Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers Author:Milton J. Shapiro Jackie Robinson was a target of rank bigots, jealous competitors, and the relentless needling of baseball's most practiced bench jockeys. But Robinson accepted the responsibility of his pioneering role. Branch Rickey, who had brought him up from the Negro leagues for the great experiment, had warned Jackie to "turn the other... more » cheek." And turn it he did, though his blood boiled and his spirit rebelled.
Robinson's answer to his tormentors was in his spectacular play on the ball field. His colorful, aggressive running tactics on the basepaths drove the opposing players frantic. He quickly won a reputation as one of the greatest clutch hitters in the game. He was "Rookie of the Year" for 1947, won the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in 1949, and was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame in 1962.« less