An Ordinary Man

 

“An Ordinary Man”

A Review of Soul of a Champion: The Gil Hodges Story by Nick Olszyk

 

Distribution Service: Online

Year: 2021

MPAA Rating, Not rated

USCCB Rating, Not rated

Reel Rating, Three Reels              

 

            Baseball is God’s favorite sport. This is no doubt a controversial opinion and admittedly purely subjective, but I stand firmly by it. In its game play, history, and characters it best mirrors the cadence and drama of life, so beautifully that even atheist comedian George Carlin recognized its divine nature. Many of the great heroes of America’s history were involved in the national pastime like Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, and Branch Ricky. Despite my affinity for the game, I was largely unfamiliar with Gil Hodges, the beloved Dodgers player and later Mets manager. Baseball historian Mark Langill said, “there are two great mysteries about the Dodgers: first, what happened to Kirk Gibson’s home run ball and second, why isn’t Gil Hodges in the Hall of Fame?” While Gibson’s ball may be lost forever, Soul of a Champion makes a compelling case that Hodges absolutely should be in the Hall, which may indeed happen quite soon.

            The documentary follows a standard plotline, beginning with Hodges’ childhood. He was raised in an upstanding Catholic family with several siblings and two hard working parents. His father was a poor coal miner who was determined his sons have more success in life and even more determined they would go to Heaven. Masses, rosaries, and meatless Fridays were stables of the Hodges household. Year later, even when they were on the road with nothing else to eat, Gil would still never eat a steak on Friday. Throughout his life, Gil would not just attend Mass not just Sundays but usually daily without fanfare.

            Jackie Robinson called Hodges “the soul of the Dodgers.” Considered one of the greatest 1^st basemen of all time, he was frequently in the top ten of the National League in batting average, hits, runs, RBIs, and homers during the 1950s. He earned three Golden Glove awards, was chosen for the All-Star team seven times, and was the seventh man to hit over 300 home runs in his league. Apart from statistics, he was a calming and positive influence on his teammates and fans, demonstrating exceptional sportsmanship. Several Dodgers players and coaches have stated he was the only player never booed at Ebetts Field. It is only fitting that he was the last man to score a run in that ballpark before the team moved to Los Angeles in 1958.

            After a successful playing career which included the sole World Series win in 1955 for the Brooklyn Dodgers, he became manager for the New York Mets in the late 1960s. The newly formed Mets had a less than stellar reputation, earning the nickname “loveable losers.” Yet they steadily improved throughout the decade and, to the shock of the country, found themselves in the 1969 World Series. In the 5^th game, Mets batter Cleon James claimed to have been hit by a pitch. When Hodges showed the umpire a speck of shoe polish on the ball, James was awarded the base which turned the tide of the game and eventually won New York the series. Only in his late 40s, he had a promising managerial career ahead of him but died suddenly of a massive heart attack while golfing in 1971. Thousands attended his funeral. Hodges’ son found Jackie Robinson crying alone in his car outside the church, wracked with grief and fear. Robinson himself died only a few months later, and the Hodges family were present at his funeral as well.

            Produced by the Catholic Association of Athletes, Soul of a Champion has two primary goals. First, it makes a compelling case that Hodges should be in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. There will be a vote on his inclusion on December 9^th, so the release timing of the program is certainly no accident. Second, it puts Hodges forward as an example of how “to let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.” Hodges was a Catholic man of tremendous faith, not lived through political activism or pius proclamations, but quiet dignity and doing his job well. I was reminded of G.K. Chesterton’s quote: “the most extraordinary thing in the world is an ordinary man and an ordinary woman and their ordinary children.”

            I don’t review many films that you clink a link and just watch for yourself, but here it is for free (legally). It’s a simple story made for a specific reason that will probably be boring for some. Yet, as a Catholic father and baseball fanatic, it was one my favorite things I’ve seen this year.

This article first appeared in Catholic World Report on November 22nd, 2021.