JACKIE ROBINSON

“Spike” is a new photograph book to be published November 17.

Jerry Pinkney, a prize-winning children’s book illustrator known for his richly textured images of Black life, fables and fairy tales in works ranging from “The Lion and the Mouse” to “The Sunday Outing,” has died at 81.

The NBA, known today as a leader when it comes to culture and racial issues, was anything but during the 1950s when segregation divided the country.

Sooner than many baseball fans wanted, maybe, but the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers will meet in a winner-take-all Game 5 of the NL Division Series at Oracle Park.

Everybody expected a playoff series for the ages between the century-old rival Dodgers and Giants, and now they’ve got it.

It is only fitting that 70 years after Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard ’Round the World” that the Giants and Dodgers will play in another all-or-nothing game.

Randy Arozarena became the first player to hit a home run and steal home in a postseason game, and rookie Shane McClanahan pitched the Tampa Bay Rays past the Boston Red Sox 5-0 in their AL Division Series opener.

Jerry Harkness, who led Loyola Chicago to a barrier-breaking national basketball championship and a was civil rights pioneer, has died.

Major League Baseball will open the 2022 season on March 31 and will try for the fourth time to have every team play its first game on the same day for the first time since 1968.

Although philanthropy has taken steps to increase the flow of grant dollars to people with disabilities in recent years, disability advocates say the broad push among foundations to incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion in their work has largely left people with disabilities out, both in terms of grants and representation on foundation boards and staff.

Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Russell will be offering hundreds of items at auction from his personal collection of memorabilia.

When Jimmy Rollins made his first All-Star team as a rookie with the Philadelphia Phillies 20 years ago, the percentage of Black players in the majors was 13.

Justin Turner and Max Muncy each hit a three-run homer, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 7-5 as David Price earned his first regular-season save.

Manager Dave Roberts and the Los Angeles Dodgers started Jackie Robinson Day with a private tribute to the Hall of Famer and civil rights advocate.

Max Kepler’s RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning gave Minnesota a 4-3 victory over Boston, stopping a five-game losing streak for the Twins and breaking a nine-game winning string for the Red Sox.

All players, managers, coaches and umpires will wear No. 42 on Thursday to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day, marking the anniversary of the date the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Famer made his Major League Baseball debut and broke the sport’s color barrier in 1947.

Lee Elder was the first Black player to tee it up at the Masters.

The applause started when Lee Elder’s golf cart began moving toward the first tee.

While a tempest brews outside Magnolia Lane over Georgia’s voting rights law, Augusta National would prefer to keep the focus on blooming azaleas, pimento cheese sandwiches and tricky greens.

The NAACP has given him its Jackie Robinson Sports Award. And, for the first time, the nation's oldest civil rights organization is recognizing more than one person by honoring the WNBA Players Association. Ad“I am so proud of the WNBA players for this well-deserved recognition of their continued activism and advocacy for social justice and equality," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement provided to the AP. Warriors coach Steve Kerr, outspoken on many issues himself, admires the WNBA players for their activism. “I love what the WNBA players have done.

FILE - New York Yankees' Lou Gehrig poses at a spring training game in St. Petersburg, Fla., in this March 16, 1935, file photo. Major League Baseball will hold its first Lou Gehrig Day on June 2, 2021, adding Gehrig to Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente on the short list of players honored throughout the big leagues. (AP Photo/Tom Sande, File)NEW YORK – Major League Baseball will hold its first Lou Gehrig Day on June 2, adding Gehrig to Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente on the short list of players honored throughout the big leagues. 4, and all players, managers and coaches will wear a Lou Gehrig Day patch on uniforms and may use red “4-ALS” wristbands. Teams that are off on June 2 will observe Lou Gehrig Day on June 3.

FILE - Former Boston Bruins' Willie O'Ree tips his hat as he is honored prior to the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Montreal Canadiens in Boston, in this Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018, file photo. The Boston Bruins say they will retire the jersey of Willie ORee, who broke the NHLs color barrier. 22 jersey honored prior to the Bruins Feb. 18 game against the New Jersey Devils. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)BOSTON – The Boston Bruins will wait to retire the number of pioneering Black hockey player Willie O’Ree until next year so that they can raise his No. The NHL said Thursday it asked the Bruins and O’Ree to postpone the ceremony until Jan. 18 -- 64 years to the day that he became the league’s first Black player.

(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)NEW YORK – The major league season is scheduled to start April 1 with the New York Yankees hosting Toronto and Detroit hosting Cleveland, part of an opening-day schedule of 15 games. The schedule envisions every team playing its first game on the same day for the first time since 1968. AdThe regular season is scheduled to end Oct. 3, with all games scheduled to start close to simultaneously shortly after 3 p.m. EDT. The Yankees host Boston in the only game scheduled for July 15, the final day of the All-Star break for most teams. Players rejected a proposal by teams to delay opening day to April 28 and cut each team's schedule from 162 games to 154.

