Baseball Musings: Remembering Robinson

February 04, 2004

Remembering Robinson

ESPN.com has an editorial urging a living memorial for Jackie Robinson.

We propose that baseball keep alive the legacy of Jackie Robinson with a living memorial, that rather than retire Robinson's number, it instead put No. 42 back on the field.

A living tribute. One player. Each season. One No. 42.

The Jackie Robinson "42" Award, an honor that embodies all that Robinson meant to his sport and to fellow man ... to be worn one season at a time by the one player who exemplifies the best of Robinson's attributes: Courage. Dignity. Excellence. Respect. Sportsmanship. Sacrifice. This player would have the honor of reminding both the public and his peers of Robinson's historic role in baseball and this country. Wearing No. 42 would be baseball's most special recognition.

That player would be chosen by a process that would assure that the No. 42 Award winner is a man who personifies the spirit of Jackie Robinson, the man, the soldier, the pioneer, the inspiration.

It's not a bad idea. I'm surprised the editorial doesn't spell out the process, however. The qualities a player must posess for the award are all pretty subjective. And do we really know the players well enough to make these judgements? Kirby Puckett might have won this award in his career, but Kirby didn't turn out to be the good guy I thought he was. And frankly, I don't know how many ballplayers today lead as multifacted a life as Robinson did. I have difficulty, off the top of my head, thinking of someone playing today who would be deserving of the award. Looking at the top 20 in win shares from each league last year, the only name that really pops out at me is Mike Lowell. He came back from cancer, is an excellent player and a team player.

It's a fitting tribute, I'm just not sure there are enough players who fit the bill. I'm interested to see what process ESPN.com envisions for choosing the winner.

Posted by David Pinto at 02:22 PM | All-Time Greats | TrackBack (1)

Comments

I think there are plenty of players that would qualify, but what baseball player--they of the freakish superstitions--would give up his number for a year? I mean, when a guy gets traded, he has to spend tons of money to "buy" his number from another player.

Posted by: steve at February 4, 2004 02:52 PM

5{ree with Steve. There's going to be a guy, no matter how Robinson-esque he may be, that won't wear the 42. Then what?

Is this kind of tribute guilt-driven? Are we all trying to make up for 100 years of racism by inventing awards and tributes?

Posted by: Joe at February 4, 2004 03:43 PM

Another factor to consider is the weight a player would feel wearing that number. What if he made a mistake? We'd have to spend weeks talking about whether he should give up the number, and whether he deserved it in the first place.

Jackie Robinson wasn't perfect. None of us are. But Jackie Robinson has become the embodiment of so many good things (and for good reasons), that while some players might be "worthy" of the number, few would be able to, once wearing it, live up to what it has become to mean.

Posted by: Jason Steffens at February 4, 2004 04:19 PM

At first, I thought this sounded like a great idea, but you all raise some very good points.

I will add, though, that I always found it somewhat obnoxious that Mo Vaughn grandfathered his wearing of 42 in when MLB retired the number league-wide. I'm not sure why.

Did any other players do the same?

Posted by: John Y. at February 4, 2004 04:45 PM

re: grandfathering the wearing of no. 42.

Yes, Butch Huskey continued wearing 42 after the number was retired league-wide. He was actually on the field the night that Rachel Robinson and Bill Clinton unveiled the retired no. 42 at Shea Stadium.

Posted by: CSTB at February 4, 2004 05:46 PM

how is it that mariano rivera still wears 42? did he grandfather it in as well?

Posted by: Brandon at February 4, 2004 05:57 PM

Imagine the PR debacle that would happen when a #42 gets tossed from a game during a benchclearing brawl, or for some other "non-friendly" reason.

Posted by: Michael at February 4, 2004 06:49 PM

All players wearing 42 at the time of the number retirement were allowed to keep their numbers. No new player was allowed to wear it.

Posted by: Jeremy at February 4, 2004 06:59 PM

...and I think Mariano Rivera is the only one left from the grandfathering clause, now that Mo has retired

Posted by: Chad at February 6, 2004 10:27 AM