Political Quotes

“Madam President, last week America lost Frank Robinson, a baseball legend and a pioneer for civil rights. Frank Robinson spent much of his career in Ohio. He starred first for the Cincinnati Reds All-Star World Series championship team. They built a team around him in Cincinnati with Vada Pinson and others. Near the end of his career, he went to Cleveland, and he managed for the Cleveland Indians. He was a pioneer for change in baseball. Larry Doby, whom we honored last year with a Congressional Medal, was the first African-American player in the American League. He played for Cleveland. He came up only several weeks after Jackie Robinson broke the color line. Then in 1974, Frank Robinson became the Major League's first African- American manager. I was at the game when he--that first game he managed. He hit a home run his first time at bat. He was the DH for the Indians. He was what is called a player-manager. In the days since his passing, we have heard people say that Frank Robinson was one of the most underappreciated legends of the game, but the same could also be said of his importance to our country. There are few players in baseball who have accomplished anything close--on the field or off the field--to what Frank Robinson did. He is the only person to have won a league MVP in both the American and National Leagues--with the National League for the Reds and with the American League for the Orioles. He was Rookie of the Year with the Reds.…”