Yesterday the MLB came together for Jackie Robinson Day. Players, coaches, and managers all wore number 42 (which was officially retired from the league in 1997) and Rachel Robinson, Jackie’s widow, was honored in Yankee stadium before the team’s game against the Angels. And as America’s favorite pastime celebrated one of its best players, the country also celebrated a man who bravely broke racial lines for the love of his sport.
When President Ronald Regan posthumously awarded Jackie Robinson with the Presidential Award of Freedom, he praised him for striking “a mighty blow for equality, freedom and the American way of life.” And even today Robinson is still celebrated as a hero in the civil rights movement.
But when Robinson came to Harvard on Monday, April 24, 1950, he did not come to discuss race relations or the still-applicable “Separate but Equal” standard. No, Robinson came to talk about what he did. He came to talk about baseball.
Robinson came to speak about his success in college sports, his decision to pursue baseball at the professional level, and his tips for bolstering the faltering Harvard team. A Crimson article about the event also promised that Robinson would “give some hints to college baseball stars with big league aspirations.”
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It was a mixed weekend for Harvard athletics. While softball dominated, outscoring its opponents 26-4 en route to four consecutive wins, baseball struggled, falling in three of weekend contests.
In the world of lacrosse, while senior Jeff Cohen became the top goalscorer in program history, No. 5 Cornell proved to be too much in a 14-10 win over the Crimson. Meanwhile, the women’s squad cruised to victory, 16-8, over Brown.
Check out the best of the weekend in sports photo here.
Remember Zach Boden?
In the fall, the freshman from Atlanta emerged as a standout player on the Harvard football team. In his rookie season, Boden gained significant playing time as a running back. He was twice named Ivy League Rookie of the Week and averaged 6.1 yards per carry on the season with six touchdowns.
Boden’s story continued to unfold earlier this spring when he decided to join the baseball team while still fully participating in football offseason workouts.
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Long walks around Legoland and Disney World, intense blowgun fights, bike rides along Venice Beach and crashing in Tommy Lee Jones’ private barn—perhaps not how you would have expected Crimson athletes to spend their spring breaks. But when we caught up with some of Harvard’s spring season athletes, we found that most of them were able to enjoy a mixture of business and pleasure over last week’s recess.
While crew endured two-a-day practices on the Charles, many Crimson teams chose to compete on the road. Men’s volleyball, men’s tennis, women’s water polo and softball all hit up California for the break, while the polo team and baseball chose to take advantage of the Sunshine State. And that’s just to name a few.
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Housing Day is filled with the hype of which house is the best house. But whether it be quad or river, it doesn't really matter what house you're in, right? All that matters is who wears the house the best. Here is a list of athletes who make their houses shine.
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