Sacrifice is part of baseball, the idea of giving yourself up for the benefit of the larger group. We have the sacrifice bunt and the sacrifice fly. We move runners, we take one for the team, we save games, we hold leads created by the work of those who came before us. It's in baseball's DNA, a necessary part of winning in team competition.
Throughout history, we've come across the rare people who alter that DNA, not just through the record books, but by creating real societal change. Three of those players were Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente and Wally Yonamine, and over the past 18 months, I've had the pleasure of interviewing their children.