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, A Fine Team Man profiles not only Robinson,
but nine other figures whose lives were altered by the "great
experiment," as the integration of baseball was called then. Profiled
here are Rachel Robinson, the stoic and enduring wife; Branch Rickey,
the tight-fisted but far-sighted general manager/owner of the Dodgers;
baseball commissioner "Happy" Chandler, who navigated political factions
as he paved the way for integration; Clyde Sukeforth, the jack of all
trades whose assessment, instruction, and encouragement of Robinson were
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, whose
low-key style of managing helped Robinson into his best seasons; 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 changed 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.
While the story of Jackie Robinson has often been told and retold,
seeing it through the lens of the lives he changed gives it a fresh
shine. Perhaps more than ever, Robinson's excellence sparkles through A
Fine Team Man to demonstrate that change remains not only possible, but
certain for both great heroes and for those who are savvy or fortunate
enough to share the journey or at least stand in the wake during the
hero's finest moments.
