JACKIE ROBINSON RUMORS

Front Five: The top stories that shaped both sports & politics this week “As for the governor's future, he appreciates the interest and concern about his next employment from his friends in the media, but he is not concerned at all about it." - Chris Christie spokesman Brian MurrayDallas Cowboys fan and New Jersey governor Chris Christie will take to the airwaves for two days...

Last winter, when the "MLB: The Show" video game series debuted its cover, the visage that adorned it was a shockingly welcome surprise. It was The Kid, Ken Griffey Jr., a man who is arguably baseball’s most mainstream star of the last two decades and unquestionably the game’s greatest crossover star in a generation.And while it is not surprising to see an all-time great pushed...

An infamous line was broadcast to the world by the young kids in the classic flick “The Sandlot.”“You play ball like a girl!”It was a term to use as a demeaning way to show females were incapable of playing such a sport. We can finally say that isn’t true now.Major League and USA Baseball recently launched the “Trailblazer Series” which is a new baseball tournament...

The Dodgers honored Jackie Robinson in a big way on Saturday, by immortalizing him on the 70th anniversary of him making his MLB debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers.It was unveiled at Dodger Stadium in front of the fans, and features him sliding into a base, which is fitting. Here’s what the statue looks like. And here’s a close-up shot of it. Robinson’s achievements can’t be...

“Baseball was rooted not just in the past but in the culture of the country; it was celebrated in the nation’s literature and songs. When a poor American boy dreamed of escaping his grim life, his fantasy probably involved becoming a professional baseball player. It was not so much the national sport as the binding national myth.” –David Halberstam, Summer of ‘49The room...

ESPN news editor Claire Smith is an incredible trailblazer, and someone who’s survived and thrived despite a lot of adversity. That was shown in December when she became the first female recipient of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award, the top honor for a baseball writer and one that will lead to her induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame’s media wing in July. It was further demonstrated...

As the corner turns to March, the spring picks up pace and the sounds of the national pastime begin ringing out again. The waning days of February also bring to a close yet another Black History Month and the reminders and reminiscing the month brings of the works of many great African-Americans throughout the nation’s history. It is at the intersection of these two institutions...

Before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947, black players weren’t allowed in Major League Baseball. Before the recent advances in the United States’ relationship with Cuba, it was rare for Cuban players to escape their homeland. Thus, the MLB wasn’t always a perfect sampling of the best players in the world.Even without restrictions, some star international players...

Before Jackie Robinson broke the Major League Baseball color barrier, helping set into motion a dramatic shift in racial attitude in this nation, he was a four-sport star at UCLA. In addition to playing baseball, he won 1940 NCAA Men’s Track and Field Championships and was one of only four black players on the school’s football team. Now, more than three quarters of a century...

On April 15th, 1947, the color barrier in Major League Baseball was famously broken. Can you name the 18 African American players who first played for each MLB franchise?Clue: Team-Date of first gameNotes: Teams that relocated to a new city after already breaking the color line are not listed a second time. Expansion teams that joined MLB after 1961 had been integrated from their...