Branch Rickey

Born in 1903 in Stockdale, Ohio, Branch Rickey had a modest career as a catcher in the majors before discovering his true talent: management. He was instrumental in establishing baseball’s farm system and was an unflinching champion of racial equality, breaking baseball’s color barrier when he signed Jackie Robinson to the major leagues. In Branch Rickey, bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Jimmy Breslin presents a lively portrait of the groundbreaking manager. The biography also succeeds in capturing the heady days when baseball emerged as the national pastime.

In his trademark anecdotal style, Breslin recounts Rickey’s life as one of baseball’s most dedicated and innovative managers. He introduces us to some of baseball’s colorful characters, including Dodgers' owner George V. McLaughlin, diamond greats Leo Durocher, George Sisler and Dizzy Dean, and the formidable Robinson, whose remarkable talent was equaled only by his resilience in the face of intolerance. As president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Rickey defied racism on and off the field to bring Robinson into the major leagues in 1947. The move forever changed the sport and the nation.

The Dodgers’ owner—dubbed “George the Fifth” for his love of scotch—was less interested in racial politics than in the bottom line. A pragmatist and businessman, McLaughlin viewed Rickey’s plan to desegregate baseball as a way to fill more seats. For Rickey, desegregation was a matter of great social and moral importance. He was determined to right a particularly glaring wrong in baseball: the exclusion of players of color. He had been profoundly affected by an event that occurred during his time as a student coach for Ohio Wesleyan University.

During an away game in Indiana, Rickey was dismayed when catcher Charlie Thomas, the first African American to play for the school, was refused a room at the hotel where the team was staying. Humiliated, Thomas was also upset about being alienated from his teammates before an important game against Notre Dame. Rickey was adamant that Thomas would not be separated from the team. After much persuasion, the hotel manager acquiesced, allowing Thomas to stay in Rickey’s room.

Rickey held “a fierce belief that it is the deepest sin against God to hold color against a person,” Breslin writes. He aimed “to change baseball and America too.” Rickey’s is a classic American tale of a poor boy whose deep-seated faith and dogged work ethic took him to the pinnacle of success, earning him a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame and in history. Branch Rickey is an inspiring biography of a determined man who remade a sport—and dreamed of remaking a country.