BLACK HISTORY MONTH:
A Baseball Prospective
by Joe Thurston, #22
Being a Major League Baseball player was a lifelong dream of mine. And in 1999, I was thrilled when the Los Angeles Dodgers drafted me. Being a Dodger had a double meaning for me. My first Major League game was played in a Dodgers uniform. And when I put that uniform on for the first time, I immediately thought about Jackie Robinson.
Jackie Roosevelt Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia on January 31. When Jackie was one year old, his mother moved to Pasadena, CA where he was raised. A gifted athlete, he attended Pasadena Junior College, where he was the shortstop and leadoff hitter of his baseball team, quarterback of the football team and ran track and field. He broke several jump records, ironically held by his brother Mack.
After Pasadena Junior College, Jackie attended UCLA, where he began the first of many unprecedented feats. He lettered in football, track, basketball and baseball - a first for any collegiate athlete.
In 1942, Jackie was drafted into the US Army and served for two years. After his stint in the service, he returned to playing baseball. In 1947, he broke the color barrier in US professional sports by signing with and playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Jackie's time in the big leagues was filled with spectacular play on the field and courageous battles off the field. Our country was still going through adversity and ignorance. Jackie stood tall during this period by becoming an advocate for Dr. Martin Luther King and several other Civil Rights leaders.
Last season, I played for the Atlanta Braves - another franchise with a long-standing history that has helped pave the way for a sport free of racial barriers. Hank Aaron, one of the all time greats, played 21 seasons for the Braves and won three Gold Gloves, a World Series title and hit 755 home runs, a Major League record that stood from 1974 to 2006.
As an African-American baseball player, I am forever grateful for the efforts and sacrifices that such pioneers as Jackie, Hank, Bob Gibson, Ferguson Jenkins, Willie Mays, Reggie Jackson, and countless others who paved the way to allow all races to play the sport we love. Without such players of the past, there would be no Carl Crawford, CC Sabathia or Ryan Howard today.
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