MLB honors Jackie Robinson by doing exact opposite of how he's already being honored

by Dex on Apr 13, 2007 8:38 AM PDT in News

Somebody explain this to me. On April 15th, 1997, Major League Baseball honored Jackie Robinson by retiring the number 42 forever. Apparently, "forever" means "exactly ten years", because this Sunday, pretty much everybody will be wearing the number 42.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's doing the exact opposite of what we all did ten years ago to honor the man in the first place.

The number is retired, people. When you retire, you're not supposed to go back to work, because you've retired. That would be like 75 year old Dex - retired for ten years from doing work - being celebrated by being forced to go back to work.

"What's Dex doing back here? Isn't he retired?"

"We're choosing to honor him by making him work today."

"Why not just send him flowers?"

The honor in having your number retired is that nobody else can match what you've done and therefore doesn't deserve to wear the number you wore, because no matter what happens in the future, you'll never be surpassed. Now, Major League Baseball is basically saying everybody is fit to wear that number. Really? Does that make sense? Am I the only one who thinks this is kind of a backwards tribute?

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JR

Why do we put a flag out on President's day, or July 4th? Its to honor those that have come before us, that sacrificed much so we can live the way we live today. Its a symbolic gesture, on a symbolic day, to show great honor. This Sunday is "Jackie Robinson Day." So players will put on the 42 to honor the sacrifices and struggles that JR went through, so that today's current players can live the way they do. It is not an act of "making Jackie Robinson go back to work after retirement" as you mention it. That is a narrow minded argument. It is a sense of honor and admiration for what one man did for baseball, for a nation, many years ago.

by tyfrank on Apr 13, 2007 9:30 AM PDT reply actions

i agree

i agree with tyfrank -- the mlb isn't making jackie come back to work...
i agree that it is a bit odd that ANY player can wear the number -- kinda overboard really

it shoulda been that one designated player on a team wears the number, then the other players can honor him with a uni patch or an arm band...

i think the thought is really cool and should be an interesting and fun day

by tifbjoe on Apr 13, 2007 9:59 AM PDT up reply actions

Bad Examples

The Dex going back to work and the July 4th are bad examples.

Maybe this is closer...

What if they honored JFK by extinguishing his eternal flame at his grave site? Doesn't that negate the original honor of putting an eternal flame there in the first place? Plus the flame isn't eternal anymore if it isn't burning even for a day.

In truth I don't think this is that big of a deal. But I think they should have come up with a better idea.

by jbox on Apr 13, 2007 10:31 AM PDT up reply actions

not quite sure if this is closer...

i would say that the flame is like a memorial -- kinda like how all ballparks put the number somewhere on display

but this man did so much for the game of baseball that the mlb has to do something huge to honor his accomplishments

they've never done this before because no one has been so deserving

by tifbjoe on Apr 13, 2007 10:50 AM PDT up reply actions

but

they already did something huge to honor him. No other player has had his number retired on every team. That is already huge.

I'm just saying they should think of something else to honor him that wouldn't contradict the original honor.

I'm totally in agreement though that Jackie Robinson needs to be honored and people need to be reminded from time to time what he did for the game of baseball and for history in general.

by jbox on Apr 13, 2007 10:54 AM PDT up reply actions

or at least

Have a commercial where every player wearing the uni says, 'I am Jackie Robinson'

And have really sincere music playing over it.

It'd get the point home that without JR, these players wouldn't be here today.

Are white dudes wearing 42? How awkward would that be?

by thenerdhater on Apr 13, 2007 2:27 PM PDT up reply actions

42

I like the idea of everyone wearing 42! Don't worry Dex, I'm sure they'll use their own names.

by Jonny Dub on Apr 13, 2007 9:59 AM PDT reply actions

They should have all just worn arm patches

I agree with Dex, once you retire a number it's retired. Unless that same player comes out of retirement like MJ. There are so many ways to pay tribute, just put a 42 on everybody's sleeve or something.

The entire Astros team is wearing 42? That's just going to get confusing.

Mike Cameron is wearing 42 for the Pads.

by jbox on Apr 13, 2007 10:15 AM PDT reply actions

I'm glad someone else agrees with me...

I've been arguing about this for weeks with my co-workers. It's completely ironic to honor someone by wearing their retired number. It's a symbolic tribute with bad symbolism. I blame the lack of creativity on Ken Griffey Jr, the brainchild of all this.

by TheGrandHatching on Apr 13, 2007 10:54 AM PDT reply actions

Not to mention Bud Selig

You know what I'm gonna do... Next time Bud Selig's wedding anniversary comes around, I'm going to ask him if I can sleep with his wife. Nobody else has slept with his wife in honor of their marriage for years and years. Well, that's about to change. I'm gonna sleep with her. In honor of marriage. Not only that, I'm gonna get everybody I work with to sleep with her too.

