A slightly strange comment from New York Times sportswriter Ben Shpigel in yesterday's story about whether or not Marlon Anderson will win a spot as the last member of the New York Mets' bench:
If Anderson does not make the team, the Mets will begin the season without an African-American on their 25-man roster, an ill-timed development for an organization whose new ballpark, Citi Field, will honor Jackie Robinson with an ornate rotunda.
I suppose there is some technical definition of "African-American" under which this is true. But I sure hope Ben Shpigel doesn't believe that, prior to Jackie Robinson, there were players on major-league rosters with complexions like those of Carlos Beltran, Johan Santana, or Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado (seen above).
This is not some sort of lily-white ball club we're talking about here. Somehow I doubt Jackie Robinson would have been disturbed.
