OT: Jackie Robinson. Branch Rickey.

[Kibitzer]

On the occasion of the "42" film about Jackie Robinson, permit a mini review/recommendation of a book about a great man who was vital to the cataclysmic breakdown of baseball's racial barriers: "Branch Rickey," by Jimmie Breslin.

It's a little book (about 150 pages), one of a series published by Penguin dealing with racial matters; among others in the series are those about MLK and Rosa Parks.

Although Breslin's focus is on Rickey, he in no way diminishes Robinson's courage -- if anything, the book enhances Jackie's intrepidity. The author describes and documents the unique combination of guile and doggedness (with an occasional dose of chicanery) Rickey applied to overcome the hostility of the baseball community (players, management and fans alike), the wariness of bankers, and the resistance of politicians to ultimately place Robinson on the major league roster of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

There was Baseball -- and America -- before Jackie Robinson, and Baseball and America afterward. And we are far better for what Rickey and Jackie -- each courageous and skilled in their own way -- accomplished against seemingly insurmountable odds.

Jimmie Breslin's gift for writing and turning a vivid phrase is on full display. Two sentences in the book are classic Breslin and unforgettable. What was the American Pastime like before Jackie Robinson? "Baseball was for hillbillies with keen eyesight."

As for Rickey, a monumental figure in this ultimately triumphant quest for social justice, Breslin at one point reminds his readers: "At no point did Rickey take a vow of poverty."

I have recommended "Branch Rickey" to a few Boneyarders who seemed to appreciate it. I now suggest you each enjoy "42" and try the book.

 

[Icebear]

Kib, I read Breslin's account of Branch Rickey's work around Jackie Robinson and was amazed at the political savvy and skill with which Rickey worked to achieve the desegregation of baseball. Finding the right black athlete was critical but so were many other things and it is so easy to focus on the last step for both Rickey and Robinson.

 

[RoyDodger]

I became a Dodger fan (I was born in Coney Island) after being taken, at age 7, to Ebbets Field by my brother. I'm proud to say that I saw Jackie Robinson play that day and in quite a few more games (both at Ebbets and the Polo Grounds) before the Dodgers ignominiously tried to trade him to the New York Giants after the 1956 season. The story of Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson is one that can't help but make you proud to be a caring human being.

My first game was at Ebbets on June 15, 1952. Click here for the box score. The Dodgers lost to the Reds that day but I fell in love instantly with Dodger blue, and the greats on that team made me a Dodger fan for life (there were four Hall of Famers in the starting lineup (Snider, Robinson, Reese, and Campanella) plus a fifth who should be in the Hall (Gil Hodges), plus a batting champion (Carl Furillo).

 

[VAUConnFan]

Great recommendation, Kibitzer. The book was thoroughly enjoyable, and, incredibly educational and enlightening.

I became a Dodger fan (I was born in Coney Island) after being taken, at age 7, to Ebbets Field by my brother. I'm proud to say that I saw Jackie Robinson play that day and in quite a few more games (both at Ebbets and the Polo Grounds) before the Dodgers ignominiously tried to trade him to the New York Giants after the 1956 season. The story of Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson is one that can't help but make you proud to be a caring human being.

My first game was at Ebbets on June 15, 1952. Click here for the box score. The Dodgers lost to the Reds that day but I fell in love instantly with Dodger blue, and the greats on that team made me a Dodger fan for life (there were four Hall of Famers in the starting lineup (Snider, Robinson, Reese, and Campanella) plus a fifth who should be in the Hall (Gil Hodges), plus a batting champion (Carl Furillo).

I have always admired strong armed right fielders, my personal favorite being Roberto Clemente. Others of note include Reggie Smith, Ichiro, Andre Dawson. However, it has been imparted to me on more than a few occasions that Carl Furillo owns the best right field arm of all time. Regrettably, I've never witnessed Furillo's prowess.

 

[RoyDodger]

Great recommendation, Kibitzer. The book was thoroughly enjoyable, and, incredibly educational and enlightening.
I have always admired strong armed right fielders, my personal favorite being Roberto Clemente. Others of note include Reggie Smith, Ichiro, Andre Dawson. However, it has been imparted to me on more than a few occasions that Carl Furillo owns the best right field arm of all time. Regrettably, I've never witnessed Furillo's prowess.

Furillo, who was from Pennsylvania, was nicknamed the "Reading Rifle" due to the strength of his arm. Incidentally, Roberto Clemente was originally a Dodger farmhand. The Dodgers made the mistake of leaving him available for the minor league draft and in 1954 lost one of the greats of all time to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...the-40-best-outfield-arms-in-baseball-history

 

[Kibitzer]

Great recommendation, Kibitzer. The book was thoroughly enjoyable, and, incredibly educational and enlightening.


I have always admired strong armed right fielders, my personal favorite being Roberto Clemente. Others of note include Reggie Smith, Ichiro, Andre Dawson. However, it has been imparted to me on more than a few occasions that Carl Furillo owns the best right field arm of all time. Regrettably, I've never witnessed Furillo's prowess.

I have never seen anyone throw a baseball from right field to third base or home plate with the combination of trajectory, accuracy and artistry of Roberto Clemente. And as a native Pittsburgher I was fortunate to see a lot of him.

Aword about Furillo, who not only had a powerful arm, but who mastered the intricacies of the unique right field wall in Ebbetts Field. The lower part of the wall (about bottom 3') was slanted slightly so the caroms from line drives sriking it went crazily up in the air and well off to the side. While this added to the charm of that great old ballpark, it drove visiting rightfielders nuts.

 

[Kibitzer]

Furillo, who was from Pennsylvania, was nicknamed the "Reading Rifle" due to the strength of his arm. Incidentally, Roberto Clemente was originally a Dodger farmhand. The Dodgers made the mistake of leaving him available for the minor league draft and in 1954 lost one of the greats of all time to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

And it was Branch Rickey (then with the Pirates) who snagged him.

 

[Icebear]

The two best arms I ever saw were Clemente and Dwight Evans. Watching Dwight Evans warm up between innings was something of amazement. Rather lobbing the ball back and forth with the other outfileders Dewey would make three or four throws all the way from right field to third base skipping them in with amazing accuracy. The guy at third would barely have to move his glove some innings. One night when I was on call covering the chaplaincy duty at Yale New Haven I watched Dewey cut down two Yankees in a row at third, it could have been three in a row on another perfect throw but the runner rounded second and stopped. The man was amazing and many a runner stopped rather than take a chance on a Dwight Evans throw.

 

[Bigpetunia]

I agree with everything that's been said. As a lifelong fan of baseball above all other sports, and, having been born at a time when great lizards roamed the earth, I was fortunate to see most of the post-WWII greats play, including some who lost their best years to the war. The only player I ever saw whose competitive fire could match Jackie's was Roberto. His arm strength was beyond description, as was Carl . I'm going to throw one more, kind of unexpected name into the hat of guys with legendary arms. In my opinion, Bo Jackson was probably the greatest pure athlete in American history, and was undoubtedly the victim of the most costly ($) sports injury ever. No, it would not be fair to say he had the arm of a Clemente, but it was shockingly powerful for a guy who "dabbled" in baseball as his second (or third, including track) sport. I saw him make throws that left fans in awe!