BRANCH RICKEY

The author, a baseball writer and former assistant to Rickey, tells the personal and professional story of a man whose time and energy has been devoted to the ""nation's pastime"" since he was a student at Ohio Wesleyan University at the turn of the century. Often misunderstood, sometimes gruff but always principled in his handling of players and sportswriters, Rickey's greatest baseball innovation was the introduction of the first Negro ballplayer -- Jackie Robinson -- to the caste-minded major leagues. Now 75 and in retirement he still looks forward to new ventures. A laudatory biography and success story with possible appeal beyond baseball borders.