(P.S. I'm not really going to try to sleep with his wife)

by Dex on Apr 13, 2007 11:19 AM PDT up reply actions

So inappropriate, Dex

that was, for sure, the most inappropriate comment I've ever read on this blog. And I read all the stories about Giles.

You can defend your position in a more appropriate way and still be that clever writer with the witty style that causes me to read GLB in the first place.

Care to try again?

by RBS on Apr 13, 2007 12:49 PM PDT up reply actions

In all seriousness

Retiring the number 42 across all of baseball is already a fantastic tribute and was done for a reason. The reason being this: Nobody who plays or will play baseball after Jackie Robinson will ever accomplish the same thing that Jackie Robinson accomplished while he wore the number 42. Suddenly, that significance is thrown out the window as of this Sunday.

My analogy to the sanctity of marriage is just to show exactly what I think this "tribute" really is. It's a completely backwards tribute and an insult to the notion of honoring a player by retiring his or her number in the first place.

My suggestion that celebrating Selig's marriage by sleeping with his wife was meant to be as distasteful an idea as I feel wearing Jackie Robinson's retired number to honor him to be.

by Dex on Apr 13, 2007 1:00 PM PDT up reply actions

Really?

I thought that was funny. It might be inappropriate if he really said it to Selig... but on this here blog it cracks me up.

by jbox on Apr 13, 2007 1:05 PM PDT up reply actions

JR

We have Martin Luther King day--why do people still hold marches, rallies and other symbolic gestures on that day? To honor his dream, his legacy. Baseball has Jackie Robinson day...why is is less of a gesture to wear his uniform # on that day?? Why make an issue out of something that is good for the game, and celebrates its history?

by tyfrank on Apr 13, 2007 1:47 PM PDT up reply actions

At the risk of making one analogy too many

imagine an institution that gives its employees, students, etc. the day off every year on Martin Luther King Day. Then, in order to go the distance one year, to really honor the man, that institution lets everyone go to work or school that day -- in effect, turning the original symbolic gesture on its head -- and enacting the same backwards symbolism as wearing a retired number.

by TheGrandHatching on Apr 13, 2007 2:25 PM PDT up reply actions

jr

are you all racists? (not a serious comment, but jeesh what's wrong with a little extra celebration?)

making everybody go to work?--nothing abnormal there.

doing something above what already exists, to celebrate a great life changing man is a good thing. it is not a reversal of retiring his number. It is not sleeping with the commish's wife. it is going ABOVE the current status quo. They went ABOVE the status quo when they retired his number everywhere. That is now the status quo. They wanted to go ABOVE it again. Its a celebration! Its Jackie Robinson Day!

by tyfrank on Apr 13, 2007 2:36 PM PDT up reply actions

Tyfrank

Maybe you're on the wrong board dude. Why don't you go look for an Al Sharpton board if you wanna play the race card?

Seriously...lighten up.

This is a place for fun discussions about Pad Squadders, Lil Clay, Naked Giles and Unicorns.

by thenerdhater on Apr 13, 2007 2:44 PM PDT up reply actions

lighten up?

Hey Im cool. Im just responding to the posts that want to complain (with asinine points) about how someone is being celebrated, when it really only matters that he is being celebrated. Im white by the way, don't think sharpton would allow me on his boards.

by tyfrank on Apr 13, 2007 2:48 PM PDT up reply actions

oh come on

your inappropriate comment was the most inappropriate comment here!
can't you take a joke?

is bud selig your dad?

by tifbjoe on Apr 13, 2007 2:02 PM PDT up reply actions

No kidding

Lighten up Francis

by thenerdhater on Apr 13, 2007 2:28 PM PDT up reply actions

Here's an example of a tribute...

Mariano Rivera still wears 42 because he was wearing the number before it was universally retired. To honor Jackie Robinson, if I were Mariano Rivera, I'd specifically ask if I could wear the number 60 to signify the anniversary of the color barrier being broken.

Then I would say, "They've let me wear 42 out of respect that I had worn the number before it was universally retired, but today I want to defer to a great man, by acknowledging what everybody else has recognized for 10 years and the number 42 will truly have a day of retirement."

by Dex on Apr 13, 2007 11:31 AM PDT reply actions

Maybe a good idea, but probably not

Initially, I thought that I'd like to see one starter per home team do it, an African-American, with no name on the back of the uni, just like the Dodgers' uniform. One player to symbolize Robinson being the lone man in his effort to break the color barrier. I feel that having entire teams wear the number is just wrong, though. I mean Chase Utley wearing #42? John Wasdin? It certainly makes honoring Robsinson feel empty. After reading some of the arguments here, I feel that Robsinson's number should stay retired. It is the most important number in baseball and should be revered, never to be worn again.

by Pants on Apr 13, 2007 11:55 AM PDT reply actions