ATLANTA -- Baseball paid tribute to some towering members of society on Saturday at the Civil Rights Game, an event designed to highlight the ongoing struggle for equality everywhere.
Jackie Robinson, the pioneer who broke baseball's color line in 1947, was never far from the conversation Saturday, and one of his teammates was one of the game's guests of honor.
Don Newcombe, who referred to Robinson as "my idol" earlier in the week, was on hand at Turner Field as one of the Beacon Award winners on Saturday, and he was joined by fellow award recipients Congressman John Lewis and the founding members of recording group Earth, Wind & Fire.
Newcombe and his compatriots were each driven onto the field in a convertible and took a victory lap, beginning in the right-field corner and stopping out by center field. Earlier in the day, the three had received their Beacon Awards as part of a banquet at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta.
Lewis, who has represented Georgia's 5th Congressional District since 1987, was touched by receiving his award, and he said that the Civil Rights Game is an important addition to the calendar because it draws attention to the progress that's been made and the work that still needs to be done.