FILE - Ken Burns, director of the PBS documentary series "Country Music," takes part in a panel discussion during the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour on July 29, 2019, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Speaking Monday, Feb. 1, 2021, to the Television Critics Association in a virtual Q&A, PBS chief executive Paula Kerger rejected a filmmakers claim that public TVs long relationship with Burns has come at the expense of diversity. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)LOS ANGELES – The chief executive of PBS rejected a filmmaker’s argument that public TV's 40-year relationship with documentarian Ken Burns has come at the expense of diversity. “We create lots of opportunities for many filmmakers,” Kerger said. "The stuff that’s coming up is incredibly diverse in every sense of the meaning of that word,” Burns said.

Joe Carter met his childhood idol when he won the first Hank Aaron Award in 1986 after leading the majors in RBIs. Hank Aaron. Aaron broke Ruth's record with his 715th home run for the Atlanta Braves in 1974 in former President Jimmy Carter's native Georgia. “He grew up poor and faced racism as he worked to become one of the greatest baseball players of all time. It’s going to be at the Hall of Fame, it was Hank Aaron, Joe Morgan, and Frank Robinson.

FILE - In this Sept. 22, 2019, file photo, Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona talks before a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies in Cleveland. Francona, on Friday, Dec. 18, 2020, praised the Cleveland Indians for trying to do the right thing with a name change that was inevitable, and necessary (AP Photo/Phil Long, File)CLEVELAND – Manager Terry Francona praised the Cleveland Indians for trying to “do the right thing” with a name change that was inevitable — and necessary. “I am proud of the fact that we are going to do something that is correct,” Francona said on a Zoom call from his home in Arizona. He's confident Chris Antonetti, the team's president of baseball operations, and general manager Mike Chernoff will do whatever's necessary to keep the Indians competitive. Schilling pitched for Francona in Philadelphia and Boston, where he helped the Red Sox end their long World Series drought.

Major League Baseball has reclassified the Negro Leagues as a major league and will count the statistics and records of its 3,400 players as part of its history. Josh Gibson, the greatest of all Negro League sluggers, might just wind up with a major league record, too. The statistics and records of greats like Gibson, Paige and roughly 3,400 other players are set to join Major League Baseball's books after MLB announced Wednesday it is reclassifying the Negro Leagues as a major league. “We couldn’t be more thrilled by this recognition of the significance of the Negro Leagues in Major League Baseball history,” said Edward Schauder, legal representative for Gibson’s estate and co-founder of the Negro Leagues Players Association. “Granting MLB status to the Negro Leagues a century after their founding is profoundly gratifying.”___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The world also said goodbye to U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a lion of the civil rights movement who died in July. Other former political figures who died this year include Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, New York Mayor David Dinkins, Arizona Gov. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2020 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___David Stern, 77. The guitarist who supplied the scratching, seething sound that fueled the highly influential British punk band Gang of Four. He fused African rhythms with funk to become one of the most influential musicians in world dance music.

Freeman easily won the NL MVP award Thursday, Nov. 12, topping off a trying year that saw him become so ill with COVID-19 he prayed please dont take me. Betts was bidding to join Frank Robinson as the only players to win the MVP award in both leagues. Cleveland third baseman José Ramírez finished second in the AL MVP voting and Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu was third. He became the fourth different White Sox player to win the AL MVP, joining Frank Thomas (1993-94), Dick Allen (1972) and Nellie Fox (1959). A three-time AL MVP, Trout had finished in the top four every season since he was AL Rookie of the Year in 2012.

A boy stands in front of two paintings of Chadwick Boseman during the opening of an art exhibit honoring the actor in his hometown of Anderson, S.C. on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. Nearly 20 local artists took part in the city sponsored project. (Charles McBryde, Via AP)

A boy stands in front of two paintings of Chadwick Boseman during the opening of an art exhibit honoring the actor in his hometown of Anderson, S.C. on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. Local artist Joey Withinarts started painting his take on Boseman’s image just hours after the news broke of his passing. The exhibit, which opened to the public Thursday, features nearly twenty local South Carolina artists. Local artist Troleum Dawson, who is a colon cancer survivor himself, says the project has brought the community closer. Exhibit organizer Herman Keith Jr. sees Boseman's life as a message to young kids living in small towns like Anderson and beyond.

