And I'd be lying if I told you that as a black man in baseball I hadn't gone through worse times than my teammates.

I was told by the general manager that a white player had received a higher raise than me. Because white people required more money to live than black people. That is why I wasn't going to get a raise.

I'll also say, yes, I think the change in black consciuosness in recent years has made me more sensitive to injustice in every area of my life.

I'd often wondered what would I do if I were ever traded, because it happened many, many times.

And I'd be lying if I told you that as a black man in baseball I hadn't gone through worse times than my teammates.

Whatever I contributed to the unique morale of the Cardinals was part of this growth, and so, of course, was my decision to have it out in public with the owners of organized baseball.

If you destroyed the underpinnings of this great American sport, you are a hated, ugly, detestable person.