nhscgraber: 2010

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Jackie Robonson

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Defending the Negative things about Jackie

Jackie made a lot of great plays, and very few things he did wrong. The people that commented on his mistakes shouldn't have. Instead of commenting on his mistakes they should have commented on his great plays that he made. There were more great plays then there were bad.

Negitive Post

Jackie had to face racism. Every ballpark that he went to he would get called names. Being the only African-American in baseball was a hard thing. Everyone would make sure to point out every little mistake that he made on and off the field. They would never say anything about all the great plays that he made.

Positive blog

Jackie was a very positive person. He would never let anything get him down. He would never hang his head. Even through the racism and the rough times, he kept his head up.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Inspired Jackie

Robinson's older brother, Matthew Robinson, inspired Jackie to pursue his talent and love for athletics. Matthew won a silver medal in the 200-meter dash just behind Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.

Inspired

Jackie Robinson inspired me, because he had a lot of guts to change baseball. It would take a lot of courage to do what he did. He took a lot of stuff from everyone. Jackie was extremely nice to everyone. People would yell mean names at him, but he didn't pay attention to it. He was very strong inside.

A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives. ~Jackie Robinson
I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me... All I ask is that you respect me as a human being. ~Jackie Robinson
Life is not a spectator sport. If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you're wasting your life. ~Jackie Robinson

pivotal point in Jackie's life

The pivotal point that happened in Jackie's life is when Dodger's President Branch Rickey selected him to become the first African-American to play in the majors this century. Rickey wanted a man who could restrain himself from responding to the ugliness of the racial hatred that was certain to come. This unwritten pact between two men would change the course of a country. Baseball might only be a game, but in the area of black and white, it often is a leader. Robinson's debut for the Dodgers in 1947 came a year before President Harry Truman desegregated the military and seven years before the Supreme Court ruled desegregation in public schools was unconstitutional.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Jackie's adversity

Jackie Robinson overcame racism. He faced racism all his life. It was really bad when he became a professional baseball player.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Jackie's Success

Jackie was the first african american to break the color barrier in professional baseball. He served in the military too, but was arrested from not sitting in the back of the bus. After he was released he became the first african american to play professional baseball. His instinct wasn't to turn the other cheek, but to face problems head on. He was more prone to fighting back than holding back. That's what Robinson had to do when Dodgers president Branch Rickey selected him to become the first African-American to play in the majors this century. Rickey was dead-on about the racism. As Sports Illustrated's Bill Nack wrote: "Robinson was the target of racial epithets and flying cleats, of hate letters and death threats, of pitchers throwing at his head and legs, and catchers spitting on his shoes." Robinson learned how to exercise self-control -- to answer insults, violence and injustice with silence. A model of unselfish team play, he earned the respect of his teammates and, eventually, the opposition. The 6-foot, 195-pound Robinson was the Rookie of the Year and two years later he was MVP. His lifetime average was .311 and he was voted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Pigeon-toed and muscular, it was No. 42's aggressiveness on the basepaths that thrilled fans. It wasn't so much his two stolen-base titles or his 197 thefts. It was the way he was a disruptive force, dancing off the base, drawing every eye in the stadium, making the pitcher crazy, instilling the Dodgers with the spirit that would help them win six pennants in his 10 seasons.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Jackie Robinson biograghy

Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia on January 31, 1919 to a family of sharecroppers. His birth name was Jack Rooselvelt Robinson. His mother was Mallie Robinson. She raised Jackie and his four other siblings by herself. Jackie was the youngest of the 5 children. They were the only black family on their block. The predjudice they encountered only strengthed their bond.

Jackie's father left the family when he was born. Jackie attended John Muir High School and Pasadena Junior College. Where he was an excellent athlete and played 4 sports: football, basketball, track and baseball. He was named the regions most valuable player in baseball in 1938. Jackie's older brother Mathew, inspired him to pursue his talent and love for athletics. His brother Mathew won a silver medal at the 1936 olympic games in Berlin. Jackie continued his education at the Univeristy of California, where he was the first person to earn varsity letters in 4 different sports. In 1941, despite his athletic success, Robinson was forced to leave UCLA just shy of graduation due to financial hardship. He moved to Hawaii where he played for the Honolulu Bears, a semi-profession football team. His season was cut short though when the United States entered World War II. After he discharged
from the army in 1944, Robinson played baseball professionally.