- In Europe, in the Pacific, on the homefront, both African-Americans and whites fight to make the world safe for democracy. When the world ends, Major League Baseball becomes, in fact, what it has always claimed to be: the national pastime.
- The 1940s was a decade of huge change in America and in baseball. In the 1941 season, Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox hit .406 and Joe DiMaggio had his record-setting 56 game hitting streak. The Brooklyn Dodgers went from being perennial losers to actually winning the NL pennant. With the belated entry of the US into World War II many veterans enlisted, including Bob Feller, Ted Williams, Hank Greenberg, and Joe DiMaggio. In all, 340 major leaguers and over 3000 minor leaguers enlisted. With women entering the workforce in record numbers, it seemed only natural that they too would play professional baseball and the AAGPBL, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, was formed in 1943. The biggest change however, came with the breaking of the color barrier. Over the years, several owners had wanted to sign African-Americans but Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis flatly refused. On his death however, the new Commissioner Happy Chandler, showed himself far more open to the idea. Brooklyn Dodgers manager Branch Rickey signed Jackie Robinson in 1945 and changed the game forever. The end of the decade also saw the death of a legend: Babe Ruth died in 1948 after a two year battle with cancer.—garykmcd
- The "6th Inning" of this History of Baseball is titled "The National Pastime". It discussed the years 1939 to 1947, and covered such topics as the careers of Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio; the Brooklyn Dodgers loss in the 1941 World Series; Major League Baseball's response to America's involvement in WWII; women's professional baseball, which became popular when baseball began losing players to the war effort; and finally, the story of Branch Rickey's desire to break the color barrier as he sought after an African American player, who was not only good enough to be in the majors, but also could withstand the racism he would surely encounter.
It started with the great rookie season of Ted Williams in 1939, when he batted .327. In then documented the 56-game hitting streak of Joe DiMaggio, in 1941. Also, in 1941, it chronicled the surprising rise of the Brooklyn Dodgers, only to lose the World Series, primarily because of a passed ball in the ninth innning with two out, that cost them game 4. It then highlighted a few of the 340 baseball players who joined the war effort. It also highlighted the success of the professional women's baseball, which began during the war and lasted for ten years.
About half this episode was to used to chronicle Branch Rickey's desire to integrate baseball, after decades of Major League Baseball not allowing the African American to take part in the "American Pastime". In 1945, Mr. Rickey began looking for an African American who was not only good enough to be in the majors, but also could withstand the racism he would surely encounter. He eventually chose Jackie Robinson, who became the first African American to ever play in the Major Leagues. In this episode, he covered the one year he spent in the minor leagues, and his beginnings with the Brooklyn Dodgers, in 1947, especially regarding the abuse he had to withstand, without fighting back. Because he agreed with Mr. Rickey, not to physically fight back for his first three years.
He also covered the favored Boston Red Sox losing the World Series in 1946.
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