April 22 is the anniversary of one of the worst events in Philadelphia Phillies history. Thanks to Hollywood, we have an idea of the kind of abuse Jackie Robinson withstood from Ben Chapman.
https://youtu.be/MkKK49vrd6Q /nosanitize
https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/april-22-1947-jackie-robinsons-first-meeting-with-ben-chapman/
@mikeharmanos Back in my media days I worked at a radio station about an hour from Royston. I love these stories. They really reflect nature of the culture and where the country was at the time.
@dauphin87 Very much so. Also, I didnโt mean to divert away from the story, that Chapman had gone from an inveterate racist to something less than in his older age. Those kind of subtle shifts were, indeed, progress. They still fell woefully short.
@dauphin87 Great article! Interesting note about Big Ed Walsh. He grew up about 5 minutes from where I grew up.
โEd Walsh, born and raised in Pennsylvania, loved to yell at. Georgia-born Ty Cobb, "Cobb, I hear you're from Royston, where men are men and sheep are nervous!")โ