Chicago will host the first Civil Rights Game north of the Mason-Dixon Line (if you count Cincinnati as Kentucky, is my attempt at saving face), as Major League Baseball awarded the White Sox with the honor for their date with the Texas Rangers on Aug. 24.
Frank Robinson, joined by Jerry Reinsdorf and Kenny Williams, made the announcement at the ballpark on Tuesday afternoon. You can watch the entire press conference here, or CSN Chicago's report:
The Civil Rights Game started in Memphis, where it was played in 2007 and 2008. Cincinnati and Atlanta then each took two-year turns, and now it's in Chicago for one year, with perhaps a shot at another.
It's a nice event, and you can see why it means a lot to the Sox, as they also run the ACE program and the Double Duty Classic in order to highlight inner-city baseball and help players land scholarships. There are some thoughtful insights from Reinsdorf spread across these stories, but perhaps the most poignant quote is from Williams at the 1:26 mark of the CSN Chicago video.
Besides the Civil Rights Game, which is scheduled for 6:10 p.m., the weekend comprises a "Baseball & the Civil Rights Movement" roundtable discussion on Friday, Aug. 23, followed by an awards luncheon and youth clinic on Aug. 24.