The best day of the year is finally here. A huge thanks to football and basketball for doing all that they could to make the boring months less boring!

Speaking of Opening Days, one of the greatest moments in baseball history occurred 33 years ago when Frank Robinson went deep in his first game as a player manager.

The first ever MLB game managed by an African-American.

"It's nice to come into a town and be referred to as the manager of the Cleveland Indians instead of as the first black manager."

Robbie was an interesting character and there's been much written about his time in Cleveland:

Robinson was run out of three games last year—and already has matched that number this season. American League umpires consider him a complainer, a constant arguer, a picker of nits. His feelings for them were made clear in Frank, a recently published diary of Robinson's first season as a manager: "By the nature of their job, umpires are dictators. If nobody is allowed to challenge their decisions, they soon begin to think that everything they call has to be correct, just because they have called it."

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True to his word, Robinson has generally been cooling it this season, and his improving young Indians were one game over .500 at the end of last week. Excellent pitching, especially by the bullpen led by Lefthander Dave LaRoche, has boosted the team from fourth, where it finished a year ago, to second, nine games behind New York. And Robinson, whose managing talents were already drawing quiet compliments from baseball's insiders at the end of last season, now is gaining recognition as one of the game's best teacher-strategists.

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When the league refused to cancel an assignment for the DiMuro crew to work an Indians-Rangers series in Texas, President Ted Bonda erupted, "There is no doubt in my mind they have a psychological malice against our team." Robinson ordered a $100-a-word fine for any player or coach who said anything to the umpires.

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There was also much written about his dismissal:

When Frank Robinson took charge of the Cleveland Indians in 1975, he became the first black manager in the major leagues. Last week, almost inevitably, he became the first black manager to get fired. His dismissal came just after his fifth-place team had swept two games with Detroit; it also came at the end of a stormy stretch during which Designated Malcontent Rico Carty stood up at a booster-club luncheon and lambasted his manager, during which the team's broadcaster openly advocated Robinson's dismissal, and during which Cleveland General Manager Phil Seghi behaved in such a way that his manager could have sued him for nonsupport.

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By all accounts, including Robinson's, his dismissal was not for racial reasons. On the contrary, some Cleveland observers thought Indian owner Alva (Ted) Bonda kept Robinson around longer than he otherwise might have because Robinson is black.

"That wasn't the case," says Bonda. "There wasn't any pressure. Actually, the black fans never materialized at the park, although I know they took pride in him. It certainly had no effect on the firing."

What did have an effect was what Bonda refers to as "divisiveness down in the clubhouse" and "conditions beyond Robinson's control."

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Carty, a black Latin, was the condition most beyond Robinson's control. Last season, Carty was ejected from a game for swearing at an umpire over a strike call, and Robinson chewed him out on the bench. Relations were strained thereafter. On April 25, Carty got up to accept an award at a Wahoo Club luncheon and with Robinson sitting three feet away, accused his manager of "lack of leadership."

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The Indians' and Robinson's problems did not stop with Carty. Infielder Larvell Blanks, also a black, threw a tantrum, chucking equipment out of his locker and kicking a stool that smashed into a coffee urn. Then he refused to honor Robinson's request to come into the manager's office. Two days later, for reasons that remain unexplained, Third Baseman Buddy Bell, a white player, left the stadium and went home without telling any of the brass.

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There was trouble in the broadcast booth, too. Announcer Joe Tait rapped Robinson on a local talk show, then repeated his criticism in an interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

"I don't think Robinson has the mental or emotional capacity to manage well," said Tait. He added, "It's tough for a superstar to communicate with guys of less talent. I just don't think Frank knows how to stir them up the way he stirred himself up when he played."

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No matter how it went down or who was to blame for it ending, his time in Cleveland was legendary.

Play ball, boys.




Beanpot
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/ma...G1091276/1/index.htm
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/ma...G1092564/1/index.htm

Well, it is going to be a much better day (weather-wise) than it was last year. We are expecting temp's in the 50's, although with a pretty good chance of rain.

This first series usually doesn't mean a whole lot but in a stacked AL Central, the White Sox need to win the series to give themselves a shot of confidence.

I think the Sox can do more than just hang around if their pitching comes together. I think their offense will come back and surprise people who have forgotten just how loaded they really are but it's all on the pitching. If Beurhle and Contreras pitch well and the reconstructed bullpen comes together, then all bets are off in the Central. It's going to be a battle.

Can't wait to watch it! DirecTV is giving this first week free as a preview for their package, for all you DirecTV people. Our game is on 729 today.

Let's go SOX!

Sorry, had to cement my turncoat status around here.

