Then Rickey, a devout Methodist who wouldn't attend ballgames on Sunday and prohibited his players from using profanity, role-played a succession of foul-mouthed bigots of the type he knew would try to provoke Robinson, including a spectator, headwaiter, hotel manager, sportswriter, and a succession of players who would try to spike him with their cleats or bean him with a ball or umpires who would make biased calls. Finally, Jackie demanded, "Mr. Rickey, do you want a ballplayer who's afraid to fight back?" Rickey shot back, "I want a ballplayer with guts enough not to fight back. You symbolize a crucial cause. One incident, just one incident, can set it back 20 years."
Gordon Edes. "Opening a New Wide World: Robinson's Impact Felt Well Beyond the Chalk
Line," The Boston Globe, 28 March 1997; quoted at http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/resources/pdf/hs_in_robinson_rickey.pdf
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's spokesman publicly disagreed with former President Jimmy Carter on Wednesday over Carter's contention that some conservative opposition to Obama is based on race.
"The president does not think it is based on the color of his skin," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters.
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