On April 15, every Dodger on the field will be wearing number 42 in honor of the man on your right, since that will be the 60th anniversary of his debut in the major leagues. It's only fitting and a smart thing to do.
But even as someone who will only understand it in history, it's still weird to see the Dodgers wear a Robinson tribute uni in L.A., mostly because I've been brainwashed since birth (effectively) to dislike them for leaving Brooklyn, and since Robinson retired two years before the O'Malleys moved westward, it seems odd, but it's not like it's different from the Indianapolis Colts hoisting the championship banner and the retired numbers of players who played during the Baltimore era. I suspect we just hear less about it because there are many more generations of fans who never heard or saw the Dodgers in Brooklyn. Then again, Hank Aaron is a big part of Braves baseball, and his big years with the team were while those same Braves were in Milwaukee.
It's the right move by the organization, but it will always seem strange to honor a player with a franchise when that franchise moved, but kept all the records and names.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
#42 For Everyone.
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2 comments:
That is a great and fun way to honor Jackie. Great idea. I think all teams in baseball should do it that day.
Someone Deadspin linked to yesterday suggested that, Mini Me, and I didn't think it was a terrible idea myself, especially since #42 is retired league-wide (I think the only player who still wears it and was grandfathered in is Mariano Rivera.)
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