Gotta love those old all red Tribe unis....

This day and the opening day of football, are my favorite days of the year.

quote:

Originally posted by damajuki:


I think the Sox can do more than just hang around if their pitching comes together. I think their offense will come back and surprise people who have forgotten just how loaded they really are but it's all on the pitching. If Beurhle and Contreras pitch well and the reconstructed bullpen comes together, then all bets are off in the Central. It's going to be a battle.

Wow That's a lot of if's

I thought The pale hose weakened themselves this off season by trading starting pitching.

Can Conteras and Buehrle come back ?

What will Danks and Floyd do this year?

Can they piece a bully to get to a darn good closer

Dotel was all over the place today and had to come in to Blake when he hit it off the wall.

Seems to me that the sox offensively are aging offensively a bit also

I don't see em getting 3rd this year
and Guillen is let go by the All Star break

quote:

Sorry, had to cement my turncoat status around here.

It's a fun place at times around here on this side of the board

quote:

Originally posted by damajuki:
Can't wait to watch it! DirecTV is giving this first week free as a preview for their package, for all you DirecTV people. Our game is on 729 today.

Let's go SOX!

First, I wish your team death.

Second, isn't it terrific that DTV is going to offer both home and away feeds this year? I know it didn't happen yesterday (not sure if it's contractual or not but I've never watched a WKYC game on DTV ever) but that's a pretty sweet addition.

Beanpot

quote:

Originally posted by JGerlich71097:

quote:

Originally posted by damajuki:


I think the Sox can do more than just hang around if their pitching comes together. I think their offense will come back and surprise people who have forgotten just how loaded they really are but it's all on the pitching. If Beurhle and Contreras pitch well and the reconstructed bullpen comes together, then all bets are off in the Central. It's going to be a battle.

Wow That's a lot of if's

I thought The pale hose weakened themselves this off season by trading starting pitching.

Can Conteras and Buehrle come back ?

What will Danks and Floyd do this year?

Can they piece a bully to get to a darn good closer

Dotel was all over the place today and had to come in to Blake when he hit it off the wall.

Seems to me that the sox offensively are aging offensively a bit also

I don't see em getting 3rd this year
and Guillen is let go by the All Star break

Well, so far so good for the Sox after a rough start.

They're actually not all that old offensively. The vets are early 30s with Thome as the elder statesman. But Swish is 26, Crede 28, and Anderson/Owens/Quentin all in their early-to-mid 20's. A good mix, actually.

I liked the Garland trade because they weren't going to pay him the king's ransom he is going to get after this season. Other than JG, all they traded was minor leaguers (good ones, admittedly) for Swisher. Not so bad.

And veteran lineups tend to be patient. See what they did to Dontrelle today? That was a beautiful display of professional patience and hitting today and then the bullpen locked it down to seal the win.

The bullpen has worked perfectly since Dotel's opening day hiccup, in fact. I think all that happened there is what he said happened, i.e., he threw the fastball loving Blake a fastball and he punished it. Next day he gave him nothing but sliders and Blake grounded out.

Sox are going to be tough, I'm telling you. There's only one "if" and that's the starting pitching. But look what we've gotten from Danks and now Floyd. Those guys keep that up, watch out Tribe.

Meanwhile, how bad is Detroit looking? It's crazy to think Granderson had such a huge impact but I guess it makes sense.

quote:

Originally posted by Beanpot:
First, I wish your team death.

Second, isn't it terrific that DTV is going to offer both home and away feeds this year? I know it didn't happen yesterday (not sure if it's contractual or not but I've never watched a WKYC game on DTV ever) but that's a pretty sweet addition.

Beanpot

First, totally understandable, if a bit harsh.

Second, yes, it is pretty sweet. We're thinking about buying the baseball package but the fact there are no Saturday afternoon or Sunday night games bugs me. Those are the days I'm most likely to watch and I get nothing there. Hard to swallow.

Do you have it, beans? What say you on this issue?

quote:

Originally posted by damajuki:
Second, yes, it is pretty sweet. We're thinking about buying the baseball package but the fact there are no Saturday afternoon or Sunday night games bugs me. Those are the days I'm most likely to watch and I get nothing there. Hard to swallow.

Do you have it, beans? What say you on this issue?

I've had it for a few years now and absolutely love it. The Saturday afternoon blackouts drive me nuts but the Indians have managed to avoid them fairly often by playing night games. Not sure about the Sox.

How often are they on WGN? I think they're on a Comcast channel that's included in the sports tier but you have to subscribe to the package to get those games.

Either way, I highly recommend it juki!

Beanpot