event involved several thousand disco records being blown up and rowdy fans storming the field. Colbern's jersey #19 currently hangs in the Elmhurst History Museum's display of the night's wild events. Colbern was part of the 1982 Richmond Braves squad that finished 82 and 57, good enough for first place in the International League. The team was stocked with future major league talent like Terry Harper, Brad Komminsk, Brook Jacoby, and Pascual Pérez. Stuck behind veteran Larry Owen and prospect Matt Sinatro, Colbern only played in six games before finding himself down at double A. Lawsuit against Major League Baseball In 2003 Colbern and over 1,000 players brought a civil rights action against Major League Baseball, claiming they were discriminated against by being denied pensions while a small number of Negro league players were being given this benefit. A 2006 Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision ruled in favor of Major League Baseball. Though he was not the lead plaintiff at the start, attorneys representing the former players chose him to be, mainly because of the years Colbern had already spent researching the issue. Pensions was one key issue of the suit, the other was over treatment given to the players by team doctors, mainly their use of cortisone. Colbern's post baseball life was a rough one that included brief spells of homelessness and skyrocketing medical bills. In 2000, Colbern suffered a stroke caused by massively blocked artery. As for the ex-negro league stars that got the benefits that he and other did not, Colbern was actually happy that they were getting the benefits, he just wanted the players who played in the later eras to be taken care of as well. Though the players lost the court room battle, major league baseball did begin to issue payments to players. Colbern stated his would cover the cost of the many pills he had to take because of his medical condition. Mike Colbern died on March 8, 2019. The lawsuit also stated possible malpractice at the hands of team doctors. According to that part of the lawsuit, players were injected with cortisone without their consent. That part of the suit was settled with Colbern receiving two payments of $1,850. References External links 1955 births 2019 deaths American expatriate baseball players in Canada Arizona State Sun Devils baseball players Baseball players from Santa Monica, California Chicago White Sox players Edmonton Trappers