In the movies this month began the screening of the biography of Jackie Robinson. The movie titled "42, The Jackie Robinson Story" stars Chadwick Boseman as Robinson and Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey. Filming locations include Rickwood Field in Birmingham the oldest professional baseball stadium in America that still stands today. It was reported that Rickwood was disguised to also become Roosevelt Stadium (Jersey City, NJ) and Forbes Field (Pittsburgh) both long demolished. Robinson played in Rickwood Field as a member of the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues. Some scenes were filmed in Chattanooga's historic Engel Stadium. Also portrayed in the movie is Ben Chapman who resisted integration and taunted Robinson in 1947 as the manager of the Phillies. Chapman was born in Nashville. Jackie Robinson and the "Bums" played in Nashville (Sulphur Dell Ball Park) a few times this one being in 1953.

The Brooklyn Dodgers made baseball history in October, 1945 when they signed Jackie Robinson to their organization. The controversial move enabled Robinson to become the first black to play in the modern major leagues just two years later.

Robinson's pioneer effort was highly successful as the second baseman was enshrined into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. He was born in Cairo, Ga., and starred in four sports at UCLA.

Robinson was playing for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League when signed by Branch Rickey, Jr., the Dodgers farm system director. He played the 1946 season for the Montreal Royals before the Dodgers called him into the big leagues.

Nashville's Sulphur Dell ballpark hosted countless major league teams when they would travel north to their home stadiums from various spring training sites. Robinson and his Dodgers' teammates visited Nashville a few times for exhibition games against the hometown Vols and other major league teams.

One of those games involving Robinson was in 1953 when the Dodgers played the Milwaukee Braves at Sulphur Dell. The game was occupied with prominent players on both rosters with many eventually landing into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

Former Nashville Vols manager Chuck Dressen piloted Brooklyn while Charlie Grimm led the Braves. The Dodgers were defending National League champions having lost the 1952 World Series, four games to two, to the New York Yankees. The Braves were in their first year in Milwaukee having moved their franchise from Boston.

Over 12,000 Nashvillians flooded the over-capacity seating at Sulphur Dell to witness major league baseball. Rookie and Nashville-born "Junior" Jim Gilliam, began the scoring with the first of 'The Bums" three straight singles in the third inning off Braves pitcher Warren Spahn. Don Zimmer followed with a single to right centerfield and Duke Snider's single scored Gilliam for a 1-0 lead.

In the fifth inning the Braves tied the game when Ebba St. Clair clubbed a home run over the famous right field screen off Dodgers' starting pitcher Russ Meyer. After the two-out homer, Jack Dittmer and Spahn secured back-to-back singles for the Braves. Center fielder Bill Bruton slammed a hot grounder to Zimmer that rolled into short left center. Zimmer hustled for the ball and threw a bullet to catcher Roy Campanella to record the third out at the plate on a sliding Dittmer.

Snider began the Dodgers' sixth inning with a strikeout and Robinson followed with one of his two singles of the day to left field. Campanella hit a ground ball that forced Robinson out at second base. Campanella raced to second on a wild pitch and Carl Furillo reached base on an error. Williams doubled into the overflowing fans seated in the outfield to score two runs. The Dodgers led, 3-1.

Carl Erskine would shut out the Braves in the last two innings while Virgil Jester kept the Dodgers from scoring more runs. Both teams collected eight hits for the game as the final score stood: Dodgers 3, Braves 1. The switch-hitting Gilliam recorded two hits, one from each from side of the plate.

These players appeared in that 1953 game with some of their career accomplishments:

Jackie Robinson: Robinson was named National League Rookie-of-the-Year in 1947. During his 10-year career, all in a Dodgers uniform, Robinson batted .311 with 137 home runs, 734 RBIs and 197 stolen bases in 1,382 games. Robinson led the National League in stolen bases in 1947 (29) and the majors in 1949 (37). During his career he stole home 19 times.

In 1949, Robinson was named the National League's MVP. That season he hit .342 with 16 home runs and 124 RBIs. Robinson was the first baseball player, black or white, to appear on a postage stamp. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 and died ten years later at Stamford, CT. As a tribute to Robinson, major league baseball retired his jersey number (42) for all teams in 1997.

Junior Gilliam: In his 1953 season with the Dodgers, Gilliam led the National League in triples (17) and established the league rookie record for walks (100). Gilliam was named Rookie-of-the-Year while batting .278 in 151 games while stealing 21 bases. In the 1953 World Series he recorded switch-hit home runs against the Yankees.

In 1958 he led the Dodgers in hits, doubles, steals, walks and fielding. Gilliam retired in 1964 to become the Dodgers third base coach. Gilliam came out of retirement in 1965 to hit .280 for the World Champion Dodgers. He retired for good after the 1966 World Series loss to the Orioles. He remained the Dodgers third base coach until his death in 1978. The Dodgers retired his No. 19 jersey number.

Duke Snider: Snider played 18 seasons of major league baseball with the Dodgers (1947-62), New York Mets (1963) and Giants (1964). He batted .295 for his career in 2,143 games with 407 home runs and 1,333 RBIs.

