the first one to break the line is jackie robinson. and the library is very fortunate to have the branch rookie papers and the jackie robinson collection, and that is have monet davis on the cover of sports illustrated after she threw a winning game in world series for a sport in little league. so black ball players finally had a shot in the major leagues in 1947. the first one to break the line is jackie robinson. and the library is very fortunate to have the branch rookie papers and the jackie robinson collection, and that is where we were able to draw a couple of items including this letter from jackie in 1950 written to branch rickie who is leaving the dodgers. and robinson is writing to let him know just how grateful he is for the breaks that branch rookie gave him in signing him to the dodgers, letting him know that he was a trusted friend and that he hopes that rickey will think of him as a friend in return. and it's a very heartfelt letter thanking him for everything that he had done for himself and for his family. so what we h

jackie robinson is playing for the dodgers. that is where we were able to draw a couple of items, including this letter from jackie in 1950 written to branch ricky, who is leaving the dodgers. and robinson is writing to let him know just how grateful he is for the breaks that branch ricky gave him in signing him to the dodgers, letting him know that he was a trusted friend and that he hopes that ricky will think of him as a friend in return. and it is a very heart felt letter thanking him for everything that he had done for himself and for his family. so what we have here is the original first page of jackie robinson's letter. and then on the back is a reproduction. in order to preserve this letter and keep it from being affected by the lights and kind of the wear and tear of being on exhibition, we will eventually swap these out. what we will have on display then will be the original signature of jackie later on in the exhibition's run. so what we have seen here so far today is only about half of the exhibit. so there is a lot

by the time you get to the 1950s after jackie robinson and the major leagues are looking at the caribbean as the great source of talent, they're no longer only looking at white players. so mini muinosa goes onto become quite a star. this was taken in 1958 when he returned home to cuba to open up a little league season. we've included this picture from 1985 on the cover of sports illustrated in part because of the title, making his way in the this was taken in 1958 when he returned home to cuba to open up a little league season. we've included this picture from 1985 on the cover of sports illustrated in part because of the title, making his way in the usa, the idea that he's been with the dodgers for five years now but he's just now settling in. he's got a much better command of english. and he doesn't become a citizen for a number of years later. but he is part of a whole process that is happening in los angeles at the time, that there is a lot of discussion in 1980s los angeles about immigration reform. and there's a very large hispanic community the dodgers have had since 1959, a spanis

. >>> it's a scene right out of the jackie robinson film 42. the colorado rockies are investigating after a fan was heard directing a racial slur at a miami marlins player >> [ bleep ] [ bleep ]. >> marlins outfielder luis brinson was at bat in the ninth inning when that slur was yelled loud enough to be picked up on the television broadcast of the game the rockies released a statement condemning that fan's behavior, saying the fan was not identified before the end of the game >>> five people have been hospitalized after a pickup truck crashed into a waffle house in tampa, florida. according to tampa fire rescue units responded to the restaurant after reports of a vehicle colliding into the building one adult and one child were taken to the hospital for traumatic injuries the other three were hospitalized with minor injuries >>> well, the olympic games have come to a close, but some world-class puppies showed off their olympic spirit in virginia barkhouse, the dog-friendly bar in virginia, played host to the dog olympics, pawing out medals to a

. >>> in a scene reminiscent of the jackie robinson film "42" the colorado rockies are investigating after a fan was heard directing a racial slur at a marlins player >> [ bleep ] [ bleep ]. >> the marlins outfielder luis brinson was at bat in the ninth inning when that slur was yelled loud enough to be picked up on the television broadcast of the game the rockies released a statement condemning that fan's behavior, saying that the fan was not identified before the end of the game >>> the 2020 olympics are far from over. the paralympic games will kick off in tokyo later this month. thousands of athletes with a range of disabilities will compete in 22 different sports this year american paralympians were l. finally earn as many as olympians for each medal win opening ceremonies kick off august 24th right here on nbc. and i know a lot of us having those withdrawals from the olympics being over we'll get our fix right there. >> a little bit, yeah. still a little more to go when it comes to that >> thanks so much for waking up with "early today. we're glad to have you back with us i'm fr

