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42

A number. Jackie Robinson's number.

The title of the movie about Robinson's year as a rookie with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Mr. Rickey- Branch Rickey- General Manager who took the chance to change the American world.

And succeeded.

It is also about what many of us continue to believe is an American original sin- racism.

We see it at its ugliest as Robinson, the first African-American to play Major League Baseball, makes his way around the country quietly changing the world. He was by all accounts a heroic individual who suffered and sacrificed personally to do what needed to be done. He died in 1972 at the young age of 53 from complications from heart problems and diabetes.

The movie "42" is a classic baseball movie. The good guys win. It makes you feel good. It is all the more astonishing because it's true. In 1947 the hatred (a kind word for it) was more than many could have been able to bear. Even some of his own teammates didn't like what was happening. What a lonely year that must have been. There is one scene where Mr. Rickey (portrayed by Harrison Ford) tries to get his young star back onto the field. It all could have ended at that moment. Our nation should be forever grateful that it didn't.

We can't forget Mr. Rickey either. He had wanted to do this for 40 years after what he saw happen to a Black member of a college team. He planned it, worked for it, and finally made it happen, come hell or high water. He didn't face the pressures that Robinson did, of course, and he would be the first to admit it. But the two of them were an unbeatable team.

Don't forget Pee Wee Reese and Ralph Branca and some of the other Dodgers who stepped up and did what was the right thing to do. They are portrayed well in the movie, too.

Baseball is often used as a paradigm, a metaphor, for life. In this case it was more than that. It was what helped change life for the better.

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Sidenote:

FYI: Here is the list of first African-American players on each of the teams. The four highlighted have been elected to the Hall of Fame. It is sad, but true that the Yankees took 8 years, Phillies 10, Tigers 11 and Red Sox 12 years to integrate. It makes the story of Jackie Robinson all the more astounding as he was retired by the time the last three teams integrated! (from Wikipedia.)

Player	Team	Date
Jackie Robinson †	Brooklyn Dodgers, NL	April 15, 1947
Larry Doby †	Cleveland Indians, AL	July 5, 1947
Hank Thompson	St. Louis Browns, AL	July 17, 1947
Monte Irvin †	New York Giants, NL	July 8, 1949
Hank Thompson	New York Giants, NL	July 8, 1949
Sam Jethroe	Boston Braves, NL	April 18, 1950
Minnie Miñoso	Chicago White Sox, AL	May 1, 1951
Bob Trice	Philadelphia Athletics, AL	September 13, 1953
Ernie Banks †	Chicago Cubs, NL	September 17, 1953
Curt Roberts	Pittsburgh Pirates, NL	April 13, 1954
Tom Alston	St. Louis Cardinals, NL	April 13, 1954
Nino Escalera	Cincinnati Reds, NL	April 17, 1954
Chuck Harmon	Cincinnati Reds, NL	April 17, 1954
Carlos Paula	Washington Senators, AL	September 6, 1954
Elston Howard	New York Yankees, AL	April 14, 1955
John Kennedy	Philadelphia Phillies, NL	April 22, 1957
Ozzie Virgil, Sr.	Detroit Tigers, AL	June 6, 1958
Pumpsie Green	Boston Red Sox, AL	July 21, 1959