SAN DIEGO — Jackie Robinson Day will be celebrated throughout Major League Baseball on Friday, the 75th anniversary of Robinson breaking baseball's color barrier when he took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
But what if Robinson's debut had come in 1946, say on Aug. 15, as a late-season call-up to the Dodgers from their Montreal farm club.
Over the last six weeks of the season, the Dodgers lost eight games by one run.
They finished two games behind St. Louis for the National League pennant and a trip to the World Series.
"What if?" asks Kostya Kennedy, in his new book, "True: The Four Seasons of Jackie Robinson."
The story of Robinson breaking baseball's color barrier has been well documented since that opening day in 1947 at the Dodgers' Ebbets Field, when he started at first base against the Boston Braves.
Kennedy, touches, of course, on that groundbreaking moment in baseball's — and the country's — history.
Rather than retell it, though, the author chose to dig deeper in other moments from Robinson's life, specifically:
1946 — the year Robinson spent in the minor leagues with the Montreal Royals before his debut with the Dodgers.
1949 — when Robinson earned National League MVP following a season in which he batted .342 with 16 home runs, 124 RBIs and 37 stolen bases.
1956 — the last year of Robinson's career.
1972 — the last year of Robinson's life.
Kennedy is a former senior writer for Sports Illustrated who has also written books about Joe DiMaggio and Pete Rose.
In "True," he brings to life Robinson's greatness as a player as well as providing perspective on his place in American history for his dedication and determination for civil rights.
The book is best when it mentions what is going on in Robinson's life in one breath and American society in another.
For instance, while Robinson is in the midst of the season in Montreal, an Aug. 6, 1946, letter to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution is mentioned that speaks to race relations while asking for "equality before the law."
It is the first public writing from a student at Morehouse College, who signs his name as M.L. King Jr.
Later, of Robinson, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would write: "He incessantly raises questions to sear America's conscience."
It is interesting to revisit those times, then to think of events across the country over the past couple years and to wonder, have we come far, or barely advanced at all?
Of matters on the field, one thing is without question: We miss ballplayers like Jackie Robinson.
Oh, to see someone today with Robinson's disruptive behavior on the basepaths.
Instead, we watch players standing around waiting on a three-run homer, or, worse, see them stranded after another strikeout.
In Part Two, Summer 1949, Kennedy describes Jackie's ability to get the opposition on edge, writing, "Of all the attributes that attended Jackie Robinson's play on the baseball diamond — and there were many — none stood out so magnificently, at time or in memory, in legend and in fact, as the way that he ran the bases."
Hard, long turns at first base on singles, just itching to take the extra base on an inattentive outfielder.
As a rookie, Robinson advanced to second base on one occasion — on a walk.
He studied pitchers keenly for "tells" that would help him get a jump for stolen bases.
The start and stop and start and stop leading off third as he threatened to steal home, which he did 19 times (while being caught 12 times) in his career.
As for the title, "True," Kennedy put it this way on the book's first page: "Whatever the context and circumstances, Jackie Robinson remained true — true to the effort and mission, true to his convictions and his contradictions."
Twenty-five years after he broke baseball's color barrier, and after two decades championing civil rights, Robinson was honored before Game 2 of the 1972 World Series between Oakland and Cincinnati.
From his front-row seat in the stands at Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium, Robinson threw out a ceremonial first pitch to Reds catcher Johnny Bench.
Moments earlier, in a brief speech to the crowd, Robinson thanked baseball "for the tremendous opportunities that it has presented to me" and how pleased he was to be honored at the game.
But, he added, "I'm going to be tremendously more pleased and more proud when I look at that third base coaching line one day and see a Black face managing in baseball."
Robinson died nine days later from a heart attack.
So he did not live to see that day, two years later, when Frank Robinson became manager of the Cleveland Indians.
"True" concludes with a section titled, "Afterlife," offering some thoughts on Robinson's legacy.
The section begins with a photo of Robinson's grave site. The picture is dated April 16, 2021, the day after last year's Jackie Robinson Day.
It is apparent fans have stopped by to pay their respects. A small American flag waves in the wind on the grave, which is crowded with a couple dozen baseballs, four bats and a Brooklyn Dodgers cap.
Robinson's headstone includes one of his most memorable quotes: "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives."
MORE ON ROBINSON
Books
— Jackie Robinson: A Biography (1997): This work coincided with the 50th anniversary of Robinson's major league debut, when his jersey number 42 also was retired across MLB. It is the authorized biography of Robinson and regarded as the definitive work on his life.
— I Never Had It Made (1972): Robinson's autobiography, written with Alfred Duckett, and published the year he died. Perhaps most notable was Robinson's disappointment in baseball as "a big selfish business" that had fallen fall short of his hopes for racial justice in the game.
— Baseball's Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and his Legacy (1983): Author and historian Jules Tygiel digs deep to detail the events before and after Robinson broke the color barrier.
Books for children
Three books written by Jackie's daughter Sharon Robinson:
— Testing the Ice (grades 2-4): After his baseball career, Jackie moved his family to Connecticut. Here's one story centered around a beautiful lake on the family's property.
— The Hero Two Doors Down (grades 4-6): Historical fiction novel centered around Jackie moving to the all-Jewish neighborhood of an 8-year-old boy who is a huge Dodgers fan.
— Promises to Keep (grades 6-8): Stories of growing up with a trailblazing father and the inspiration he provided his family, friends and country.
Movies
— The Jackie Robinson Story (1950): Robinson plays himself with what one critic called "a calm assurance and composure that might be envied by many a Hollywood star."
— 42 (2013): The late Chadwick Boseman plays Robinson and Harrison Ford stars as Dodgers GM Branch Rickey in a story that begins two years before Jackie breaks the color barrier.
— Jackie Robinson (2016): The baseball and civil rights icon gets the Ken Burns (along with Sarah Burns and David McMahon) treatment in this four-hour documentary. Part I traces Robinson's journey from childhood to breaking the color barrier. Part II follows the majority of his 10-year career and post-career impact fighting discrimination.
