factors like how he carried himself against great adversity also play a part.  He was a triple threat.  First black player in MLB, a great player to boot, and a person of high character.  All of it adds up to why he particularly is celebrated.

 

Similarly how MLK is celebrated over someone like Malcolm X.

[Amazing Larry]

The Dodgers management had the safety and security of being in their offices while Robinson had to face the racial hatred in person without blinking, without cowering and without fighting back and all the while with unshakeable courage.

That is why we give our respect to the individual man.

I saw this written in a bathroom stall in Silverlake while I was taking a shit.

[Jay]

The Jackie Robinson story is great and it was cool to have his number retired in all of MLB.

It was also cool to have all the players wear his number, once. I see no reason to do it every year.

[Angelsjunky]

Why shouldn't Larry Doby deserve the same recognition as Jackie Robinson? 

 

Larry Doby faced racism in the AL while Jackie was in the NL.  All things considered, their plights were almost identical.

 

You know who Rosa Parks is, right? Ever heard of Claudette Colvin? Didn't think so. She was a 15-year old who refused to be segregated on a bus, several months before Parks. But most people have never heard of her. Parks became emblematic of the Civil Rights movement. What she did was brave and amazing, but Colvin did the same before her.

 

That's just how history works.

[ten ocho recon scout]

They also had the safety and security of being ... well ... white.

mostly. There were a few irish in there.

[ten ocho recon scout]

Why don't we also celebrate the first beaner to play? And the first Canadian, and European?

because the first beaner said he was canadian. Its still in the courts which one he gets recognition as.

[UndertheHalo]

They can't have a day to celebrate the first Mexican in MLB because like 15 people would get stabbed at Doyer Stadium. MLB takes these things into consideration.

 

 

fixed

[Vegas Halo Fan]

I don't mind celebrating Jackie Robinson day every year.

I do mind every freakin player wearing the number. It makes the number into a joke. That number should only be worn by people who demonstrated or are recognized by the Jackie Robinson foundation.

Instead, you have Papelbolm and Hamilton among others wearing the number.

It is right up there with making every team retire the number, including rival clubs and teams that didn't even exist when Robinson played.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

Donald Trump has been quoted as saying that it would be "a good idea" to choose Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin as his running mate. Fallin is Sarah Palin minus the folksy, empty-headed remarks. Completely in the pocket of the oil companies, considered even by Republicans as one of the state's worst governors ever. While the state flounders economically and education in particular is sinking, she is pushing for a reflecting pool at the State Capitol, and she continues a fight to put a Ten Commandments monument on the grounds.

[Adam]

He should pick a democratic socialist to try and garner the lazy freeloader vote

[tdawg87]

Trump/Sanders 2016.

I would commit voter fraud to see that shit.

[Angel Oracle]

Jesse Ventura/Glen Jacobs!!!   Libertarian ticket

 

Hey, it would be the most intimidating ticket in American history.

Edited April 27, 2016 by Angel Oracle