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Show JPG Blab By MARCELLA WALKER once again. I lowever, when the Dodgers were in Brooklyn they were good rivals with the Yankees. The Yankees, in those bygone days of the late 40's and 50's, often were the American League champions and were in the World Series. They won too often for my comfort so the Yankees and the American League became the ones to beat and since that time I have always cheered for a National League team in the World Series, whether or not it was the Dodgers. So, you can see where my love for Jackie Robinson has taken me and formed me and made up my prejudices for my lifetime. I wouldn't There is a time between basketball and football that is known as baseball season. This brings to mind a collage of pictures including hawkers selling hotdogs and pop, dramatic umpires, splintery bleachers, baseball caps on both players and fans, and catching foul balls. The lights are on nightly now down at the baseball diamonds near the rodeo grounds - Shannon Field -which means the teams are practicing, prac-ticing, if not playing yet. We read where Pete Rose celebrated his 41st birthday the other day playing ball. We know Danny Ainge won't be with the Toronto Blue Jays this year. Reggie Jackson has gone to play for Gene Autry cheer for the Yankees nowhere, nohow, although I have admitted the talent of Mickey Mantle, Joe Dimaggio and a few other Yankee players from time to time. From the big time, I'm going to return to the land of baseball and softball we can find right here in Pleasant Grove, no charge. Hardly a night goes by in the summertime when there is not a game going on at the several ball parks in town. The city league play at the Shannon Field, the church games are played at Battlecreek Park, the Little League plays at the diamonds near the Pleasant Grove High School . Any time anyone feels like watching wat-ching ball there is a game to go to. What is more, those guys out there love to have fans in the bleachers watching them run around the bases. There are good hotdogs, popcorn, splintery bleachers, dramatic umpires um-pires (just keep an eye on old Bob Morton) , foul balls for the kids to shag at 10 cents a return, and lots of baseball caps. It is just as good as the major leagues. Just as exciting, too. It is all'' there. Only Jackie Robinson is missing. (remember how well he used to sing, not only cowboy songs, but also children's favorites - Autry, that is, not Jackson. Valenzuela is playing without a contract, I beieve, and we'll see if the youngster had a fluke year last season or if he is for real. The Braves are going along breaking records for the starting of a season. Many say the Dodgers will not repeat as World Champs, All this leads up to a story I'd like to tell. As a young teen I became very devoted, as a fan, to Jackie Robinson, them a young baseball player, the first black player in the major leagues. I was completely awed by his courage, his ability and his determination. deter-mination. I read everything I could about him - news stories, biography, anything. Because of my great love and admiration ad-miration for this man I came to love the Brooklyn Dodgers and this became a life-long love. I'll admit it was a bit hard when the team left Brooklyn and went to California, but I survived and no one was happier than I was that they were the champions |