FILE - In this Jan. 22, 2006, file photo, a Joe DiMaggio 1947 MVP Award plaque is displayed at a news conference in New York. The name of Landis, the former baseball commissioner who never had a Black player in the majors during his long reign, is being pulled off all future MVP plaques after more than 75 years. Landis won't be depicted on the annual awards presented by the Baseball Writers Association of the America, the group said Friday, Oct. 2, 2020. Kenesaw Mountain Landis won't be depicted on the annual awards presented by the Baseball Writers’ Association of the America, the group said Friday. “To me, the MVP award should be something that’s all positive,” Larkin told the AP on Friday.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher JT Brubaker delivers during the first inning of the team's baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. To commemorate Roberto Clemente Day, the Pirates all are wearing Clemente's No. The Pirates celebrated Clemente's legacy by wearing his number during the organization's first Roberto Clemente Day" on Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox. The Pirates made sure to extend the tribute beyond the walls of PNC Park, where the Roberto Clemente Bridge stands. One of the things that we have talked about a lot is Roberto Clemente, the player, is one of the greatest players of all time, Shelton said.

Other young fans mourned in more private ways, watching Black Panther" and 42 for the umpteenth time with their families in Boseman's honor. He stumbled on word of Boseman's death on TikTok, before his mother had broken the news. They went the funeral route, using a black car seat for their prone Black Panther. It's so important to acknowledge this loss to children, especially Black children, she said. Boseman's death, she said, may be difficult for parents to discuss because they're reluctant to burst the larger-than-life bubble created in movies.

FILE - In this Feb. 14, 2018 photo, actor Chadwick Boseman poses for a portrait in New York to promote his film, "Black Panther." Boseman, who played Black icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown before finding fame as the regal Black Panther in the Marvel cinematic universe, has died of cancer. His representative says Boseman died Friday, Aug. 28, 2020 in Los Angeles after a four-year battle with colon cancer. (Photo by Victoria Will/Invision/AP)

The scoreboard for baseball game is seen before both the Oakland Athletics and Houston Astros players walked off the field in protest of racial injustice before the start of their baseball game Friday, Aug. 28, 2020, in Houston. After a moment of silence, the teams walked back to their clubhouses. The Astros and Athletics will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 3 p.m. McCullers headed back to the dugout shortly after the national anthem, which was played before the players took the field. I think we all feel the same way.On Thursday, the New York Mets and Miami Marlins took a similar action before their game at Citi Field, walking off the field.

Soto and Howie Kendrick hit back-to-back homers in Washington's five-run third inning, and Max Scherzer struck out 11 to lead the Nationals to a 10-2 victory over the Red Sox on Friday night. Trea Turner and Victor Robles had three hits apiece for Washington, which handed Scherzer (3-1) a 5-0 lead in the third. The Red Sox scored one in the ninth and loaded the bases before Ryne Harper got the last two outs. The Nationals snapped a three-game losing streak and sent the Red Sox to their fourth loss in five games; it's Boston's worst start since the Great Depression. Red Sox: RHP Chris Mazza (0-1) starts in the second game of the series.

God bless Chadwick Boseman. Denzel Washington, via a statement. During the premiere party for Black Panther, Chadwick reminded me of something. My friend and fellow Bison Chadwick Boseman was brilliant, kind, learned, and humble. We are devastated by the tragic loss of Chadwick Boseman. From Black Panther to Da 5 Bloods, Chadwick Boseman brought strength and light to the screen, every time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, via Twitter.

FILE - In this March 4, 2018 file photo, Chadwick Boseman arrives at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Actor Chadwick Boseman, who played Black icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown before finding fame as the regal Black Panther in the Marvel cinematic universe, has died of cancer. When the former playwright suited up as Black Panther, he brought cool intellectual gravitas to the Marvel superhero whose Wakanda forever! salute reverberated worldwide. You dont have the same exact experience as a Black actor as you do as a white actor. Before an auditorium full of actors, Chadwick Boseman stepped to the microphone.

Hamilton will start in pole position for race on Sunday. A superhero died last night so that was really weighing heavy on me today," Hamilton said. I woke up today to the saddest news of Chadwick passing away, Hamilton said. Hamilton, the only black driver in F1, explained the impact both Chadwick and his film character had on him. Ferraris lack of form was such that Leclerc, who won last year from pole position, was happy to qualify in 13th.

FILE - In this Feb. 14, 2018 photo, actor Chadwick Boseman poses for a portrait in New York to promote his film, "Black Panther." Boseman, who played Black icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown before finding fame as the regal Black Panther in the Marvel cinematic universe, has died of cancer. In a tragically brief but historically sweeping life as an actor, Boseman played men of public life and private pain. Theres a lot to learn from Thurgood Marshall, Boseman said that day two and a half years ago. During the filming of Black Panther, Boseman said he was communicating with two boys who had terminal cancer.

