The Salad Days

When we named Jack, there was a small part of me (in the back of my mind) that was naming him after Jackie Robinson. Though he is primarily named for CS Lewis, I also remembered Jackie Robinson and the great sacrifices he made for the game of baseball and for human dignity.

A few days ago, it occured to be that Branch Rickey's full name was Wesley Branch Rickey. For those of you who don't know, Branch Rickey was the General Manager for the Dodgers who decided to end the discrimination in baseball and hire Jackie Robinson. He was named after John and Charles Wesley, the very same family who our little Wesley is named after.

I think it is neat that these two boys end up not only reflecting two of our spiritual heroes, but also two baseball heroes. These two men are not only heroes for what they brought to baseball, but for the positive changes they made for baseball and America.