LOS ANGELES — Baseball’s annual recognition of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier will include the Seattle Mariners playing the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Civil Rights Game on Wednesday.
The game takes on special meaning with Robinson’s own franchise involved — and the only African-American currently managing a major league team in the other dugout.
“I’m excited,” Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said. “I think it’s a great honor, No. 1, to be involved with anything associated with Jackie Robinson.”
But McClendon downplayed his status as the only African-American manager in baseball.
“Do I know my past and where I come from? Absolutely,” McClendon said. “I understand the struggles and what players in Jackie’s era went through to open doors for me and a lot of those guys in that locker room.
“But this is real important. Listen — I’m proud to be an African-American. I’m more proud to be a good manager. I don’t want to get caught up in ‘I’m a black manager.’ I’m a good manager who happens to be black. That’s real important. Do I wish there were more African-Americans managing? Absolutely, yeah. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I think baseball is committed to it. I know there are strives and initiatives being taken to try and expand that process. Hopefully in the very near future we’ll see more.”
The first African-American manager in the major leagues, Frank Robinson, will also be honored before Wednesday’s game at Dodger Stadium.
“I had the pleasure of managing against Frank. He was a tough nut to crack,” said McClendon, who managed the Pittsburgh Pirates when Robinson was still managing the Washington Nationals. “When I was fired in Pittsburgh, the first phone call I got was from Frank Robinson and I’ll never forget that. He said, ‘You’ll get another opportunity. You’re good at what you do.’ That meant a lot to me.”