Why Cincinnati Reds' Bubba Thompson takes extra pride in hometown on Jackie Robinson Day

Gordon Wittenmyer, Cincinnati Enquirer
Bubba Thompson steals third base during the Reds' last homestand.
Bubba Thompson steals third base during the Reds' last homestand.

SEATTLE — Bubba Thompson was a first-round draft pick out of high school in Mobile, Alabama, a place that has produced almost as many Hall of Fame baseball players as crawfish.

Not that he knew much about that even as a young ballplayer coming up.

“Not really, until I was a little bit older in baseball,” the Cincinnati Reds center fielder said. “Then people started telling me about them.”

Hank Aaron. Satchel Paige. Willie McCovey. Billy Williams. Ozzie Smith.

“It’s a few of them that came out of there (Mobile), man,” Thompson said. “I’m just blessed trying to add on.”

Hank Aaron, here speaking during a ceremony honoring the 40th anniversary of him breaking the home run record in 2014, is perhaps the most famous black players to come out of Bubba Thompson's hometown, Mobile, Ala. Satchel Paige, Willie McCovey, Billy Williams and Ozzie Smith were others.
Hank Aaron, here speaking during a ceremony honoring the 40th anniversary of him breaking the home run record in 2014, is perhaps the most famous black players to come out of Bubba Thompson's hometown, Mobile, Ala. Satchel Paige, Willie McCovey, Billy Williams and Ozzie Smith were others.

But the list of baseball greats runs a lot longer than that in Mobile — one of the all-time greatest hotbeds for Black ballplayers in particular — also producing Amos Otis, Juan Pierre, 1969 Mets heroes Tommie Agee and Cleon Jones, and Negro Leagues legend Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe.

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It’s a history Thompson may not have always known, but one he embraced with maybe a little extra pride on Monday as the Reds and Seattle Mariners opened a series on baseball’s Jackie Robinson Day, every player wearing Robinson’s No. 42 on the 77th anniversary of Robinson’s debut with the Dodgers, honoring MLB’s first Black player of the 20th century.

Perhaps no place on the American baseball map embodies what the day represents and honors more than Mobile and its rich baseball legacy.

Bubba Thompson said he didn't understand the legacy of black ballplayers coming out of his hometown in Mobile, Ala. until he was older. “It’s a few of them that came out of there (Mobile), man,” he said. “I’m just blessed trying to add on.”
Bubba Thompson said he didn't understand the legacy of black ballplayers coming out of his hometown in Mobile, Ala. until he was older. “It’s a few of them that came out of there (Mobile), man,” he said. “I’m just blessed trying to add on.”

“It’s right there in the mix,” said Thompson, reflecting on his hometown’s history and the history behind Monday’s celebration around the majors.

“It’s a blessing to be out here with the best in the world, no matter the color,” he said. “It’s a blessing to be able to come out here and play with all walks of life and people, everybody on the field trying to do one thing, win games, no matter the race.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Bubba Thompson reflects on hometown's rich history on Jackie Robinson Day

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