NEW YORK Chadwick came to the White House to work with kids when he was playing Jackie Robinson. Chadwick was not only a deeply soulful and powerful actor, but he was such a kind, thoughtful, funny and gentle person. Theres a reason (Chadwick Boseman) could play Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, and King TChalla with such captivating depth and honesty. Chadwick Boseman. Beyonc wrote on her website. Rest in power, King. Scottie Pippen, longtime Chicago Bulls star and six-time NBA champion, said on Twitter.

He's just glad that on Jackie Robinson Day, they're conversations that everyone is willing to have, even if the answers aren't always clear. For Twins manager Rocco Baldelli, Jackie Robinson Day comes at a good time. Coming up in the Dodgers organization and the name Jackie Robinson, it just meant so much more. MLB announced Friday that its partnership with the Jackie Robinson Foundation would extend through 2023. It includes $3.5 million to support the foundation's Scholarship Program, the Jackie Robinson Museum and the annual JRF ROBIE Awards.

PHOENIX A diversity report released Friday on Major League Baseball showed a modest increase in its overall diversity hiring practices, spurred by its improved gender diversity. I think everyone saw that when the NBA started hiring and interviewing women there was a positive public reaction. The Seattle Mariners had nine Black players on its roster, tops in the majors. The diversity study is usually released on April 15 for baseball's Jackie Robinson Day, but baseball moved the celebration to Friday because of the coronavirus-disrupted schedule. The study says MLB's first-year player draft is providing signs that Black players might increase at the big-league level.

Back in his comfort zone Friday night, the New York Mets outfielder took a starring role in a Subway Series instant classic. We all were extremely happy to just be back on the field and be back playing baseball, Smith said. Smith, a 25-year-old Black man, cried Wednesday night reflecting on a recent shooting by police of a Black man in Wisconsin. 42 for the second game only. Inspired by the emotional comments from the usually upbeat Smith, the Mets staged a walkout protest against racial injustice with the Miami Marlins on Thursday night.

An image of baseball great Jackie Robinson hangs near Petco Park, where a baseball game between the San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners had been scheduled Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, in San Diego. Two Major League Baseball games have been postponed as players across the sports landscape reacted in the wake of the weekend shooting by police of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Wisconsin. A pair of Major League Baseball games were postponed Wednesday as players across the sports landscape reacted in the wake of the weekend shooting by police of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Wisconsin. Jackie Robinson Day is usually held April 15 but was moved this year due to the pandemic. The Yankees are hopeful that infielder DJ LeMahieu could return some time this weekend from a left thumb sprain.

An image of baseball great Jackie Robinson hangs near Petco Park, where a baseball game between the San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners had been scheduled Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, in San Diego. Two Major League Baseball games have been postponed as players across the sports landscape reacted in the wake of the weekend shooting by police of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Wisconsin. A pair of Major League Baseball games were postponed Wednesday as players across the sports landscape reacted in the wake of the weekend shooting by police of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Wisconsin. Jackie Robinson Day is usually held April 15 but was moved this year due to the pandemic. The Yankees are hopeful that infielder DJ LeMahieu could return some time this weekend from a left thumb sprain.

FILE - In this Jan. 22, 2006, file photo,a Joe DiMaggio 1947 MVP Award plaque is displayed at a news conference in New York. A group of House Democrats called Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020, for the name of former baseball commissioner Landis to be pulled off future Most Valuable Player plaques. We recognize that Commissioner Landis namesake on the award is the result of his role in creating the system by which the Baseball Writers Association of America picks each leagues MVP recipient, the letter said. All 28 Democrats have played in the Congressional Baseball Game, an annual charity event at Nationals Park. Manfred, in a letter to Cisneros and Richmond, noted that the BBWAA administers the MVP process.

Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts fields a fly ball during the restart of baseball spring training Sunday, July 5, 2020, in Los Angeles. MLB released the schedule Monday, and it starts with two games. Cole and the New York Yankees visit the World Series champion Washington Nationals at 7:08 p.m. EDT, then Betts and his new Los Angeles Dodgers teammates host the San Francisco Giants at 10:08 p.m. The same day, Anthony Rendon and the Los Angeles Angels visit Oakland and the Cincinnati Reds host Detroit. Oakland pitcher Mike Fiers will get his first look at his former Houston teammates on Aug. 7 at the empty Coliseum.

FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2014, file photo Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia speaks in Washington. The president unveiled his plan Friday, July 3, 2020, during his speech at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, S.D. We will raise the next generation of American patriots, Trump said at Mount Rushmore. None will have lived perfect lives, but all will be worth honoring, remembering, and studying, according to the order. The order includes language to make clear that non-U.S. citizens who played significant roles in American history also could be honored in the garden.

Ken Burns talks with "Face the Nation" about his latest documentary, which explores the life and legacy of baseball great and civil rights pioneer Jackie Robinson.