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Bill Reynolds: Baseball holds special place in history

FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH:

Pro Baseball has existed for 150 years.

Roll that figure around on your tongue, Bunky.

One hundred fifty years.

All 30 teams will wear special “MLB 150” patches on their uniforms this season in honor of the 150th anniversary of the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first openly all-salaried professional baseball team.

It’s a game that grew up with the country in ways that other sports did not, a game that came to teach us about race and social class, and a lot of other social issues that had nothing to do with the infield fly rule.