Pee Wee Reese

Harold Henry "Pee Wee" Reese (July 23, 1918 - August 15, 1999) was an American professional baseball player who played for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1940 to 1958. He was a ten-time All Star who contributed to seven league championships for Brooklyn.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

His most prestigious contribution to the sport was early support of the first black Major League Baseball player, Jackie Robinson. He refused to sign a petition that threatened a boycott if Robinson joined the team. When Robinson joined the Dodgers in 1947 and traveled with them during their first road trip, he was heckled by fans in Cincinnati, Ohio. Reese, the captain of the team, went over to Robinson and put his arm around his shoulder in a gesture of support which silenced the crowd. The gesture was especially telling because Reese was born and raised in then-segregated Louisville, Kentucky.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Throughout that difficult first year in the major leagues, Reese helped keep Robinson's morale up amid all the abuse. Their rapport soon led shortstop Reese and second baseman Robinson to become one of the most effective defensive pairs in the sport's history.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

At Reese's funeral, Joe Black, another Major League Baseball black pioneer, said:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:"Pee Wee helped make my boyhood dream come true to play in the Majors, the World Series. When Pee Wee reached out to Jackie, all of us in the Negro League smiled and said it was the first time that a White guy had accepted us. When I finally got up to Brooklyn, I went to Pee Wee and said, 'Black people love you. When you touched Jackie, you touched all of us.' With Pee Wee, it was No. 1 on his uniform and No. 1 in our hearts."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m1355/15_96/55983462/p1/article.jhtml

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1984, Pee Wee Reese was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. His commemorative plaque there summarizes his contributions as follows:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Following his retirement as a player, Reese enjoyed considerable success as a play-by-play announcer on network television. He called games for CBS from 1960-1965 (with Dizzy Dean) and for NBC from 1966-1968 (with Curt Gowdy). Reese also broadcast several World Series for NBC radio.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The friendship between Reese and Robinson is the subject of a popular 1990 children's book called Teammates (ISBN 0152842853), by Peter Golenbock.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

July 23: July 23 is the 204th day (205th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 161 days remaining....

1918: 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar....

August 15: August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining....

Pee Wee Reese related Images and Photos (experimental)

Jackie Robinson - First Day with Spider Jorgenson Pee Wee Reese Ed Stankey	Jackie Robinson - First Day with Spider Jorgenson Pee Wee Reese Ed Stankey	Pee Wee's Big Adventure (BD)	Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
Pee-wee's Big Adventure	Pee wee's Big Adventure	Pee-Wee Herman Deluxe Adult Costume	Pee Wee Herman Rolling Stone no. 493 February 1987
Wee Rest	Wee Ninja	Reese Witherspoon	Pokey Reese