Robinson's No. 42 'unretired' for day

Robinson's No. 42 'unretired' for day
Selig encourages players to again honor legend on anniversary
By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- 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 that day.

"All players have the option. It's entirely up to them," Commissioner Bud Selig told MLB.com on Monday. "Candidly, I hope they all do it."

Next Tuesday is the 61st anniversary of the day Robinson put on a Brooklyn Dodgers uniform in a regular-season game for the first time, thus re-integrating Major League Baseball forever. This year's signature event will be at Shea Stadium, as the Nationals visit the Mets, whose manager, Willie Randolph, grew up in Brooklyn and has often said he's a great admirer of Robinson.

There's a full slate of games on Tuesday. Robinson also will be honored in each of the other 14 Major League ballparks where games are scheduled. Shea is in its last season, to be replaced next year by nearby Citi Field, where the Jackie Robinson rotunda will replicate the famous entry to Ebbets Field. That's the tiny long-gone ballpark one borough over from Queens where Robinson went out to play first base that day in 1947. The Dodgers defeated the Boston Braves, and the grand old game was never the same.

Selig will probably be at Shea, he said on Monday. Rachel Robinson, Jackie's seemingly ageless widower and the founder of the now 35-year-old Jackie Robinson Foundation -- which offers college scholarships to underprivileged minority students -- will be there for the ceremony and a tour of the partially completed new ballpark that's targeted to open in time for the 2009 season.

MLB.TV will have a part in the evening, too.

From 6-7 p.m. ET, during the nightly WhipAround show, MLB.TV's Harold Reynolds will report from the Shea Stadium field, and the pregame ceremonies will be aired live.

And when the Mets take the field, some of their players will run out there wearing the famous number that Selig retired on the occasion of Robinson's 50th anniversary in 1997.

Robinson was simply issued that number as a matter of course by then equipment manager John Griffin upon his arrival in Brooklyn. Robinson wasn't the first or the last player to wear the famous jersey for the Dodgers. In 1939, George Jeffcoat did so when he pitched one game. And long after Robinson retired in 1956, it was issued again to Ray Lamb, a pitcher from USC. But Lamb was so uncomfortable wearing the number in 1969, he gave it up when the season ended.

After that, it was never worn again by a Dodger and was retired by the club in 1972, a decade after Robinson was elected to the Hall of Fame.

The idea of "unretiring" Robinson's number last year was the brainchild of Cincinnati's Ken Griffey Jr., who personally petitioned the Commissioner for the opportunity.

"It's just my way of giving that man his due respect," Griffey said at the time. "I just called Bud and asked him if I could do it. He made a couple of phone calls and said, 'Yeah.' We had a good conversation. It was about me wearing it on that day, and only that day."

Other players followed suit.

Barry Bonds, MLB's all-time leader with 762 homers and then of the Giants, quickly accepted at the behest of Peter Magowan, the team's managing general partner. When all was said and done, Andruw Jones, Dontrelle Willis, Torii Hunter, Jermaine Dye, Derrek Lee, Mike Cameron, Gary Sheffield and, C.C. Sabathia were among the stars who honored Robinson by wearing the number.

"It meant a lot," said Sabathia, who started for the Indians last year and defeated the White Sox that day. "I'm just excited I got a chance to pitch. To be able to pitch and play on this day was huge."

Full squads, such as the Dodgers, Pirates, Cardinals, Astros and Brewers pledged their allegiance to Robinson as the 25 players on each team wore No. 42. Dodger Stadium was the scene of the central ceremony for last year's 60th anniversary.

"I think it's great," Selig said about last year's No. 42 tribute that is now spreading into this April. "Just their understanding of history and what that man did for so many people is so important. Believe me, it makes me very happy."

Mariano Rivera, of course, has worn No. 42 since he joined the Yankees for good in 1995, and he was among a handful of players grandfathered in when Selig retired Robinson's number throughout baseball. Rivera is the only remaining active player who still wears it day-in and day-out.

"You're not just talking about any player or any person," Rivera said about the legacy left by Robinson. "The respect that he had for the game, the passion that he had for the game, how he played the game -- we should respect that and tribute that."