he writes in that even jackie robinson an officer 761st tank battalion was pulled off a bus and killeen, texas for not moving to the back of the bus while he was enduring a court-martial his unit was called up to fight for general patton robinson was acquitted but never got to fight with his legendary unit. so these are not isolated isolated incidents. lynn i'd like to return to dr. leon bass because he spent many years not talking about what he had seen in europe, especially in concentration camps that had recently been liberated. thanks and recognition only came later in his life when he began to publicly discuss the atrocities he had seen could you tell us a bit about dr. bass's personal trajectory, please? yes, dr. you know as sergeants sergeant ambass was only 20 years old when he first encountered and you know those holocaust victims that he saw at that camp in april 1945 and he kept that in it certainly had a profound effect, but like many survivors it took him 20 or 25 years to find his voice and it happened when he as a teacher. he's an educator. he's become, you know doctor of

he writes in that even jackie robinson, an officer for the 761s tank battalion was pulled off a bus in killeen, texas, for not moving to the back of the bus. while he was enduing a court martial his unit was called up to fight. he never got fight with his unit. these are not isolated incident. lynn, i would like to return to dr. leon bass because he spent many years not talking about what he had seen in europe, especially in concentration camps that had recently been liberated. thanks and recognition only came later in his life when he began to publicly discuss the atrocities he had seen. >> as sergeant -- sergeant bass is only 21 years old when he first encountered those holocaust victims that he saw at that camp in april 1945. he kept that in. it certainly had a profound effect. but like many survivors, it took him 20 or 25 years to find his voice. and it happened when he, as a teacher -- he's an educator. he has become, you know, doctor of education. he's principal of a school. he's in his class and a holocaust survivor is speaking. his students are listening but not as intently. an

we went i remember seeing at the hotel and i remember that was where jackie robinson was in 1947 when he got the call from the brooklyn dodgers to become the first player to break the color barrier. anyway, over two questions. >> caller: we have a very wide ranging number of questions. i'm going to dive right in. individual wants to know how well does the fbi and mi spy work together? >> guest: this tipoff that mi five gave to the fbi is an example of the special relationship at work. but that special relationship was always open too. the fbi i'm sorry the mi five and mi six in fact only gave the americans information if they thought there is a strict need for this to happen. it is because they thought they were about to be killed that they handed on the information. they gave the information with strict instructions that the identity of the go-between jesse jordan's identity be kept secret. but immediately the information got to the united states. they blame the nypd the new york police force for doing this. and mi five felt that. when the trial came out there should have been two ke

the examples of jesse owens, jackie robinson featured in the ad are powerful reminders that sports are a powerful driver of social change. owens faced down one of the most racist regimes in history at the 1936 berlin olympics. robinson integrated america's pastime years before the national desegregation of american schools. and gibson blazed a path in international golf and tennis. all three serve as inspiration to contemporary american athletes of all races. joining me now is simone manuel, two-time member of the american olympic swim team and five-time olympic medallist, including a bronze in the latest games. simone, first let me congratulate you on your tokyo medal, you're a barrier-breaker yourself, as the first black female swimmer to win a gold medal for team usa five years ago in rio. what is it like to be among the best in the world in a sport that black folks have been historically kept out of? >> it's honestly very humbling. i know i wouldn't be here without trail blazers to allowed me to believe in myself and my dreams. obviously comcast in the commercial we had shows that.

it's somebody -- a brother wearing jackie robinson's brooklyn dodgers uniform, number 42. you know how we do. brooklyn's in the house, baby. you know, rev. >> you know how we do. you know how we do. a big thanks to my brooklyn brother spike lee. the first part of the documentary airs on hbo tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern. up next, my final thoughts. stay with us. ts stay with us >> tech: every customer has their own safelite story. this couple loves camping adventures and their suv is always there with them. so when their windshield got a chip, they wanted it fixed fast. they drove to safelite autoglass for a guaranteed, same-day, in-shop repair. we repaired the chip before it could crack. and with their insurance, it was no cost to them. >> woman: really? >> tech: that's service you can trust, when you need it most. ♪ pop rock music ♪ >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ for skin that never holds you back don't settle for silver #1 for diabetic dry skin* #1 for psoriasis symptom relief* and #1 for eczema symptom relief* gold bond champion your skin wit

>> where the dodgers played and baseball was integrated, major league baseball because jackie robinson was actually, let the record show, seen by the dodgers when he played for the league team in kansas city and was signed in kansas city to come to brooklyn and play for the dodgers in the '40s. kansas city plays an important role in that history. but i think it was probably the very best, actually, both because of its history and just its physical qualities. >> is that the one where you said, though -- there were also funny things where they screw things up in these parks which i find amusing. >> yes, yes, yes. >> is that the one they had only one entrance and you couldn't get everyone in the ballpark at the time? there was a rotunda? >> there was a rotunda and it was designed too small. >> you could never get in. >> it would never pass the fire laws today in terms of people getting out. they did make some tweaks. >> to fix that. >> to fix that over time. they also forget a press box which is sort of interesting. but all that eventually got taken care of. but, you know, the early ballp

