"Do Not Go Gently into That Good Night": Race, the Baseball Establishment, and the Retirements of Bob Feller and Jackie Robinson

On July 22, 1969, organized baseball officially celebrated its centennial with the All-Star Game in Washington, D.C., and a White House reception hosted by President Richard Nixon. The controversial Nixon was not the focal point of political fireworks that day, as prior to the White House reception, Hall of Fame players Bob Feller and Jackie Robinson squared off at a press conference in the Sheraton Park Hotel.