LARRY SCHWARTZ HOW TO

It was the way he was a disruptive force, dancing off the base, drawing every eye in the stadium, making the pitcher crazy, instilling the Dodgers with the spirit that would help them win six pennants in his 10 seasons. It wasn't so much his two stolen-base titles or his 197 thefts. 42's aggressiveness on the basepaths that thrilled fans. 311 and he was voted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. The 6-foot, 195-pound Robinson was the Rookie of the Year and two years later he was MVP. A model of unselfish team play, he earned the respect of his teammates and, eventually, the opposition.

LARRY SCHWARTZ HOW TO

Robinson learned how to exercise self-control - to answer insults, violence and injustice with silence. As Sports Illustrated's Bill Nack wrote: 'Robinson was the target of racial epithets and flying cleats, of hate letters and death threats, of pitchers throwing at his head and legs, and catchers spitting on his shoes.' Robinson's debut for the Dodgers in 1947 came a year before President Harry Truman desegregated the military and seven years before the Supreme Court ruled desegregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Baseball might only be a game, but in the area of black and white, it often is a leader. This unwritten pact between two men would change the course of a country. Rickey, exploding: 'Robinson, I'm looking for a ballplayer with guts enough not to fight back.' Rickey, are you looking for a Negro who is afraid to fight back?'

What I don't know is whether you have the guts.' Rickey: 'I know you're a good ballplayer. Rickey wanted a man who could restrain himself from responding to the ugliness of the racial hatred that was certain to come.Ī shorthand version of their fateful conversation in August 1945: That's what Robinson had to do when Dodgers president Branch Rickey selected him to become the first African-American to play in the majors this century. He was more prone to fighting back than holding back. His instinct wasn't to turn the other cheek, but to face problems head on. He had the guts to say no when ordered to the back of the bus in the army, and was court-martialed for his courage. He was an aggressive man, outraged at injustice, and quick to stand up for his rights. While the Brooklyn Dodgers infielder didn't make a nation color blind, he at least made it more color friendly.Īnd he accomplished this feat by going against his natural instincts. Robinson lit the torch and passed it on to several generations of African-American athletes. Jackie Robinson led the way for generations of black athletes.īy that standard, few people - and no athlete - this century has impacted more lives. 'A life is not important,' he said, 'except in the impact it has on other lives.' But then again, there haven't been many people like Jackie Robinson. It's not often that the essence of a man, especially a complicated man, can be summed up in one sentence. Jackie Robinson voted 15th-best athlete of century

Larry schwartz