October 23, 1945 - Brooklyn Makes History!

[DODGER DEB]

On OCTOBER 23, 1945, 59 years ago today, Branch Rickey announced to the Baseball world, and, infact, the entire world, that the BROOKLYN DODGERS had signed JACKIE ROBINSON.

Little did WE know what an impact that signing would have on OUR BROOKLYN DODGERS, BASEBALL.....and the WORLD!

c.

[JACKIE42]

On OCTOBER 23, 1945, 59 years ago today, Branch Rickey announced to the Baseball world, and, infact, the entire world, that the BROOKLYN DODGERS had signed JACKIE ROBINSON.

Little did WE know what an impact that signing would have on OUR BROOKLYN DODGERS, BASEBALL.....and the WORLD!

c.

Your right DD, that day shook the world.

[VIBaseball]

Before the signing of Jackie

Rickey, as was his style, examined hundreds of players before settling on Jackie and his unique blend of skill and mental strength. While looking for stories on 1944 one-game wonder Frank Wurm, I found two accounts of an interesting episode from April 7, 1945.

It concerned a tryout for Negro Leaguers Dave "Showboat" Thomas (1B) and Terris McDuffie (P) at Bear Mountain, NY. The Dodgers were there to play the U.S. Military Academy team -- the Cadets won 4-0!

Both men took BP against lefty Wurm, who'd returned to the Dodgers in the summer of '44 after fighting WW II in Africa and Italy. The catcher was 43-year-old Clyde Sukeforth, back in the majors for the first time since 1934.

Rickey said he "could not be interested in Thomas if he were 24 years old instead of 34." Dave was actually 40 by that time. Rickey and coach Red Corriden also rated Claude Crocker, Vic Lombardi, and Wurm more highly than McDuffie. Leo Durocher also said McDuffie's age -- supposedly 32, but really 34 -- was a strike against him.

Fay Young, journalist for African-American paper the Chicago Defender, also wrote about this tryout. He said that his fellow black journalist Joe Bostic, who helped sponsor Thomas and McDuffie, should have tried to get Buck Leonard (then 37) and younger, better pitchers.

Young was highly skeptical of the whole thing -- his piece was titled "If They Got A 'Tryout' Then We're A Billionaire." But I think the experienced judges had probably seen enough.