My husband is a baseball lover – he had an entire box full of baseball cards when I met him, and could spit out facts on historic and current baseball that made my mind spin. This Labor Day weekend, he decided to rent the movie 42, about Jackie Robinson. For me, it started off as all the other baseball movies, but then it turned to the story. The beautiful, horrific story. It’s one of the few movies that actually makes it more than just a game – it becomes something more. It’s like the speech at the end of Field of Dreams when the writer talks about baseball – baseball inspires the innocence of childhood; the fascination of watching real-life heroes before your very eyes; the timelessness of sitting and watching the game, whether you’re 8, 18, or 80!
When I hear that the American Queen is doing a Baseballs Legends themed cruise, I generally roll my eyes. I think, why should I care about old ball players while I’m on vacation? And then I see movies like 42, and it ignites that spark. Baseball history is American history. If I’m going to listen to the Riverlorian on other subjects of the region, how could I ignore such an integral topic like baseball? It’s not just about the childlike innocence or having fun. It’s about the connection to generations of the past who loved and were fascinated by the same thing we are – baseball. So now, movies like 42 remind me why baseball is so important, and make me reconsider that Baseball Legends cruise.
