Ngi
ngitshelwe ukuthi yimi ngedwa umbhali wezemidlalo osene-perpendicular
owayekhona kuleyo mpi”—njengoba impi okukhulunywa ngayo iyiyo
ngo-1938 uJoe Louis-Max Schmeling we-heavyweight empini
Yankee Stadium, Lester Rodney cishe unalelo lungelo. Rodney, ngubani
wabe eseyakha i Daily
Umsebenzi's umnyango wezemidlalo womuntu oyedwa, uye
akagcinanga nje kontanga yakhe ngesigqi sezemidlalo, kodwa futhi isikhathi eside
ukuthula okugubuzele umlando womkhankaso wakhe nephepha lakhe
ukuhlanganisa i-Major League baseball.
In
1958, ngemuva kokuphetha ngokuthi zombili lezi zikhungo azilungiseki,
URodney nabanye abathathu Daily Umsebenzi abahleli esidlangalaleni
wesula ephephandabeni kanye neQembu LamaKhomanisi elashicilela
yona. Ukusuka lapho umsebenzi kaRodney njengombhali wezemidlalo wamaKhomanisi
isuka kokungalindelekile yaya esikhathini esidlule esingabaluleki futhi empeleni
wanyamalala erekhodini eliphrintiwe kwaze kwaba yilapho kushicilelwa uJules
I-Tygiel's Baseball'Ukuhlolwa Okukhulu:
UJackie Robinson kanye Nefa Lakhe Ngemva kweminyaka engu-25. Kuthathiwe
eminye iminyaka engama-20 ukuze yonke indaba ibonakale ekugcineni
phrinta ku-Irwin Silber's Cindezela Ibhokisi Elibomvu: Indaba ka-Lester
U-Rodney, uKhomanisi Owasiza Ukuphula Umugqa Wombala eMelika
Ezemidlalo.
Nini
URodney wabona ikhophi yakhe yokuqala Isisebenzi Sansuku zonke ngo-1936 yena
wayengumfundi wasebusuku waseNyuvesi yaseNew York oneminyaka engama-24 ovela esikhungweni esilondolozayo
Umndeni weRiphabhulikhi, kodwa uhamba kwesokunxele. Ehlale edlala futhi
elandela ezemidlalo, waphenduka ngokwemvelo wabheka iphepha
ikhasi lezemidlalo, kodwa lithole ukuthi liphethe isigaba sezemidlalo esingajwayelekile
kanye kuphela ngesonto.
So
lapho uRodney ethatha inkathazo yokuthumela imibono yakhe ngale ndaba
kuya Ezabasebenzi mhleli, wamenywa—ngokumangala okukhulu
ukuxoxa ngencwadi yakhe, futhi ngokushesha ngemva kwalokho wabuza ukuthi angathanda yini
ukuhlela isigaba sezemidlalo, okwakusho ukubhala sonke isigaba.
Enomdlalo we-baseball ngaleso sikhathi owayengumdlalo wokuqala wezwe, uRod-ney
wayinaka kakhulu futhi eminyakeni eyishumi nanye eyalandela, waba nesibindi
ubuze imibuzo yokuthi kungani futhi kungani kwabamnyama
kusukela kokuzilibazisa kazwelonke.
On
isikhumbuzo seminyaka engama-50 sokuqalwa kukaRobinson ngo-1947 eBrooklyn Dodger,
the I-New York Times wavuma, “Amaviki onke amnyama…
kanye Isisebenzi Sansuku zonke... wayephushe kanzima kuma-baseball
Ubuholi obungenangqondo ukusayina ama-Negro Leaguers afanelekile kusukela ngawo-1930s,”
kodwa ngaleso sikhathi Times, kanye nawo wonke amanye abezindaba,
akashongo lutho ngesihloko.
