It’s one of the most anticipated movies of the year. And it’s almost here: 42
42 is the number and the story of the great Jackie Robinson, which is now coming to the silver screen in April. The movie chronicles the life and impact of Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947 and changed the game and complexion of baseball forever. Jackie was the 1947 Rookie of the Year and played 10 seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers, helping them win a World Series in 1955 against the crosstown New York Yankees.
Robinson was a lifetime .311 hitter and All Star second baseman who was electrifying on the basepaths. He averaged 23 stolen bases and 87 walks a year. He was the baseball MVP in 1949, with a .342 batting average and .432 on base percentage.
Always a terrific player, Robinson’s greatest contributions were his passion for the game, his character and above all, his courage. Players from opposing teams would go out of their way to spike Robinson and throw deliberately at his head while batting, but Robinson beat them on the field. As Brooklyn Dodger GM Branch Rickey said, ” I want a man who has the guts not to fight back.”
In the movie, Jackie Robinson is played by Brooklyn born Chadwick Boseman, who portrayed NFL running back Floyd little in the 2008 movie,”The Express”, the story of Syracuse star Ernie Davis. Branch Rickey, who searched everywhere for the right player to integrate Major League Baseball, is portrayed by Harrison Ford.
Major League Baseball has declared April 15 to be Jackie Robinson day, in which players on every team will honor the legendary player by wearing number 42 on their jerseys.
MLB Tribute to Jackie Robinson
I can’t wait to see the movie!
In the meantime, Spring Training is here to keep us occupied and Little League will be starting soon. I’ll be doing a book signing for Baseball Between Us, Baseball Between Us at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 16 at Arden Little League on Eastern Avenue in Sacramento. Arden Little League Opening Day
It’s Opening Day and I’ll be donating 50% of all my book sales to Arden Little League, to help support today’s young players – and who knows, maybe one of them will grow up to be a Major Leaguer. Hope to see you there!
