42

It’s the rare movie that makes me want to write. 

 

I just saw 42, the story of Jackie Robinson, and a range of emotions were aroused in me.   

Branch Richey, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, played by Harrison Ford, was awe-inspiring.  Where are the men like that these days?  Men who have an innate sense of right vs. wrong, a love for people, and a love for God.  He was a hard-core cigar smoker, wheeler-dealer, take-no-prisoners, will do anything to win baseball team owner…but he did it right. 

Come on, I just want to ask again…where are these guys today?   

Jackie Robinson, played by Chadwick Boseman was real-life.  The background story was the overt racial discrimation that sadly characterized our country in the post-WWII years, but the real story for me was the quality of man he was.   

Yes, he was torn up inside by the hate that came from white men, but he realized that his anger would cause him to lose…not just in a game, but in life.  It was Branch who helped him to realize that boys (yes, even white boys) looked up to him as a hero.  What he did on the field and off was watched by every young boy who loved baseball, and Jackie understood that it was a great responsibility that he had to be a role model not just for the boys, but for men as well. 

What a brave man he was.