May 5th, 2012 at 10:09 am 
by Ron Cervenka 
(Photo by Daniel Sofer)
There’s a lot going on this Monday, May 7, 2012 – The Dodgers return home from a 6-game road trip to kick off an 8-game home stand of which the first three games will be against the hated Giants for the first time this season; and the first home game where fans will pay $5 less for parking at Dodger Stadium (which, coincidentally, is the exact price of a Dodger Dog). But there is even more going on at Dodger Stadium this Monday evening, something historic, something that Dodger fans have been waiting more than two years for. It will be the first home game under the Guggenheim Baseball Management (GBM) team of Chairman Mark Walter, Partner, President and CEO Stan Kasten, Partner Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Partner Peter Guber, Partner Todd Boehly and Partner Bobby Patton Jr., all of whom were introduced to Dodger fans for the first time at Dodger Stadium last Wednesday. Although the scars to the Dodger organization left by Frank McCourt are still fresh and will forever be a black mark on this storied franchise, the wounds are now healing and the pain subsiding (and we ALL know where that pain was located).
To ring in this historic and exciting new era of the Dodgers, Magic Johnson will escort Jackie Robinson’s teammate, friend and Dodger legend Don Newcombe and Robinson’s widow, Rachel to the Dodger Stadium mound to throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the 7:10 p.m. game against the Giants.
“I am here thanks to the sacrifices made by Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe and others of their era that overcame similar hardships and turned challenges into opportunities, creating a Dodger legacy that endures today,” said Johnson. “Our debt to Jackie for his impact on society, and athletes like me, can never be repaid. It will truly be an honor to stand with Rachel and Don as I join the Dodgers in our mission to make Jackie proud by doing everything in our power to help this iconic team return to its rightful place atop Major League Baseball.”
R&B singer Jeffrey Osborne will perform the National Anthem and “God Bless America” at Monday night’s game. Osborne sang the anthem before Game 3 of the 1988 World Series and again on Jackie Robinson Day at Dodger Stadium in 2010.
"It's Time for Dodger Baseball" (Photo by Jon SooHoo)
Our day has come, Dodger fans. It is Liberation Day for those who boycotted the Dodgers and Dodger Stadium because of Frank McCourt’s stranglehold on us. It is time to get those turnstile turning again. It is time to enjoy Dodger Dogs and peanuts and cotton candy and chocolate malts while watching the first-place Dodgers… OUR first place Dodgers play the game that is as much a part of our lives as breathing.
It is time, Dodger fans – It is OUR time.
Posted in 
Many times when I go to Citi Field and enter the Jackie Robinson Rotunda and noticed that recently Rachel has made her, in person, appearances there on Jackie Robinson Day, I say to myself, “He belongs to us Dodger fans”. I know the JR Foundation is located in N.Y., so this is probably the reason for that. Also New York is where he made his mark as a Brooklyn Dodger.
That said, It really does my heart good to see what will take place at Dodger Stadium on Monday. I think this truly shows the world, without a doubt, that Jackie, Magic Johnson and the breaking of the color line belong together.
I also read, somewhere that, correct me if I’m wrong, that the Jackie Robinson Foundation will be part of the new Dodger ownship.
Great post Ron. A good reminder – it is our time. It will take some time, but with the right people in the driver’s east, the baseball world will be at our feet.
The honoring of Jackie, with Newk and Rachel there, is a wonderful way to start. Nothing reminds us of our historic past like the mere mention of Jackie Robinson. These new guys are on the right track. If you build it, they will come.