Snider played in six World Series and recorded 11 home runs and 26 RBIs. At least once in his career Snider was among the top three in batting, home runs, hits, slugging, runs, RBIs, doubles, triples, total bases or stolen bases. Snider was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980.

Roy Campanella: Campanella would bat .312 in 1953 while collecting 142 RBIs, 41 home runs and score 103 runs. The home run and RBI totals would establish a National League record for a catcher in one season. Campanella would also receive the league's MVP as he did he 1951 and 1955.

Campanella was one of five black players signed by Rickey before the 1946 season. He was good enough a ball player to join the Baltimore Elite Giants of the Negro National League at just age 15. In his 10 years in the majors, he collected 242 career home runs, a .276 batting average and 856 RBIs. He was involved in a car wreck that made him a quadriplegic in 1958. Campanella was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.

Eddie Mathews: Mathews began his 17-year major league career with Boston (1952), one year before the National League franchise moved to Milwaukee. He collected 512 career home runs and batted .271 with 1,453 RBIs. At one time Mathews established major league records by a third baseman: most games (2,181); most assists (4,322) and most home runs in a season (47). Brooks Robinson and Mike Schmidt would later eclipse Mathew's records.

Mathews finished his career with Detroit (1968) then became a coach with the Atlanta Braves in 1971. During the 1972 season, Mathews became the Braves manager, but was fired in 1974. He was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978.

Warren Spahn: Spahn began his 20-year career with the Boston Braves in 1942. He spent three seasons (1943-45 in military service). Spahn would have eight 20-game win seasons while pitching to a 263-245 career record. He established a record of most seasons pitched with 20 by a lefthander.

Spahn also established National League records for most lifetime shutouts (63) by a left-handed pitcher; most games started (665); 100 or more strikeouts (17 seasons) and recorded 2, 583 strikeouts. He threw two no-hitters against Philadelphia (1960) and San Francisco (1961). Spahn was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973 with a career 3.08 ERA.

Dick Williams: Williams began his 13-year big league career with the Dodgers 1951-56. He later played for Baltimore, Cleveland, Kansas City and Boston. Playing primarily as an outfielder, he recorded a .260 batting average with 70 home runs and 331 RBIs in 1,023 games.

Williams is the only manager to win pennants with three different teams. In 1967, he took the Red Sox to the World Series and lost in seven games to the Cardinals. Williams also managed Oakland (1971-73), Angels (1974-76), Montreal (1977-81), San Diego (1982-85) and Seattle (1986-88). His managerial career record was 1,571-1,451. Williams won two World Series in Oakland in 1972 and 1973.

Don Zimmer: Zimmer is well known in today's baseball world as a former manager and coach. As a player, Zimmer played for the Dodgers (1954-59), Cubs (1960-61) and finished his career splitting time with the Mets, Reds, and Washington Senators. In his 12 years of major league baseball, the second/third baseman batted .235 with 91 home runs and 352 RBIs in 1,095 games.

After retirement, Zimmer coached in the minor leagues until 1971. He was a coach for Montreal (1971) and San Diego when he replaced Preston Gomez as manager in 1972. Zimmer later managed the Red Sox (1978-80), Texas (1981-82) and the Chicago Cubs (1988-91). In 1989, he was named the National League Manager-of-the-Year. Zimmer later joined the Yankees coaching staff and is presently senior advisor of the Devil Rays. Zimmer is the only former Brooklyn Dodger still involved in a baseball organization.

The 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers once again made it to the World Series later that season with a 105-49 record. But, once again the Yankees beat "The Bums" four games to two. The Milwaukee Braves would finish behind the Dodgers in second place (92-62).

The Milwaukee Braves would move their franchise one more time to Atlanta in 1966. The Brooklyn Dodgers would move to Los Angeles in 1958. But, Nashville documented history when the famous "Boys of Summer" visited historic Sulphur Dell Ball Park. Traughber's Tidbit: Jackie Robinson also played in an exhibition game on April 5, 1954 where he batted 4-for-6 with two RBIs. The Dodgers defeated the Braves, 18-14 in Sulphur Dell. Legendary announcer Vin Scully accompanied the Dodgers in both years to Nashville. He joined the Dodgers in 1950. Also playing in that 1954 game at Sulphur Dell was a Braves rookie named Henry Aaron (2-for-4) with two runs scored.

Tidbit Two: Trent Jewett is the Sounds' all-time winningest manager (320-304) from 1998-00, 2003-04. Second is Rick Renick (309-266) from 1993-96 and Frank Kremblas (299-273) ranks third from 2005-08. In 2013, Jewett is the third base coach for the Washington Nationals and Kremblas is the manager of the Bradenton Marauders of the Pittsburgh Pirates High Class-A team.

Tidbit Three: Nashville's pitching coach, Fred Dabney, played for the Sounds in 1993. He appeared in 51 games, all in relief was 2-5 with a 4.86 ERA. Dabney recorded three saves, striking out 44 batters in 63 innings pitched. At this time the Sounds were the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox in the American Association.

If you have any comments or suggestions you can contact Bill Traughber via email at