drydem | coincidence

I've been thinking about the role that linked events play in our lives, the way every single thing builds to every other thing.

Watching Ken Burns' Baseball, I was struck by the way in which one single play in the 1941 world series brought about the integration of baseball. In game 4, in the ninth inning, the catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers missed a third strike pitch, allowing the batter to get on first, starting a 2 out rally that won the game for the Yankees and then the series. This led to the manager being fired and a new manager, Branch Rickey, being hired. It was Branch Rickey who broke the "gentlemen's agreement" and hired Jackie Robinson, thus integrating baseball in one of the biggest moments of civil rights in the 20th century. If it weren't for that one single play, the opportunity would not have been there.
Little tiny events can lead to huge shifts in the future.