Good deal, a good idea for the teams to do this, at least to humor these old guys before they are gone forever.
Jack Johnson was probably the first "star" black athlete, but his penchant for bragging of exploits with white women, at a time when bragging of any exploits with any woman was frowned upon, made him hated more than loved.
We owe alot to (sorry to stay off baseball momentarily) Joe Louis and Jackie R, they helped pave the way for an honest shake for all Americans.
Joe was Joe, the 'Brown Bomber', who beat the stuffing out of Hitler's 'perfect specimen', and Jackie Robinson was just Jackie. The Dodgers chose him not as much because of his skill, which was great, but his mental toughness, he was prepared to deal with all the crap they knew would come along with fielding a black player, and he excelled.
Thinking of all the Negro Leaguers who never got a chance to step in against The Big Train, Cy Young, and Lefty Grove, who would likely be in the upper echelon of old time stars like Cobb, Foxx, Ruth, and Gehrig (Though none to the level of Mickey Cochrance, my favorite player ever
), what talent we must have missed along the way
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