BASEBALL: Jackie Robinson, “42;” Colorado Rockies, Still Above The Margin.”

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BASEBALL  ---    THE recently released movie “42” succeeds at so many levels it’s hard to pick one being more significant, more valuable to viewers, than others. For example, in the film is the adult life of a hero and his being a spark for calibration, for a giant leap forward in American history and for social justice, for an America becoming more like the nation intended by its founding fathers, less like the overlord/underdog countries that immigrants crossed the Atlantic to get away from. Also in “42” is what a partnership among men committed to what they love best should look like, both refusing to allow adversity to chip away at that commitment, each supporting the other (Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey, baseball player Jackie Robinson).

And, in “42” there’s husband/wife bonding that couples viewing the film would surely want to strive for (the Robinsons), especially if couples watching are from the realm of sports, where one spouse travels away from home often.

Also in ‘42” is the positive effect that a sports hero can have on children; and there’s sports leadership and management flying the flags of principle, of unblemished competition, of healthy team transformation, doing so against pressure from the herd (Rickey, and Dodgers manager, Leo Durocher).

In “42” there’s what racism looked like in the late 1940’s, its awful vulgarity contrasted with Robinson’s dignified hunt for deserved acceptance inside baseball, accelerating toward the M.L. King era of the mid- and late 1960’s, albeit slowly and though today America’s battle versus racism isn’t completely over.

Stylistically, “42” is a perfect balance of feel-good moments interspersed with the idiocy of prejudice based on skin color, neither overshadowing the other in ways confusing viewers as to whether they are watching something meant only to stir up emotions or a documentary meant to indict, strongly suggesting that “42” isn’t telling us that its hero was a hero because he was African-American, instead that the hero of “42” was a hero because he was morals-based Jackie Robinson, one of the greatest baseball players ever and a super advocate for civil rights.

Simultaneously, the villains of “42” aren’t “all white men,” the villains are racists who happen to be white, one of them a former manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, as easy to hate in the film as during baseball of the 1940’s.

A most powerful “other hero” in the movie is baseball itself, the sport taking to its roots that skin color isn’t character and it isn’t talent, attaching to a fundamental truth, that whether black, yellow, red, olive or white the athletes within those colors is the reality to be accepted or rejected based only on skill-sets and rational behavior.

Even for fans preferring football, basketball, soccer, hockey, or another sport, the  movie “42” is definitely elevating, underscoring what is just and fair for all of us.

Colorado Rockies.     Let’s paraphrase an old song lyric, “Soon as you think you’re losing, you’re winning again,” emblematic of the recent six baseball games played by the Colorado Rockies, which included three losses to the San Francisco Giants, thus a sweep of the Rockies, followed by a three-game Rockies sweep of the San Diego Padres, leaving the Colorado ballplayers at 8-4, extending a decent MLB-2013 start for them.

Particularly noteworthy about the Rockies sweep of the Padres is that within its third game there occurred signs of hope against what had at San Francisco signaled that mediocrity could be around the corner, that is, Rockies starter LH Jorge De La Rosa diminsihed the effects of his throw in San Francisco to hitter/outfielder Hunter Pence, which resulted in a 3-run homer for the Giants, doing so by pitching six innings at San Diego without giving up any runs, walking but two players and striking out seven., leaving the mound with the Rockies ahead, 3-0, a score resulting from Rockies first baseman/team veteran, Todd Helton, having produced a 2-RBI home run.

De La Rosa began this season after a long rehab that followed Tommy John surgery, therefore under the usual shroud of uncertainties that accompany any rehabbed athlete. And, Helton experienced injury last year, and has suffered perceptions of being “the older player, not enough juice left.”

So, if a return to skill-superiority is now in the cards for De La Rosa and for Helton, then the Rockies will have additional value for consistency of wins as the MLB season progresses, providing, of course, that team manager, Walt Weiss, can exploit the talents of the two athletes favorably, which means “cautiously” since both athletes are returnees from rehab, in Helton’s case adjustment to being 39 years old also a factor.

For positive emphasis re. De La Rosa and Helton, Rockies manager Weiss will probably maintain a very watchful eye for rostering the two out of perfect insight. If De La Rosa can continue to keep opposing teams from scoring runs, Weiss will surely attempt to help maintain that value with the right amount of rest for De La Rosa and surely the proper mound follow up, i.e., the right reliever + closer for building enough insurance for a De La Rosa win, with hitters like Helton, and before him in the line-up Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, and catcher Wilin Rosario, delivering the needed RBI’s. 

Significant is that Helton’s home run vs. the Padres on Sunday wouldn’t have been enough to give the Rockies their win. Making the difference were the two men on base that Helton’s deep hit had sent home. Helton may still be the batter capable of pushing base-runners across the plate when needed most. Helton’s Sunday RBI-homer signaled that whether at mid-lineup or as a pinch-hitter, he may not be anywhere near recruitment for lesser roles.

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