Obama as Jackie Robinson, Clinton as Pee Wee Reese

Former President Bill Clinton had what I would call a Pee Wee Reese moment at the Democratic National Convention last week, during what will likely go down as his greatest political speech ever.

If you recall, Harold “Pee Wee” Reese was the star shortstop and captain of the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers when Jackie Robinson debuted as a first baseman for the original “Boys of Summer” squad, becoming the first African-American player to break baseball’s color line. Fittingly enough, Robinson and Reese went on to lead their team to victory in the 1955 World Series against the Yankees, and later became Hall of Famers.

As the first African-American, Robinson’s star eclipsed Reese’s, but Robinson might never have been accepted into Major League Baseball if not for Reese. You see, a group of Southern Dodgers circulated a petition objecting to Robinson’s presence on the team because he was black.

Reese, who grew up on a Kentucky farm — with a “hanging tree,” where blacks could be lynched, three miles down the road — would have nothing to do with the petition. He was there to play baseball, with whoever could best play the game, and that was the amazing Jackie Robinson.

Then, in Robinson’s first season, there was a moment that made history. Robinson knew he would have to endure blistering racial attacks in making the move from the Negro League to Major League Baseball. He promised Dodgers owner Branch Rickey that he would say nothing when the attacks came.

At a game in Cincinnati in 1947, the racial epithets came fast and furious. Robinson was standing, staring out at the Reds fans, who hated him simply because of his skin color. Reese recounted in a 1997 New York Times article how Robinson looked so alone, dejected, unable to say a word to the men who hurled inflammatory remarks his way in the hope that he would return fire –– and thus lose his place on the Dodgers and in history. That is, they hoped he would fail.

Reese followed his gut. He walked over to Robinson, stood beside him and put his arm around his shoulder, saying nothing, just staring into the crowd. The fans were suddenly quiet.