CubsChic

Major League Baseball will honor the legacy of Jackie Robinson today on the 60th anniversary of his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers.  It’s nice to see that many of the players still appreciate what Robinson and others went through in the early years of integrated baseball. 

Some info from the Baseball Almanac;

• Jackie Robinson played 10 years in the major leagues and was named to 6 consecutive All-Star Games (1949-1954) during that 10 year career. 
• During his rookie season (1947), Jackie Robinson also appeared in the 1947 World Series. He was one of seven Dodgers to appear in all seven games, he batted .259, scored three runs, stole two bases and had seven hits — tieing the Series record set by Pee Wee Reese.
• On April 15, 1997, Jackie Robinson’s uniform number (42) was retired by every Major League team simultaneously.

Many players will wear #42 on Sunday in honor of Robinson.  Ken Griffey, Jr. of the Cincinnati Reds started the idea by requesting a waiver to wear the retired number on the celebrated anniversary.  Today, five entire teams and many other players of diverse races will wear the number in reverence to someone whose impact on the game will last forever.

Chicago Cubs wearing #42 will be Derrek Lee, Jacque Jones, Cliff Floyd, Daryle Ward, Lester Strode (coach) and Gerald Perry (coach).

Yankees closer Mariano Rivera is the only active player to wear #42, as no player was forced to give up his current number when MLB officially retired Robinson’s number in 1997.

Somewhat disconcerting is the lack of African-Americans in the game today.  I had no idea that the White Sox had only one black player, Jermaine Dye.  The St. Louis Cardinals also only have one black player.  It seems the lure of  basketball and football, along with the quick money and fame, has been too tempting and maybe too often promised to too many.  Success in baseball takes much longer, with even the most talented subjected to years in the minor leagues with its bus travel, non-luxury hotels and smaller crowds.