Welcome Steemian friends. Let's turn to baseball as I enjoy doing, when not focussing on the "markets". Baseball has been a big part of my life and I played, I'm proud to say well enough to be looked at by the Yankees, among others. My left arm (pitching) never quite cooperated, lol. But, I remain a student of the great game and some of its history.

It should bother us all that black men could die for America in World Wars but could not play Major League Baseball, or eat in the same restaurants and stay in the same hotels even when they were allowed to play in the Major Leagues.

We all know that in 1947 The Brooklyn Dodgers boldly brought Jackie Robinson up from their Montreal farm team. Yes 1947.

![jackie-robinson.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmfHoQMCziCpxV1wL7JwutRK98CZR17Za4Bqd9WYHNu5ph/jackie-robinson.jpg)

Photo above: wikipedia. Jackie Robinson

What you don't know (many of you), is that 12 years went buy and the Red Sox refused to sign a black player. they were pressured and finally brought up Pumpsie Green (who?) from the minors in 1959.

![image.jpeg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmYk8iu6yy7Kf1SmnmCCx8PyWytTf6LP21gawA71tmwqLp/image.jpeg)

Pumpsie Green above: wikipedia

The Yankees should not be so proud either. It took them 8 years to bring up Elston Howard! see photo below,
Wikipedia.

![howard1280_jihki66h_f9aut9p1.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmZiF7U2bscHZetUwgN4FLaxSzxUspSuXT4vj3AxGExn5G/howard1280_jihki66h_f9aut9p1.jpg)

The great Elston Howard above could do everything really well on the ballfied but run. Casey Stengel the Yankee manager complained publicly, "they finally get me a N***** and they get me one that can't run!  America, 1955.

But the Red Sox take the cake. They (and the Yankees) could have had Willie Mays, Hank Aaron etc. And refused to sign a black. Boston has been in the past a notoriously racial northern city. The great Bill Russell of the Celtics said he was treated in Boston as badly as if he'd been in the deep south.

Following the Dodgers, Cleveland in 1948 signed Larry Doby. The NY Giants signed Hank Thompson and Willie Mays in 1951. The rest is history.

Oh yes, Pumpsie went on to play five years as a backup infielder in MLB. He had a .243 career avg. The Red sox soon brought up Earl Wilson who did little as well with the Sox. Meanwhile the list of great black players was already long by the time the Red Sox were embarrassed into signing an African American.

Thanks for stopping buy. UPVOTE and FOLLOW...Yankee-Statman.