If you’ve been a baseball fan for a while, you know why the death of Frank Robinson drew lots of attention.
Frank Robinson was not only one of the greatest players to ever play the game, from Rookie of the Year to 12-time All Star, to first ballot selection in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Robinson was also a complete ballplayer; great at hitting, fielding and running.
With rule and strategy changes in baseball over the years, there are few, if any players like him today.
But Frank Robinson also did something in baseball and for baseball for which awards are not given but for which respect is earned.
Robinson achieved something he wanted, to become the first African-American manager in the Major Leagues when he was hired by the Cleveland Indians.
He pushed for more minorities in baseball and helped develop a policy directing teams to interview at least one minority candidate for any manager’s job.
In a sport that in its first several decades of history reflected the widespread prejudice of its time, Robinson broke a barrier just like Jackie Robinson did before him by becoming the first black player in Major League Baseball.
At a time when we need more people in the world of sports for our kids to look up to, maybe in some away, Frank Robinson’s death will spur others to be like him.
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