Braves' Harris the pride of Cairo

[braves guru]

Cairo — An 11th-grader stuck with a research paper for Black History Month, Willie Harris was mulling the usual candidates when he was unexpectedly introduced to the man who would inform the rest of his life. "Some people took Rosa Parks or Martin Luther King," Harris said. "I was into sports big time in high school, and my English teacher said, 'Willie, why don't you do your paper on Jackie Robinson?' "And I'm like, 'Who's that?' I had no clue." Thus began a coincidental affiliation baseball patrons relish. Sixty years after Robinson broke the game's color barrier, and six years after Harris first made it to the majors, they remain the only two big leaguers born in Cairo, the circle drawn closer five weeks ago when Harris was called up to his home state Atlanta Braves.

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[Chief]

You know what? I am surprised," Harris said. "What if he had never been mentioned to me? Where would that have taken me? When would I have found out who Jackie Robinson was?"

Nevermind that the sign when you go into Cairo, GA that says "Home of Jackie Robinson".