Jackie Robinson was  born on January 19, 1919. He was a great man. He was the first black player in Baseball Major Leagues. He was a man of high standars; when he was traded to the hated New York Giants, he quit baseball. He stole home,in the World Series on Hall of Famer, Yogi Berra(sorry EG but he did) This Blogger grew up in the Golden Age of Brooklyn; when it was Camelot. Brooklyn Dodgers   First Baseman Gil Hodges shopped at our local A&P; Hall of Famer Center Fielder Duke Snider bowled at FREDDIE FITZSIMMONS alley( my brother worked there as a pin monkey); Hall of Famer Shortstop Pee Wee Reese could be seen at WHITE CASTLE buying burgers; and Hall of Famer Second/Third Baseman Jackie Robinson and his wife could be seen picnicking in Prospect Park. Pee Wee Reese, was Robinson’s best friend on the team. Reese was a white man from Kentucky. Before shaking hands with Jackie Robinson, he had NEVER shaken hands with a black man before. Reese knew about blacks, becaus

This Blogger grew up in Brooklyn,during the  twilight years of the Brooklyn Dodgers; with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the series, he has received tons of emails from the old  Brooklyn gang, waxing Proustian on the Golden Years. Readers, one must remember Nostalgia in America was invented by boys who grew up rooting for the Brooklyn Dodgers; there was no nostalgia before us…who wanted to remember the Great Depression? or World War II? Brooklyn had its own newspaper, THE BROOKLYN EAGLE, and its own professional baseball team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. This Blogger is writing this lineup without notes, from pure memory. He can still remember the lineup of te Brooklyn Dodgers during their twilight years. 1B-Gil  Hodges silent, powerful, Indiana boy who came to Brooklyn, married a sweet Italian girl and could be seen shopping at the local A&P….but just wave, don’t bother him. 2B-Junior Gilliam- good enough to have replaced Jackie Robinson at second base. SS-Pee Wee Reese