Rickey and Robinson
By Harvey Frommer
published by Taylor Trade Publishing
p. 234

We all have some preconceptions of certain people, places or things and in no way am I immune to this failing. In starting this book I had a very limited knowledge of who both Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey really were. What I had were the stereotypes that other writers had projected and the history that these men are noted for. Basically Jackie Robinson was the great black player who shattered baseball’s color barrier and later became a very outspoken black activist. Branch Rickey was one of the greatest general managers that baseball has ever seen - but with a reputation for being a skinflint to the point that players hated dealing with him.

Now both of those things were true, but I had no idea who the men behind these accomplishments really were and how they earned their reputations and their places in the history books. In reality this book is a dual biography of two men whose lives intersected, at the right moment, at the right point in time for them to make history together. History often requires all of the same ingredients as a murder; it requires motive, opportunity, means and players brave enough to make them happen.

Rickey had already made history and as Frommer reveals was perhaps the greatest judge of player talent who ever had his hands in the game. He also knew how to beat the system, how to tweak it, and even how to invent it - as he did when he created the modern farm system used in baseball today. He also had a fire to win, and to win at all costs, no matter how many boundaries he had to cross.

Rickey never claimed credit for breaking the color barrier, although it was something he definitely felt needed to be done and something he deliberately set out to do. However Rickey always admitted that he was not doing it just for altruistic purposes but he was doing it because black ballplayers were good and were an untapped source of players which could help Rickey build yet another winning team.

He spent a huge amount of time looking for the right man to break the color barrier. It took Rickey and his scouts months to come up with a list of three candidates who could handle the job on the diamond and it took the even longer to learn about the men off the field. In the end it came down to Robinson and Roy Campenella. Rickey made his decision after interviewing them both.

Robinson was atypical of the majority of players from the Negro leagues. He was college educated, grew up in a neighborhood of mixed ethnicity where he was accepted. That he also had a fire to win and to be the best is what matched the person that was in the heart of Branch Rickey. It was the heart of a man who would do whatever it took to prove himself the best - and that meant dealing with the hatred and prejudice, which would be used to show that black men were not ready to play in the major leagues.

Jackie had that fire and endured far more than many other men could have. In fact, several Negro leaguers who joined him that inaugural season on the Dodgers farm team in Montreal could not take the pressure and quit. Through it all Robinson persevered, turning when in doubt to the council and advice of Branch Rickey who Robinson throughout his life respected.

Because of this, Jackie was able to swallow the insults, the pain, the prejudice, hate, and his own bitterness - at least until it was clear that the game had truly been integrated and could never go back. Then he became very vocal, outspoken and to many minds militant and antagonistic. It was that desire for betterment, not just of himself, but also for his race that drove him - despite the resentment of many black men who did not want Robinson speaking for them.

Still Branch and Jackie took those initial steps together and they admired and respected each other from the day they first met. They made history happen and while each may have had their own motives and walked their own path afterwards - the story of how their lives came to intersect and their need for each other is a fascinating one.

This is a book any baseball fan will enjoy although it’s not as much about the action on the field as it is about what went on off the field and in the minds of the two men themselves.

Give this one 3 out of 4 balls and call it an interesting and enjoyable read for fans who need to understand the changes in the game. Rickey and Robinson: The Men Who Broke...

Our Rating System is based on a four ball system as follows:
One Ball: Average. It has something to say but is nothing special.
Two Balls: Something men usually have - also means its a cut above average, and worth reading/owning.
Three balls: Stands out from its peers and is highly recommended.
Four Balls: More than just what two men have when hanging out together, it means it is an exceptional book that truly earns a walk - straight to the local book store to get a copy.