Tag Archives: Jackie Robinson
Dixie Walker
Dixie Walker (Baseball. Born, Villa Rica, GA, Sept. 24, 1910; died, Birmingham, AL, May 17, 1982.) Another Yankees reject who made his name in Brooklyn, Fred Walker was doubtless one of the best $10,000 investments in baseball history. After parts of five seasons with the Yankees, Walker was sent to the White Sox via waivers […]
Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson (Baseball. Born, Cairo, GA, Jan. 31, 1919; died, Stamford, CT, Oct. 24, 1972.) Jack Roosevelt Robinson is more than a baseball figure. He is a goliath among Americans. Introduced by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 as the first black man to play in the modern history of the major leagues, Robinson accomplished astounding […]
Branch Rickey
Branch Rickey (Baseball. Born, Stockdale, OH, Dec. 20, 1881; died, Columbia, MO, Dec. 9, 1965.) When Branch Rickey came to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1942, he inherited a club that had won the 1941 National League championship. The team, however, was soon to yield to the ravages of age, accelerated by the onset of World […]
Eddie Stanky
Eddie Stanky (Baseball. Born, Philadelphia, PA, Sept. 3, 1916; died, Fairhope, AL, June 6, 1999.) About half of Edward Raymond Stanky’s 11-year career was spent with New York teams. The Brat spent almost four years with the Dodgers (1944-47) and two more with the Giants (1950-51). He helped both win pennants. Stanky hit .252 and was […]
Don Newcombe
Don Newcombe (Baseball. Born, Madison, NJ, June 14, 1926.) An overpowering right-hander, big Don Newcombe was one of the key players on the great post-World War II Brooklyn Dodgers championship teams. He was a three-time 20-game winner and, in 1956, had a 27-7 record that led the National League. Newcombe came to Ebbets Field in […]
Tom Greenwade
Tom Greenwade (Baseball. Born, Willard, MO, Aug. 21, 1904; died, Ash Grove, MO, Aug. 10, 1986.) After a minor league career was ended by an arm injury, Thomas Greenwade became a manager in the minors and then, in 1941, a scout. Greenwade started with the old St. Louis Browns but was hired by the Brooklyn […]
Junior Gilliam
Junior Gilliam (Baseball. Born, Nashville, TN, Oct. 17, 1928; died, Inglewood, CA, Oct. 8, 1978.) Signed by the Dodgers out of the Negro National League in 1950, James William Gilliam hit .287 at Montreal of the International League in his first season. A year later, Gilliam hit .301, drove in 112 runs, and scored a […]
Happy Chandler
Happy Chandler (Baseball. Born, Corydon, KY, July 14, 1898; died, Versailles, KY, June 15, 1991.) A brash, noisy product of old-style Kentucky Democratic politics, Albert Benjamin Chandler was the second commissioner of baseball (1945-51). Chandler was also Lieutenant Governor (1931-35), twice Governor (1935-39, 1955-59) and U.S. Senator (1939-45) of his native state. He followed Kennesaw […]
Al Campanis
Al Campanis (Baseball. Born, Kos, Greece, Nov. 2, 1916; died, Fullerton, CA, June 21, 1998.) Born in the Dodecanese Islands of Greece, Alexander Sebastian Campanis emigrated to the U.S. with his family at age six. Campanis was a natural all-around athlete. He was a multi-sport standout at Manhattan’s George Washington H.S. and then matriculated at N.Y.U. […]
