On 15 April 1997, at Shea Stadium in New York, Major League Baseball honored the great Jackie Robinson by celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of his historic entry into the big leagues. At that time, I said, The day Jackie Robinson stepped on a major league field will forever be remembered as baseball's proudest moment. Jackie's achievement, so ably assisted by Branch Rickey, was a seminal event not only for baseball but also for the entire country. For the first time, baseball, long hailed as