This is a big year for a lot of things in baseball...
--last year for Shea Stadium and Fenway
--40th anniversary of '68 Tigs WS win
--some anniversary of Take Me Out to the Ballgame
--and the Robinson anniversary.

This is the last year for Fenway??!

SoulRat wrote:

This is the last year for Fenway??!

I know this is the last year for Yankee Stadium, but I haven't heard anything about Fenway.

Me either, I'm really hoping she meant Yankee Stadium.

bobrob2004 wrote:

NEW YORK -- By proclamation of the Commissioner, for the second consecutive year as Major League Baseball celebrates the anniversary of Jackie Robinson [not actually] breaking its color barrier, any big league player can wear the late Hall of Famer's famous No. 42 in action that day.

I thought this was incredibly stupid last year. I don't even know what to say now. What word would suggest this idea is so stupid that despite being stupid last year it actually appears brilliant last year when compared to this year.

(adult language ahead)

Spoiler:

OOPS! I stand corrected! It's Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium.

For Its Final Year, Shea Stadium Gets Logo from Mets
In the final year of baseball in Yankee Stadium, the legendary park will host the 2008 All-Star Game. In its 45th and final year, what does Shea Stadium get? A commemorative logo from the New York Mets. Fitting for the multi-purpose stadium that is a relic of the 1960s.

Today, the Mets, the stadium's primary occupant since it opened in 1964, unveiled a logo that players will wear on their sleeves during the 2008 season. In addition to being on uniforms, the logo will appear on things like schedules, tickets and the Media Guide. The team will announce "Salute to Shea" events/promotions for the 2008 season in the coming weeks.

The stadium, named after William A. Shea, who brought National League baseball back to New York, opened on April 17, 1964 at a cost of $25.5 million. It was home to the both the Jets and Mets, but has hosted numerous events in addition to football and baseball: Pope John Paul II, The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Simon & Garfunkel, and Bruce Springsteen are just some of the names.

Citi Field, which has 80% of its structural steel in place, is scheduled to replace Shea Stadium by opening day 2009 at a cost of over $600 million.

Yankee Stadium to host all-star game in final year
Wed Jan 31, 2007 11:47am EST
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Major League Baseball will say goodbye to Yankee Stadium by staging the 2008 all-star game there in the final season of the fabled ballpark before it is torn down and replaced by a new venue next door.

The new 51,000-seat stadium is due to open in time for the 2009 season for baseball's marquee franchise, the Yankees.

Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig announced the decision on Wednesday that the Yankees had prevailed over a long list of other clubs that wanted the game.

Selig cited the history of Yankee Stadium, which has hosted two popes, Nelson Mandela and Muhammad Ali in addition to a team that has won 26 World Series championships.

"Celebrating unprecedented history was the overriding concern. Given the whole history of the Yankees and all the events that have taken place in Yankee Stadium, (it) was the right thing to do," Selig told a news conference.

The all-star game is a mid-season exhibition pitting the best players from teams in the National League against those in the American League. It has taken on added importance in recent years because the league that wins the game gets home-field advantage for its team in the World Series in October, when the winners of each league play each other for the championship.

Yankee Stadium opened in the Bronx in 1923 to accommodate the team's growing fan base due to the popularity of Babe Ruth, who came to the Yankees from the Boston Red Sox in 1920 as he was revolutionizing the game by swatting home runs as never seen before.

It was dubbed "The House that Ruth Built."

The stadium was completely remodeled after the 1973 season, and the Yankees spent two seasons sharing Shea Stadium in Queens with New York's other Major League team, the Mets.

The remodeled stadium reopened in 1976, just as the Yankees were returning to glory after several poor seasons. The Yankees won the American League title that year but lost in the World Series, then went on to win the World Series in 1977 and 1978.

I don't want to see Fenway go, Yankee stadium, bah

strange how they need 2 stadiums.

Too Bad Tiger Stadium never hosted another All Star Game after 1971!

Should have had one in the 90's

Fuck Selig!

If they really want to honor Robinson, why not have every player in MLB wear 42

the Negro League thing is cool though

It sure is!

sad but cool