I suppose it’s the same everywhere, but a Sailor has to mark his career with specific achievements if he or she wants to promote to the next higher paygrade. Sometimes in our efforts to gather accomplishments and accolades, we forget that only we remember our achievements, and everyone else only remembers how we treated them. We all, perhaps myself especially, need reminders that people are remembered longer than their accomplishments are, and we are best served in placing achievement in the service of relationships, and not the other way around. Thank God for men like today’s hero who did exactly that.
Be remembered.
April 15th was Opening Day of the Major League Baseball season that year for the Brooklyn Dodgers, and they were hosting the Boston Braves.
The man who had signed his first contract that spring had only ever played second base, but today the Dodgers’ manager had him start at first base in the opening day lineup. He’d been practicing at the position all spring training, but his ability to play the position was enough of a question mark that he would sit the final inning of the game, benched in favor of a defensive substitute. In spite of justifiable questions surrounding his ability at his defensive position, he made the first put-out of the game, taking the throw from third to force out the Braves’ leadoff hitter.
In the bottom of the inning the new first baseman batted second in the order facing Johnny Sain, who’d won more games than any other National League pitcher the previous year. It was no surprise that the rookie grounded out to third for the second out of the inning.
He returned to the plate in the 7th inning, his fourth time that day after flying out in the 3rd and grounding out again in the 5th. With a runner on 1st base, the rookie laid down a beautiful bunt that the Braves’ first baseman misplayed, allowing both runners to advance all the way to second and third. Both Dodger runners scored when the next batter doubled, giving them a lead they would not relinquish, winning their home opener and beating the visiting Braves 5-3.
The first baseman ended his first game batting 0 for 3, which gave no indication of the kind of rookie season he would have in 1947. He finished with a 0.297 batting average, scored 125 runs (the only Dodger to score more than 100), and finished 5th in the MVP voting, all on his way to becoming the Rookie of the Year. What he did at the plate that opening day, however, was not nearly as important as his simply being there. Jackie Robinson became the first black American ballplayer to offer at pitches from a Major League Baseball pitcher. By breaking baseball’s color barrier, Robinson has rendered his own athletic achievements on the diamond almost irrelevant, overshadowed by his cultural achievement, but he was a great ballplayer too. His mission to change baseball would likely have failed if that were not so.
It is to Robinson’s great credit that he is typically remembered more for the kind of man he was than for the statistical records he compiled. It will be the same with all of us. Generally speaking, people seldom remember what you do, but they will never forget how you make them feel. So I think we can best commemorate Jackie Robinson Day by doing our best to make all of our encounters with shipmates positive interactions.
LET USA PRAY
Lord God, thank you for giving us men like Jackie Robinson who are willing and able to show us by their example that a life lived in a principled way is one that is both productive and fondly remembered. Teach us especially that we cannot change the world until we are willing to change ourselves and become someone worthy of emulation. Give us the courage and strength to live up to the highest of principles, for You are holy always, now and forever and to the ages of ages.
AMEN
An Orthodox Priest Abroad 