A Fine Team Man: Jackie Robinson and the Lives He Touched

Synopsis

Jackie Robinson famously said that a life is not important except for the impact it has on other lives. As we celebrate Robinson&’s 100th birthday in January 2019, Stealing Home profiles nine figures whose lives were altered by the &“great experiment,&” as the integration of baseball was called then. Profiled here are Rachel Robinson, the stoic but thoughtful wife; Branch Rickey, the mercurial but far-sighted manager/owner of the Dodgers; Baseball Commissioner &”Happy&” Chandler, who quietly paved the way for integration; Clyde Sukeforth, the scout whose assessment of Robinson was crucial to the player&’s success; Red Barber, whose own views on integration were altered by Robinson&’s example of grace under pressure; Wendell Smith, the prominent black journalist who helped Robinson navigate through the trappings of a racist society; Burt Shotton, who managed Robinson during Robinson&’s majestic MVP season in 1949; Pee Wee Reese, the Dodgers captain who united the team behind Robinson; and finally, Dixie Walker, the veteran Dodgers star who vowed never to play alongside Robinson, but who was eventually so moved by Robinson&’s courage that he spent his last years working to improve the skills of such African-American players as Maury Wills, Jim Wynn, and Dusty Baker. As Joe Cox concludes, &“Perhaps the ultimate measure of the glory of Robinson&’s quest is that it converted those inclined against it to see all men as equal, at least on the great field of baseball.&”

Copyright:

2019

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

Book Size:

288 Pages

ISBN-13:

9781493039050

Related ISBNs:

9781493061914

Publisher:

Globe Pequot Publishing

Date of Addition:

10/04/25

Copyrighted By:

Joe Cox

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

History, Nonfiction, Sports

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.