The Mad Set Collector (Joseph Inzirillo) 🥁

"Racists screamed slurs at the black man until the white man from Kentucky walked across the infield and put a hand on Robinson's shoulder. The act said they were in this together. They were black and white, human beings and Dodgers. There is an even better story. It defines Reese's personality and explains why so many people came to think of him as extraordinary. It tells us about his poise, wit and courage. It tells us why he was the Dodgers' Captain and why, half a century later, his friends still call him 'The Captain'. It happened in Atlanta in 1947. A letter had come to Robinson with a promise that the Ku Klux Klan would kill him if he showed up in that city's Ponce de Leon Park. That night, as the Dodgers were warming up, Robinson and Reese threw from spots alongside each other. Then Reese looked at Robinson. "Damn, Jackie! Get the hell away from me, will you? The guy might be a bad shot." They laughed and went on throwing. They were Hall of Fame players, and they were better people. In the winter of 1997, preparing a magazine story on the 50th Anniversary of Robinson's rookie season, a sportswriter called Reese to talk about Robinson. "Aw, no. You know the Jackie stories better than I do by now." "But, Pee Wee, I need your voice." "Just don't make me out to be a hero. It took no courage to do what I did. Jackie had the courage. If it had been me, a white man, trying to be the only one in the black leagues, I couldn't have done it. What Jackie had to endure, the criticism, the catcalls; I wouldn't have had the courage. Jackie could help us win, I wanted to win, I wanted him on our team. That's it." Dave Kindred.