He
wabuza abadlali abamhlophe ukuthi bazodlala nabamnyama. Ngokuvamile bona
bathi bazokwenza futhi uRodney wabacaphuna. Abaningi base bebhekane nabamnyama
kweminye yemidlalo engamakhulu edlalwa phakathi kwabamnyama abangakahleleki kanye
amaqembu amhlophe, kodwa ukuthula ngale midlalo ye-barnstorming
kwakuyinto evamile kangangokuthi lapho uJoe DiMaggio emangaza iqembu lababhali bezemidlalo
ngokubatshela ukuthi i-Negro League enkulu uSatchell Paige wayengcono kakhulu
imbiza ake abhekana nayo, uRodney uyakhumbula, “Sasinomthwalo omkhulu
isihloko ngosuku olulandelayo. Amanye amaphepha awakaze ayisho,”
futhi Izindaba zezemidlalo, ngaleso sikhathi elaziwa ngokuthi “iBhayibheli”
we-baseball, bangathi, “Akekho noyedwa umdlali waseNigro
ngamathuba eligi amakhulu.” I Umsebenzi futhi wadlala
uphakamise inselelo kaPaige kumnqobi we-World Series ukuze athathe
iqembu elimnyama lazo zonke izihlabani futhi ekugcineni lahlanganisa iYoung Communist
Umkhankaso weLeague wokuqoqa abantu abacishe babe yizigidi ezimbili
ukwesekwa kwelungelo labamnyama lokudlala kumaMajors.
Umbhali
U-Irwin Silber usebenzisa ingxenye yencwadi ekubekeni imizamo kaRodney
esigcawini esikhulu futhi avumele isihloko sakhe sikhulume kuze kuphele.
Umphumela uba injabulo ukufunda. U-Rodney uthakasela kakhulu
kwabanye abadlali bokuqala abamnyama. Uthola umongameli we-Dodger Branch
Ukukhetha kuka-Rickey uJackie Robinson njengephayona ngandlela-thile
Kuyamangaza ukuthi uRobinson wayengumshicileli owaziwayo, njengoba “waye
enkantolo yezempi ebuthweni ngenxa yokwenqaba ukuhlala ngemuva a
ibhasi eTexas. Kodwa cishe wayewukuphela kwendoda yasekolishi phakathi kwabafundi
abangaba khona,” okuholele ekutheni u-Rickey acabangele
nguyena oyihlomele kahle kakhulu inselele. URodney ucabanga ukuthi uRoy
UCampa- lla, owalandela uRobinson waya kwabakwaDodger, ngokuvamile akazange
uthole okumfanele ngenxa yesimo sakhe esithambile, kodwa uyasikhumbuza
ukuthi umbambi weHall of Fame ubeyilungu lesigungu esiphezulu
weNew York NAACP (National Association for the Advancement
Yabantu Bekhaladi) futhi yagcina umbono obanzi ngokubaluleka
yokuhlanganiswa kwe-baseball kunaningi, egcizelela ukuthi yayinakho
kwavula indlela yesinqumo seNkantolo Ephakeme ngokumelene nokuhlukaniswa kwezikole.
UWillie Mays, ngakolunye uhlangothi, uRodney wacabanga, “kwakuyinto nje
umdlali webhola. UCampy (Campanella) akakaze acabange kakhulu ngaye ngoba
UWillie akasoze asho lutho ngokuqukethwe.”
Enye
into okungenzeka ukuthi uRodney ongeyena u-nagenarian udlule ezingxenyeni ezimbili kwezintathu
yekhulu leminyaka selokhu aqala umsebenzi kuwukwazisa okusabalele
ukuthi kwakuyinto eyinqaba kangakanani ukuba yiQembu LamaKhomanisi
umbhali wezemidlalo. UDick Young we Daily News wathi kuye, “Ngi
azonde amathumbu amaCommies nalokho akumelelayo kodwa uma ekhona
bonke babenjengawe…” futhi kamuva wamnika into ayeyazi
elakhe iphepha lalingamvumeli ukuba aphrinte, ngethemba lokuthi uRodney wayezokwenza
gijimani ku Umsebenzi. Kepha mhlawumbe umphathi weDodger uLeo Durocher,
owaziwa ngokusebenzisa kwakhe inhlamba, wathwebula isimangaliso
we-career kaRodney nge-quip yakhe, "NgeKhomanisi elibi,
uyayazi i-baseball yakho."
UTom Gallagher
uyisishoshovu nombhali ozisebenzelayo ozinze eCalifornia.