We managed to get in, scramble up a ramp, and find a place to stand behind the last row of grandstan
We managed to get in, scramble up a ramp, and find a place to stand behind the last row of grandstand seats. Then they shut the gates. No place remained to stand. Robinson came up in the first inning. I remember the sound. It wasn’t the shrill, teenage cry you now hear, or an excited gut roar. They applauded, long, rolling applause. A tall, middle-aged black man stood next to me, a smile of almost painful joy on his face, beating his palms together so hard they must have hurt. When Robinson stepped into the batter’s box, it was as if someone had flicked a switch. The place went silent.- Mike Royko on seeing Robinson’s first game at Wrigley Field (Chicago Daily News)Read the rest: “Jackie’s Debut a Unique Day” (scroll down)Robinson & Pee Wee Reese image: “Jackie Robinson at Wrigley Field 1947″ video (screen cap via TheArchivist/YouTube) -- source link