Jackie Robinson

April 15, 1947, dawned cold and gloomy in Brooklyn. And the day never got much brighter for the Dodger who stood at the center of so much attention. Rookie first baseman Jackie Robinson went hitless in four at-bats against Boston Braves offspeed specialist Johnny Sain. "I did a miserable job," his biographer, Arnold Rampersad, quoted Robinson as writing in a letter. "There was an overflow crowd at Ebbets Field. If they expected any miracles out of Robinson, they were sadly disappointed."

Orioles tributes Here's how the Orioles are celebrating today's 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball's color barrier: Fans at this afternoon's game against the Kansas City Royals will receive a program commemorating Robinson's accomplishments. Pre-game ceremonies will include a video tribute to Robinson and recognition of a local Jackie Robinson Foundation scholar Aurelia Michael, a senior business major at the University of Maryland. The Orioles will host 40 youths from the Baltimore Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI)

The tributes to Jackie Robinson all over major league baseball today are too much, some say. The skeptics don't mean that in a negative way. It's touching for six entire major league teams to wear his No. 42 today, and for members of all the other teams, like the Orioles' Corey Patterson, to be wearing it. But isn't this overkill? Doesn't this water down the tribute? Doesn't it make it a trendy act instead of an act of respect? "Jackie Robinson would be rolling over in his grave," Twins outfielder Torii Hunter said on ESPN late last week, expressing his conviction that with this tribute, less is more.

Former Orioles manager and player Frank Robinson will receive the first Jackie Robinson Society Community Recognition Award next week as part of a George Washington University celebration marking the 60th anniversary of the integration of Major League Baseball. Jackie Robinson became the first black player in the majors with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, and Frank Robinson became the sport's first black manager with the Cleveland Indians in 1975. On Thursday, scholars, authors and retired athletes will participate in a discussion of Jackie Robinson's contributions to sports and race relations.

Lively Arts for Little Ones! - which offers live performances for children ages 2 to 5 and their chaperones, will present Tracey Eldridge with Music 'N' Motion at 10 a.m. Feb. 23 at The Other Barn, 5851 Robert Oliver Place. The show lasts 45 minutes. Tickets are $4.50 for children ages 2 and older and adults. Group rates are available. Information: 410-730-4610. Steiner exhibits his oil paintings Robert Steiner, a member of the Howard County Art Guild and a retired member of the chemistry and biochemistry faculty at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, is exhibiting his oil paintings at the east Columbia library, 6600 Cradlerock Way, through March 1. Steiner's work also will be shown at Columbia Center for the Healing Arts, 10450 Shaker Drive from March 1 through May 1. Viewing times are from noon to 5 p.m. weekdays.

In celebration of African-American History Month, the east Columbia library will sponsor a program on baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, "Two Sides of Jackie Robinson: Pioneer in Baseball and Civil Rights Advocate." The presentation is to include slides and other materials from the collection of the National Archives. The program is scheduled for 7 p.m. Feb. 12. Registration is required. The library invites teenagers to share ideas for transforming its teen area, which is in need of redesign.

Andre Braugher is returning to series television, and once upon a time, that would have been very big news. In the 1990s, he was widely considered as good as it gets when it comes to TV acting. The Stanford University and Juilliard School graduate was nominated three times for the Emmy for Best Male Actor in a drama series, and, in 1998, he won for his performance as Detective Frank Pembleton in the NBC drama Homicide: Life on the Street. That year, Entertainment Weekly labeled him "Andre the giant: the best actor on TV."

In Baltimore City Officer fatally shoots man in confrontation in east-side alley A city police officer shot and killed a man late last night in an East Baltimore alley when the man attempted to attack the officer with a length of wood, police reported. The name of the officer and that of the victim, believed to be in his early 20s, were not available. About 11:30 p.m., an officer assigned to the Organized Crime Division - a unit that deals with drug activity - was in an alley behind the 1600 block of E. Oliver St. when he ordered a man to halt, police said.

WASHINGTON - President Bush, in a brief private ceremony yesterday in the Oval Office, signed into law legislation allowing the creation of a National Museum of African-American History and Culture as part of the Smithsonian Institution. The signing caps a turbulent, nearly century-long quest for such a museum and represents a significant victory for the legislators, business and civic leaders, artists and veterans who have championed the project over several generations. Despite a lack of fanfare and no public statement from Bush, backers of the museum said the atmosphere surrounding the event was heavy with emotion and historic significance.