MLB Teams Honor Jackie Robinson By Wearing No. 42
“By proclamation of the Commissioner for the second consecutive year, as Major League Baseball celebrates the anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking its color barrier, any big-league player can wear the late Hall of Famer’s famous No. 42 in action when all 30 teams celebrate the occasion on Tuesday.” (Source 1)
LA Angels dumbass , I mean outfielder, Torri Hunter made quite the controversial statement the other day, regarding Jackie Robinson Day, and the more I thought about it, the more it really irked me. “This is supposed to be an honor, and just a handful of guys wearing the number. Now you’ve got entire teams doing it. I think we’re killing the meaning. It should be special wearing Jackie’s number, not just because it looks cool.”
“What upset Hunter, he says now, was this: The Houston Astros had no black players on their team last April, and yet the entire team wore No. 42.” According to him, “That got it away from, ‘OK, we don’t have any blacks.” He also went on to say that a team roster without black players didn’t represent the progress for which Jackie Robinson stood. (Source 2)
Forgive me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Jackie Robinson Day all about honoring him as a player? Robinson was a man who wanted to break the barriers between black and white, so wouldn’t having both BLACK and WHITE players wearing his number be the best way to honor him?
I also find it hard to believe that Mr. Hunter didn’t do his homework. The Houston Astros - as of 2008 - have 2 African-American players: Cecil Cooper & Michael Bourn. It should be noted that both players will both be wearing No. 42 in Robinson’s honor today.
The LA Angels (Hunter’s team), the LA Dodgers, the New York Mets, the Oakland Athletics, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Texas Rangers, and the Washington Nations will have every player donning No. 42 on their jerseys.
As for the Yankees, only Robinson Cano (who was named after Jackie Robinson), Joe Girardi, Derek Jeter, and Marino Rivera will be sporting the number.
“Yankees closer extraordinaire Mariano Rivera is the last of the players who don the No. 42 on day-to-day basis. Rivera was grandfathered when Selig retired it 11 years ago. When Rivera retires there will be no more.” (Source 1)
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Sidenote: If any of you are interested in reading a Q&A with Derek Jeter about Jackie Robinson Day, read this article.
Also, my thoughts and prayers go out to Joba Chamberlain, his father Harlan, and their entire family. For the first time this season, I agree with Girardi on one thing: “He’s got to take care of his dad. When the time is right, he’ll be back. Family comes first, take care of Pops.” [[Source]]
Peace, Love, & Baseball,
Carli
