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'Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball'

When the Brooklyn Dodgers recruited Jackie Robinson as the first black major league baseball player of the 20th century, the team's desire to win a pennant had as much to do with the decision as civil rights did. NPR's Scott Simon, who has just written a book on Robinson's milestone, discusses the legendary player on Morning Edition.

Copyright 2002 NPR

Scott Simon is one of America's most admired writers and broadcasters. He is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday and is one of the hosts of NPR's morning news podcast Up First. He has reported from all fifty states, five continents, and ten wars, from El Salvador to Sarajevo to Afghanistan and Iraq. His books have chronicled character and characters, in war and peace, sports and art, tragedy and comedy.