Jackie Robinson Day...

[tibor75]

at this:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17964581/


at this. Definitely looks like a good read

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17872168/site/newsweek/

['BusNative]

Originally Posted by tibor75

at this:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17964581/

I agree... wouldn't more people honoring him be better? It would be awesome if every player wore 42 - certainly much better than 4 or 5 or however many Hunter thinks should be allowed.

The No. 42 trend began when Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. asked for, and received, special permission from Robinson's widow Rachel to wear No. 42 on Jackie Robinson Day.

Good idea from KGII though.

[WoodyWorshiper]

This is a great day for baseball. I hope a ton of young black kids out there take a moment to really appreciate the way that Jackie paved for them, and hope that it encourages them to pursue baseball as a career. The numbers of blacks in MLB just keeps going down every year, I think the most recent number was at about 8-9%.

[CookyPuss]

Originally Posted by WoodyWorshiper

This is a great day for baseball. I hope a ton of young black kids out there take a moment to really appreciate the way that Jackie paved for them, and hope that it encourages them to pursue baseball as a career. The numbers of blacks in MLB just keeps going down every year, I think the most recent number was at about 8-9%.

I agree. However, I'm pretty tired of the articles that imply that the MLB has somehow become anti-black because of that statistic. (Like this one Has Baseball Betrayed Jackie Robinson? ) Baseball is the most ethnically diverse of the major sports. The numbers of Asian and Hispanic players far exceed that of any other major pro sport. For various reasons, baseball has lost it's place as "America's Pasttime" while football and basketball have gained in popularity. And it's not all about having the money to play, because there are a whole lot of Dominican players that got started playing in dirt lots with cardboard boxes for gloves. It's one thing to look at this as a problem and to figure out what MLB can do to reverse the trend. BTW, what is the percentage of white players compared to 10 years ago? Jackie did more than just open the doors for African-Americans, all those Latino and Asian players owe him a tip of the cap too.

['BusNative]

probably be mentioned during the broadcast - Chris Young, who is starting tonight for the Padres on ESPN Sunday Night baseball, wrote his senior thesis at Princeton (while playing minor league baseball) on Jackie Robinson and his effect on sports and pop culture.

Amazing timing that he would be available to start tonight. Good luck to CY!

['BusNative]

Originally Posted by MuckFich06

Jackie did more than just open the doors for African-Americans, all those Latino and Asian players owe him a tip of the cap too.

Couldn't agree more. Opening the door to all players is his greatest legacy.

[zBuckeye10z]

Did everyone in the MLB wear number 42 today?

[BB73]

Jackie Robinson certainly deserves to be honored, and having baseball do so was one of the better moves that Bud Selig has made. I have a lot of respect for Robinson as a baseball player and as a man who lived through an extremely difficult situation and handled it with class and dignity.

And it's important for younger people to learn about his place in baseball history.

But I think some perspective is in order. As usual, ESPN beat a story to death for the past week, and last night Peter Gammons said something like Jackie "did more for America than anyone in the 20th Century". Maybe Peter should start a petition for Martin Luther King, Jr. day to be renamed, because the reaction to that might be educational for him.

['BusNative]

Originally Posted by BB73

Peter Gammons said something like Jackie "did more for America than anyone in the 20th Century". Maybe Peter should start a petition for Martin Luther King, Jr. day to be renamed, because the reaction to that might be educational for him.

If you're talking about before the game Peter Gammons was talking about Padres pitcher Chris Young (as mentioned above) and the stance he argues in his senior thesis while in undergrad.