Gwynn earns sportsmanship award

You probably know by now that Tony Gwynn will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 29.

You probably don’t know that the man known as "Mr. Padre" will be honored a month before in St. Louis at the 2007 AT&T National Sportsmanship Awards.

The 15-time All-Star and eight-time batting champion will receive the Career Achievement Award from the Citizenship Through Sports Alliance (CTSA) at the organization’s June 21 event.

Appearing with Gwynn (currently the baseball coach at San Diego State) will be Sharon Robinson, daughter of the late Jackie Robinson. Her father broke the color barrier in Major League baseball 60 years ago.

"Tony Gwynn and Jackie Robinson represent the ideals of the National Sportsmanship Awards," CTSA chairman Ron Stratten said. "Tony’s career is defined by his class, grace and charm; and Jackie was known for his determination, teamwork and citizenship. We couldn’t be more fortunate to have the chance to recognize these two stars, especially at such a significant time."

Remembering Jackie Robinson

All across America, people today are celebrating the fact that Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier 60 years ago.
Six decades later, Robinson’s legend lives on. Not only did he open the door in Major League Baseball, he also paved the way for people throughout our great land to achieve their goals regardless of race.
There are Jackie Robinson’s in every corner the United States. Even in your neighborhood, I’m sure there are people making a difference in race relations.
One of the more impressive stories in San Diego County is happening in the mountain-like community of Alpine. Two years ago, Coyvell "C.J." Jackson began making an impact by becoming the first African-American church pastor in the community of about 18,000 people.
Jackson started a church called On The RISE, an acronym for Relationships, Intentionality, Servanthood and Empowerment. Since beginning the church in the predominantly-white community, Jackson’s congregation has more than quadrupled in size. (More information on his congregation is available at www.ontherisechurch.com.)
According to the 2000 census, only 0.83% of Alpine residents were African-American at the turn of the millennium. The racial makeup then was 90.78% White, 0.83% African-American, 1.17% Native American, 1.98% Asian, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 2.86% from other races, and 2.18% from two or more races.
Jackson’s congregation is primarily white, but it also includes Hispanics and African-Americans. The non-denominational church furthers its diversity by having worshippers from such backgrounds as Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, Church of Christ and charismatic.
Jackie Robinson would have been proud of those continuing his fight for equality in America. Count C.J. Jackson among those continuing to pave the way for blacks to make a difference in their community.