Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-10
WIN, LOSE OR
HNAV BY FRANCIS sTANN
Honestly, 1t Wasn't Mortal

READ SOME of the New York sports pages in recent
days would suspect that Jackie Robinson the all
time greatest ball ied-at his peak, of courSe-and
that The Game has suffered mortal blow in his muchpub
licized retirement
They much sports pages as Jackie Robinson
sections Three papers carrying have carried serials
his life his greatest moments ETC. The coumnists weep
for Robinson or revie him because he left the New
York Giants holding the bag by allowing himself to be
traded when secretly he already had byned the story of
his retirement for Look Magazine For fancy ee might
be added
Much of what has written sheer tripe There no
other succnct word for the overysentimenal overly
bitter pieces overlyemphasized story. opflight
bapayer simply quit He nearing 49, battling weight
slowing up afoo and in general reexe and had atched
onto what seems to be job vice president in charge
OF personnel or something for chain of lunch counters
People quit jobs every day But Robinson happened to
be o. the first Negro officially crash the big leagues and
90 he got we'll paid for announcing his decision.
IF HE WERE THE ROBINSON of eight years ago. when
he led the National League with 342 the most
valuable player and the top basesealer with 81 thefts
it would have been different But this old guy, ball.
players are judged He only PTS hitter The
before-1955-he only 256 hitter
Naturally he would not admit publicly that he was
reaching the end of the road That wouldn't be good buS
the part of player seeking protect 5000
$4,000 salary But in the of his mind Jackie knew
the time nigh and must have been far back
1854
His manual sks good but Jack Roosevelt Robinson
was headlner mainly because he the first to crash
the racial barrier thanks Branch Hickey and
he involved in so many hasSeS. In the beginning,
Hickey held him down. No rhubarbs ordered the Mahatma
back in 947 Take the abuse and pretend that feeling
doesn't exist
And Jackie did. But there was flame that burned
within him. flame of fierce competition In time it burst
forth and after Robinson became involved
controversy after another College bred, Jackie suf-
GENTLY arculae to voice his opinions decried against
injuStices, real imaginary. When he wrong he
apoogzed When he felt he right he stood heated
statements.
FROM THE DAY HE REPORTED to the Dodgers via
Montreal it known that Robinson major Lacquer
in ability He could hit and throwthe Big Three Of
the requisites Once he got squared away thanks Hickey
he injected and recklessness into the game
He slid high spikes cleaning he took enemy double
play with the dispatch that he showed while
blocking for UCLA.
But Jackie scarcely the a-tie greats Not at
least in the of Cobb Sister, Speaker, Laoe Wagner
Ruth and few Others Six times he hit better than 300
less controversial and less rewarded player named Cecil
Travis bettered 300 times when Cecil baed
344 and 1859 wasn't in the him his league
True, they were different types Travis tractabe
Robinson rebel More than rival has said of
Jackie Hes the kind who beats you" Travis only helped
to beat you He couldn't bases like Jackie driving
pitchers to distraction, did he hit the long ball But
averagewise he stroked the ball better perhaps
about one-thlrd of the salary.
EVEN IF ROBINSON not committed to retirement
and to Look Magazine he would have been justified in
quitting after his trade by Brooklyn to the Giants After
all, balplayer is entitled to call day, like anybody
else if he is financially able 1t beats wondering
day to the next whether the phone will ring and bring the
word that belong to the Pirates or worse
Fort Worth San Diego
Robinson could not helped the Giants very much
at his age He is the hill and he finally admitted it
the other day when he said I'm near the player
used to be. don't think would have been of any help
to the Giants. They need much than an old guy
like me to put them back in contention"
OF course, Robinson may be backing water after the
criticism his strange retirement inspired Essentially though
he is right The Giants Chuck Dresser put it. lis
dead" They need more than Jackie at age 49,