Happy Jackie Robinson Day

Today is the day all of Baseball celebrates the official integration of Major League Baseball. It is Jackie Robinson Day. This is a kind of holiday to commemorate a great man and a great Dodger for his great accomplishments that many thought would never come. Jackie Robinson did the heroic. He battled in the field while battling fans and opposing players. For those first few years he turned the other cheek, and was rewarded with the respect he deserved by birth. Then, he spoke up and helped America understand why. Jackie was a trailblazer and a true leader.

On this day, many players will wear #42 throughout the day as stories and commentaries will be read from coast to coast. At this evenings Dodger game Tommy Davis, "Sweet" Lou Johnson, Tommy Lasorda, Frank Robinson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be introduced on the field. All players will be wearing #42 jerseys, and Don Newcombe, Jackie's former roommate, will throw out the first pitch to our center fielder Matt Kemp.

It will be a day of pomp and circumstance, but let's not forget the struggle that brought us here.

(Pics of card front and back from The Beckett Blog)