>> yes baseball was integrated there because jackie robinson you don't let the record so he was seen by the dar jurors when he played for the negro league team in kansas city. and he was signed in kansas city to come to brooklyn and pale and play for the dodgers. so kansas city plays an important role in that history score and i think it was probably the very best because of its history and its physical qualities. we >> there's also funny things where they screw things up in these parks, you know and was that the one where they had only one entrance and you couldn't get everyone in the ballpark in time? there was a rotunda. >> yes, there was a rotunda and it was designed too small. >> how do you get in? >> you would never pass the fire wall today. and they did make some tweets tweaks to it, and they fix it over time. and they also forgot a press box which you know but all that eventually got taken care of. but they were you know the early ballparks, while they were kind of grand and beautiful buildings, they also were kind of creatures of circumstance. and their shapes were often det

you jackie robinson did that long ago and it doesn't stop there. the borders shouldn't stop. if you're good enough to play. want to play here. you know, let them in and let him play. i think if you're young player in japan and i mean some want to stay in japan. obviously. and just play major league baseball there. but i think when they see be a success there. and the reaction of crowds to an 8 year-old to normal. >> then then they start to dream. dreaming of becoming the next japanese born player to leave a lasting imprint. >> on the game that they love in cooperstown, new york. i'm steve infanti. >> and now kron 4 sports. >> might something like a broken record yet because the giants are still the best team in baseball this weekend. the orange and black had a big-time weekend series against the nl central division-leading brewers looking to take the series with the win today. gabe kepler and company trying to maintain their four-game lead in the national league west and the sky has been on fire since coming back from injury. this week. brandon belt hit 2 home runs yesterday.

robinson, sam jethro and marvin williams. >> marvin williams. >> yes, the three players and jackie had a great day and jethro had a great day, but the message from the red sox was essentially don't call us, we will call you, and they didn't, and year later, jackie makes the debut for the montreal royals and the brooklyn dodgers' organization and breaks baseball's color line. so i believe that there were some, and bill beck who on the philadelphia club at the time or st. louis at the time gave some consideration to signing african-american players, but it did not happen, and of course, it was jim crow reared the ugly head well into the '60s. >> so, let me ask you a question, were there blackout rules for games along the coast. and this is interesting because the red sox are not far from boston harbor. >> there were not lights at that time. they came post war. >> 1947. >> but there were blackout rules on the east coast. >> you mean on the west coast, bill? >> i meant the east coast. >> oh, okay, because there were no major league teams on the west coast. >> yeah, yeah. >> there is that.

robinson, sam jethro. >> marvin williams. >> yes, the plea players. jackie had a great day, jethro had a great day, but essentially the message from the red sox was, don't call us, we'll call you, they never did call them, and a year later, jackie makes his debut for the montreal royals in the brooklyn dodgers organization and breaks baseball's color line. bill beck, who owned the philadelphia club at the time or st. louis at the time, gave some consideration to signing african-american players. but it did not happen. and of course, you know, jim crow reared its ugly head well into the '60s. >> we also had a question, were there blackout rules for night games along the coast, sort of an interesting question. the red sox are not that far from boston harbor. >> there were no lights at fenway park at that time. they only came postwar. >> 1947. >> yeah. but i believe that there were blackout rules on the east coast. >> you mean on the west coast, bill? >> i meant east coast. >> oh, okay. because there were no major league teams on the west coast. >> yeah,

mohammad ali and jackie robinson were the other two >> in the olympics, some athletes found it difficult to perform at the best level without the excitement of the fans watching. do you think it would matter for you playing today if you were playing tennis in an empty stadium? >> that's your job as a professional athlete we are entertainers. i would wrap my mind around everyone around the world watching try to bring that in with me there. every athlete is different, every person it is difficult. we are trying to worry about safety there is media contracts media content is huge. it is a huge revenue stream. there is gaming, betting there is a lot of income streams coming in as you have these matches happen as well as any other sport. it is vital these athletic contests happen. i did love watching the olympics i must say this year, i loved it it is just fantastic for tennis, it was great they kept it on one channel, i think it was the olympic channel. i thought that was so helpful. >> so many things in your life i'm looking for the quote in your memoirs back when you started, you were livi