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Friday, February 17, 2017

" AJA Baseball league continues discriminatory practice..." 'Glenn Mickens' (Kauai County Watchdog)

Glenn Mickens has lived on Kauai  with his wife Ruth for the last 26 years. Born July 26, 1930 in Wilmar, California, USA) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched in four games (two of which were starts) for the 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers. He also played for five years in Japan, from 1959 until 1963 for the Kintetsu Buffaloes. There, he compiled a record of 45–53 with a 2.54 ERA.  Glenn also  served in the Army for 2 years and coached baseball at UCLA for 25 years. 
Last but not least Glenn would really like to see Kaua'i give the county manager style of Government a chance.
Above photo of Glenn Mickens courtesy of Kauai Garden island news, used with permission...

AJA Baseball league continues discriminatory practice




Mr. Mickens is locally known
as one of Kauai county's
political watchdogs
and Nitpickers...
Mahalos Glenn!



 I have pursued this discriminatory practice of AJA (Americans of Japanese Ancestry) Baseball here on Kauai for 20 years with no positive results. 

For me, NO person who is capable of playing baseball should be prohibited from playing, particularly using race as an excuse for the exclusion.


I do commend AJA for keeping baseball going on Kauai since there are no other organized leagues here but why not open it to anyone with the talent---like the big leagues who are stronger today than they ever were by allowing African-Americans to play and any other nationality that can compete at that level.


As you know I was honored and privileged to have played with Jackie Robinson and once he broke the color line baseball became a far more competitive sport.
I can only see AJA baseball becoming the same and, for me, it is wrong to see the doors not swing open to everyone who has the talent to play.


P.S.
AJA discriminates but that isn't against law
http://archives.starbulletin.com/96/08/30/sports/story3.html

P.S.S.
Check out Glenn's Wikipedia page;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Mickens
Editor's note, Dakinetalk guest bloggers do not necessarily represent the opinions of dakinetalk. Guest bloggers are given space to express their beliefs and or opinions. We feel there are many roads and like to give people space to express their thoughts,after-all that's what dakine is...
Aloha, James "Kimo" Rosen---Blogger-n-chief, dakinetalk blog---
Kapaa Sunrise
From my lanai
i-Phone photo by James "Kimo Rosen

Hana Hou, (Encore) 




5 comments:

KimoRosen said...

Glenn you make some very valid points and after all it is 2017! ;-)

Chester "Unc" Lau said...

AJA should be the FIRST NOT TO DISCRIMINATE ANY RACE AS THEY HAD EXPERIENCED DISCRIMINATION THEMSELVE !

UNC
I am L'esprit de 1776... the venom breathing Freedom fighter for Liberté ,Egalité et Fraternité with RESPONSIBILITY .

Anonymous said...

BTW, Mickens looked like a movie star as a young baseball player! ;-)

Glenn Mickens-by email said...

As usual, Kimo, you did a great job with this AJA baseball story. I really enjoyed the Billy Blanchett article---I never had the privilege of meeting Billy but I followed his career with U of H and he was always a winner and the go to guy when the big game was on the line. I have tremendous respect for what he has tried to do to play AJA baseball and well understand his not pursuing it further due to legal costs and all other factors that are against his winning the case.

Yes, it may not be illegal for what AJA baseball is doing but it is certainly morally wrong for them to continue a practice that is truly discriminatory! And, what possible reason is there to prohibit anyone who has the ability to play baseball from playing in their league??? The league becomes stronger (particularly with names like Blanchett in it) and only those who run the organization and have an agenda of their own want to keep it the way it is.

Your finding pictures and other articles to put in your stories makes them so much more interesting than the forum letters. Keep up the great work and it is too bad that you aren't hired by the paper to put these articles in it. So sad to see no good investigating reporter on their staff to really tell it like it is but I guess that is the way they want to play the game.

If you get more feedback (positive or negative) about this AJA baseball issue please pass it along to me.

Always your pal,
Glenn

Glenn Mickens-by email said...

Thank you Unc for being on the same page. No matter how you cut it up discriminating is discrimination and only the hard heads who run AJA baseball will deny it.
You pal,
glenn