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Jackie Robinson, in his Montreal Royals uniform, passing his legacy to two children
at the Orange Avenue entrance to the ballpark in Daytona Beach that bears his name.

When news began to surface that baseball was going to reduce the minor leagues to 120 teams from 160, one of the teams on the endangered list was the Daytona Tortugas, a member of the 12-team Florida State League. There was a lot of shuffling, with teams switching from one class to another, from one league to another, and entire leagues being demoted, promoted or eliminated.

The dust settled, and Daytona survived, as well as 9 other Florida teams, and remained as the Cincinnati Reds’ Low-A team, along with the Dayton Dragons in High-A, Chattanooga Lookouts in AA and Louisville Bats in AAA.

It was good news for baseball fans around Daytona Beach and good news for me. My home in Central Florida is about a half-hour away, making it an easy way for me to get a baseball fix. Sometimes, like today, the Jupiter Hammerheads are in town and I get to see future Miami Marlins at work.

It was Bark in the Park today at "The Jack." Lulu joined in on the fun.

The best news is that minor league baseball will continue at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, where he made his professional debut on March 17, 1944, in an exhibition game between his team, the minor league Montreal Royals, and the Brooklyn Dodgers. It was the first time a black player joined white players in a game.

The stadium, which opened June 4, 1914, is one of the oldest still being used by a professional baseball team. Sitting in its wooden grandstand is like taking a trip to a time gone by. It was known as City Island Ballpark until it was renamed in 1989 to honor the barrier-breaking Hall of Famer.

Today the ballpark is home to the Jackie Robinson Museum, with interactive, outdoor displays around the stadium. The story it tells takes you back to that time when history took an important turn.

Practice stealing bases or sliding home like Jackie Robinson beside the Halifax River
and learn about the life and times of the great ballplayer and his wife, Rachel.

The journey was not easy for the Robinsons.
Their story is told in words and pictures around the ballpark.

This was my fifth baseball game in six days, and I have another game the day after tomorrow. I was hoping for a peek into the future of baseball at today’s game. The Low-A Southeast teams in Florida are experimenting with Hawk Eye automated strike zone technology, but Daytona is not a spring training site and doesn’t have the technology installed. Umpires still call balls and strikes the old-fashioned way at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. There weren’t very many complaints, not even from the Tortugas, who struggled to match the Hammerheads’ big, 3-run fifth inning. Final: Hammerheads 3, Tortugas 1.

The pre-game national anthem. It's time to play ball.