Jackie Robinson, and the numbers game

So last Sunday, it was great to see Jackie Robinson honored league-wide.
Bud Selig, for all the bad-mouthing I do about you, and will do for sure, did something decently this time (next time Gadget, next time!).

So 42 could have been worn by each and every player in the league for that day, and it would have been cool too (after seeing the Dodgers all wearing it, and having strange flashbacks to seeing Jackie Robinson pictures, and then having them transposed on Randy Wolf, No-maah, and the rest). The solidarity thing would have been a major point for me, if I were in charge. So, Bud, thanks for more nothing.

Jackie Robinson, for the newbs, was the first black (dark-skin-toned) player in the Major Leagues in the 20th century. There were black players in the big leagues in the 1800's, but they were forced out by the league after Cap Anson and a few superstars boycotted their games because a player with dark-skin was playing for the opposition.

I make that distinction (skin color, not ethnic background) because a few Cuban players (of Spanish decent) played in the 1920's-40's, because their skin color was not the problem to the league.

The leagues also made the distinction that they were not the reason why there were no "black" players in the league. It was a "gentleman's agreement", they called it, between all the team owners that prevented any players of color from being hired. A few owner/general manager/managers had tried to bring a player of color onto their team (John McGraw, Bill Veeck), but were quickly shot down by the other owners, and the commissioner of the league.

So the general manager of the Dodgers hired on Jackie Robinson, and both understood the weight that they were about to carry, being the first in a long, long time to be part of a team with a player of color on it. There was even a proposed petition among some of the Dodger players saying that they wouldn't play if Robinson played. That was quickly put to a stop by the team.

The whole problem was that this shaky experiement could have put racial integration of the team to a stop if Robinson lashed back at those attacking him on the field, or if he did not perform well on the field. Either would have showed the pundits that he was not worthy of playing with the non-players of color, and there would have been hesitiation among the other teams to hire any black players.

As it turned out, Jackie was something like Super-Ichiro in his first year, the spark of the 1947 Dodgers, the fire-starter, and the most inspirational player to his teammates (both on the field, but also in his determination against what he was up against). His team went all the way to the World Series after not being there for six years, and went again and again, going six years in Robinson's 10. Jackie began a movement to hire black and players of color, that continued to every other team, the Yankees and Red Sox being 2 of the last. They say that the slow adjustment to this major change (can you believe that in 1946, there were no players of color in the Major Leagues?!) was why the American League trailed the National League for so long in the strength of their teams and level of play.

---

Okay, so the half-tribute to Jackie Robinson put to a stop the tidbit I was going to write about:


A buddy and I were thinking, if 42 day went over so well, there could be other tributes.

Barry Bonds can and will break the all-time American homerun record (755).

Those in support of his record-breaker can wear the number 44 the day after he breaks the record, in tribute to Hammerin' Hank Aaron, the former record-holder.

Those who don't believe that Bonds is the new rightful record-holder can wear the number 3, for Babe Ruth, symbolizing a different era in baseball, when players of color were not included, and asterisks were put next to new records because they were not considered worthy of the old ones (Roger Maris hit *61 HRs in 1961). The Babe has cursed every player to pass one of his records. Maris' hair fell out, and he went on to get hurt a bunch, and never saw the * taken off his record. He's still not in the Hall of Fame, which should at least have a "Memorable Moments and Records" wing, if not just honorary induction for record-breakers like Maris, and Mike Benjamin, former Giants infielder, who got a hit 14 straight times. a new record, in 1995.

Bonds will wear his own 25, until he breaks the record, after which, he will wear 00, until he hits another HR, and the number will go up to 01, and so on. Or, maybe he should wear 56, for 756, the record-breaking number, or maybe just 756 (although that might be getting a little ridiculous).

Maybe A-Rod and Sammy could join in. They could wear the number which they would have to hit, to catch Bonds (a fluctuating number), or even Aaron (a set number, he having retired in 1976).

Maybe everyone could wear 76, for the year Aaron finished his record. And those who support Bonds could wear #07.

I wonder if Bonds will be at the All-Star Game. It would be sweet if he didn't make it, but showed up at the homer derby, to calls of Ba-rry, Ba-rry, ala Reggie Jackson at the 1993 Homerun Derby. Incidentally, he went out to the cheers of Baltimore's All Star crowd, hit a real homer to right field, and returned to the clubhouse, where he found that someone had stolen his glove. That sucks...

On a lighter note,

Craig Biggio is about a hundred hits from three thousand. Players in support of this record are allowed to wear 3, 30, 0, or 00, on the day after he breaks 3,000.

haha.

JN