History Recap / ColdCaseS3E4Colors

* BaitAndSwitch: Troy, the bratty son of the opposing pitcher Tyler, was previously confronted by Clyde for a racist prank. He later brings his father, who was known to use racist smack-talk on field, to the locker room and points to Clyde, but instead of resulting in a confrontation, Tyler apologizes to Clyde and compliments him on his skills, while berating his own son for his racism.

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Willie Dandridge, the owner of the team, is a black millionaire in the 1940s, and did not climb to his position by playing nice. Dandridge fears that Clyde leaving the team for the major leagues could damage his fortune, and threatens to blackmail Clyde over his affair with a White woman.
* DeliberateValuesDissonance: As the flashbacks were set in the 1940s, the term "negro" was the accepted term to describe African Americans then. Nowadays it is considered an antiquated and potentially offensive term.

* ICouldaBeenAContender: Moody Brown was desperate to go to the majors. He gets passed over for the likes of Jackie Robinson, Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige instead.

* KidsAreCruel: Troy Cage, the opposing pitcher's BrattyHalfPint son, who was younger than 10 when he made fun of Clyde, tricking him into giving his autograph and then telling him he would use it as toilet paper. He then made various racial epithets towards Troy when caught. His father, who used racist smack-talk on field, is visibly embarrassed by his son's behavior and made him apologize to Clyde.

* PassFail: Esther was really black, but she looked white, so her mother encouraged her to go on passing to have a better life in the forties than she would have had as a black woman.

* HiddenDepths: Tyler Cage initially seems like a racist jerk, but when he meets Clyde he compliments his skill, shakes his hand and forces his son to apologize for being a bigoted brat. He also kept Esther's secret for years.

* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Clyde was willing to give up his shot at becoming the first black Major League player to be with Esther, so Crumbs pressured her to leave Clyde. She reluctantly agreed, not wanting to hold Clyde back. However Crumbs did this without Clyde's consent, leading to tragedy.
* JerkAss: Troy Cage; even as an adult he's utterly unpleasant.

Jeffreys is guilted by his nephew into solving the murder of Clyde Taylor, a Negro League baseball player who was murdered after helping win an exhibition game against major league players.

** BottleEpisode: The flashbacks occur before, during and after the exhibition game.

* ICouldBeenAContender: Moody Brown was desperate to go to the majors. He gets passed over for the likes of Jackie Robinson, Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige instead.

Jeffreys is guilted by his nephew into solving the murder of Clyde Taylor, a Negro League baseball who was murdered after helping win an exhibition game against major league players.

* BatterUp: [[spoiler:Crumbs accidentally killed Clyde by swinging Clyde's gifted bat against his head]].
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Crumbs would have given anything for one good swing of the baseball bat. Well, he got one good swing…[[spoiler:at his best friend’s head, killing him]].

* PassFail: [[spoiler:Esther was really black, but she looked white, so her mother encouraged her to go on passing to have a better life in the forties than she would have had as a black woman]].

* WhereDaWhiteWomenAt: Clyde was in love with a white showgirl, Esther. [[spoiler:Subverted by the fact she is a black woman who could pass for white]].

* BaseballEpisode: Clyde was a promising baseball player at the height of his career in 1947. Crumbs insists that had he lived longer, he would have become the first black Major League player instead of Jackie Robinson.

* FriendlyEnemy: The pitcher from the opposing team, Tyler Cage, was much nicer to Clyde than would be expected from the guy who got creamed by a black guy in 1945. He’s even more open-minded than his young son, whom he scolds for mistreating and racially abusing Clyde.

* BaseballEpisode: Clyde was a promising baseball player at the height of his career in 1947. Jake insists that had he lived longer, he would have become the first black Major League player instead of Jackie Robinson.
* BatterUp: [[spoiler:Crumbs killed Clyde by swinging Clyde’s gifted bat against his head]].
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Jake would have given anything for one good swing of the baseball bat. Well, he got one good swing…[[spoiler:at his best friend’s head, killing him]].

* BrattyHalfPint: Troy Cage, the enemy pitcher’s son, who was younger than ten when he made fun of Clyde, tricking him into giving his autograph and then telling him he would use it as toilet paper.
* FriendlyEnemy: The enemy pitcher from the opposing team, Tyler Cage, was much nicer to Clyde than would be expected from the guy who got creamed by a black guy in 1945. He’s even more open-minded than his young son, whom he scolds for mistreating Clyde.
* HiddenDepths: Tyler Cage initially seems like a racist jerk, but when he meets Clyde he compliments his skill, shakes his hand and forces his son to apologize for being a brat. He also kept Esther's secret for years.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Clyde was willing to give up his shot at becoming the first black Major League player to be with Esther, so Crumbs convinced her to leave Clyde. She reluctantly agreed, not wanting to hold Clyde back.
* KnownOnlyByTheirNickname: Jake Crumbly is best known as “Crumbs.”
* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Crumbs insisted that if Clyde hadn’t been murdered at the time he was, he would have made history as the first black player in the Major Leagues instead of UsefulNotes/JackieRobinson. But the writers made sure to place his murder right before he hit it big, to stay in line with history.

* SecretKeeper: Tyler Cage knew that Esther was Black but kept it a secret.

* BatterUp: [[spoiler:Crumbs killed Jackie when swinging Jackie’s gifted bat against his head]].

* FriendlyEnemy: The enemy pitcher from the opposing team, Tyler Cage, was much nicer to Clyde than would be expected from the guy who got creamed by a black guy in 1945. He’s even more open-minded than his young [[BrattyHalfPint son]], who he scolds for mistreating Clyde.

* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Crumbs insisted that if Clyde hadn’t been murdered at the time he was, he would have made history as the first black player in the Major Leagues instead of Creator/JackieRobinson. But the writers made sure to place his murder right before he hit it big, to stay in line with history.
* PassFail: [[spoiler:Esther was really black, but she looked white, so her mother encouraged her to go on passing to have a better life in the forties than she would have had as a black woman]].

* BrattyHalfPint: The enemy pitcher’s son, who was younger than ten when he made fun of Clyde, tricking him into giving his autograph and then telling him he would use it as toilet paper.

* KnownOnlyByTheirNickname: Jake Crumbly is best known as “Crumbs.”