Reliquary

Over at the Jackie Robinson Center they've got this very cool display about the Negro Baseball Leagues. The display was put together by the Baseball Reliquary which, if I understand correctly, is all about fostering an appreciation of arts and culture "through the context of baseball history." Not the other way around. When you stop by the Center you'll find this display case in the main lobby. Be sure and check out all the details.

Pasadena favorite son Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier by being the first African American to play baseball in the major leagues. But Jackie wasn't the first black athlete to play among whites in American baseball leagues. Before 1890, blacks and whites played baseball together more often than you might think. It wasn't until around 1890 that the minor league circuits began to bar black players.

The Negro National League wasn't official until 1920, but African American players had already formed leagues by the early 1900s and those leagues were going strong. They kept going for a long time. Jackie Robinson played for the Kansas City Monarchs as late as 1945.

Jackie joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 and played for them until 1956. He was elected to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

Giant busts (big, big busts!) of Jackie and his Olympic star brother Mack sit across from City Hall in Pasadena. When you check them out, be sure and look for the details.