Danielle Solzman
The Best We’ve Got: The Carl Erskine Story is a wonderful documentary that ensures Carl Erskine’s legacy will never be forgotten. Erskine became the sixth recipient of the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023—a coda covers the Hall of Fame Induction Weekend festivities and Jane Forbes Clark and Josh Rawitch’s visit to the Erskine household two months later.
When Erskine died in April 2024, he was the last surviving member of the Boys of Summer. He pitched over a decade with the Brooklyn Dodgers during the 1940s and 1950s. The team featured Baseball Hall of Famers in Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella. Johnny Podres and Don Newcombe were other core members of the team. The Dodgers won the 1955 World Series and took home five National League pennants while Erskine was on the team.
Trust me, you won’t have a dry eye by the end of the documentary especially once they start talking about the fan mail that Erskine received because of being one of the last living teammates of Jackie Robinson. I’ll let Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Costas take it from here because he says it so eloquently:
“How can you not feel blessed to have been witness to an enduring part of American history and he can honestly say that man was my friend.”
Please visit Dugout Dirt for the rest of my review.
DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: Ted Green
NARRATOR: Charley Steiner
FEATURING: Carl Erskine, Betty Erskine, Gary Erskine, Susan Erskine, Tim Shriver, Vin Scully, Bob Costas, Branch Rickey III, Jack McCallum, Peter Vecsey, Peter Golenbock, John Wilson Jr., Mitch Daniels, Bob “Slick” Leonard, Shane Williamson, Dr. Allison Carey
