Jackie Robinson Remembered by Local Teams

The Sawnee Mountain Thunder 12U Travel Team, along with other teams, recently participated in Jackie Robinson Day.

Every year Major League Baseball commemorates and honors Jackie Robinson, the first African-American MLB player on April 15. That's the day he made his major league debut.

In honor of the day, the Sawnee Mountain Thunder team and others, part of the Lanier League, wore round white stickers on their sleeves with #42 emblazoned on them [Robinson's retired number], according to Deana Mitchell, a team mom.

"Every single player in Major League Baseball wears that number – it’s so cool to see," said Mitchell. "We tried to do our part."

Each player was asked to read a short Internet article describing the significance of the day so that they could better understand why all of MLB dons the historic jersey number for one day every single year said Mitchell.

The team, coached by Keith Solinsky, is also raising money for a trip to Cooperstown Dreams Park. It's considered the "Home of the American Youth Baseball Hall of Fame Invitational Tournaments, according to its Web site.

For more information about Lanier Baseball League call 770-861-7568.