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The man of the moment, Tiger Woods, would benefit from the counsel of Jackie's widow Rachel Robinson, who stood as tall at Shea the other night as she did 50 years ago, when she rose from her seat to shield her husband from the racial invectives being hurled at him. During the ceremony honoring Jackie, Rachel called on America to "reawaken the feelings of unity and use them as a driving force."
Woods will need all the help he can get, now that an awesome responsibility is being thrust upon him. He isn't going to bridge the racial divide of golf, much less America, all by himself. We are not suddenly one nation indivisible just because the kid can turn Augusta into a pitch and putt.
But his Masters victory and the honoring of Robinson are reminders that sports can be a common ground, be it stadium, arena, course, court, ring or ball park. The V.P. can talk to the UPS guy about the De La Hoya-Whitaker fight. The cabbie and the fare can share their amazement over Tiger's victory. The vendor and the suit can smile at each other as they wipe away tears brought forth by Jackie's image.
Television is another common ground, and inside some cable boxes can be found the Classic Sports Network. Recently, the network has been airing a 1956 edition of Happy Felton's Knothole Gang. This was a pregame show shot at Ebbets Field, in which three Little Leaguers played catch with one of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and in this particular show, Vinnie, Richie and Louie from St. Bernadette's got to work out for Robinson. The kids enjoy an easy rapport with Robinson as they toss him questions and he tosses them grounders. There is no racial subtext. There isn't even a gap between fan and star--they are just ballplayers of different sizes. As Jackie gently admonishes the kids, "Stay on it, stay right on it now," you realize that we didn't listen to Jackie. We didn't stay on it.