This is supposed to be an honor, and just a handful of guys wearing the number. Now you've got entire teams doing it. I think we're killing the meaning.Really, what the hell is he talking about? Does this make sense to anyone? He's pissed off that other people besides him (and a select few) get to wear number 42? In order to honor someone who deserves to be honored by everyone? God I hate it when reporters don't ask for followup when the people they're interviewing say something stupid.
(...Also, I like that Mariano Rivera is listed as one of the players who "will be wearing no. 42 on Sunday.")
(...Whoops, someone beat me to it.)
Yea... this was all over Mike and Mike in the morning. Actually, it was mostly a fitting spin-off of the Don Imus racist rant headline. (So happy that ass got fired). Personally, I like the idea that entire teams will be wearing the number. If for nothing else, as one of the Mikes pointed out, it will cause the casual fan to stop and ask, why are they all wearing 42? Sorta like how the number being retired in every stadium helps promote education. All that being said, I do have one question which is, relative to Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and others where does Jackie Robinson stand in the pantheon of great African-Americans? Honestly, I don't know and I am ashamed of that. In addition, if we want to compare apples to apples, how does he compare to Mohammad Ali in terms of effecting change in society? I am not questioning Jackie's contribution at all just trying to get a better understanding of it.
ReplyDeleteBy the way here is a pretty cool list of amazing people.
Awesome post at Baseball Musings. I am starting to understand that what Jackie did is so amazing because he was the first. Without him, there might not be a Mohammad Ali.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading the Curt Flood biography right now (book review may actually even resume.) And yeah, it must have been amazing for Robinson to break through. some of the stories from Flood about playing in the minors were amazingly harsh. And the big league level was probably even worse. One of the starkest points in the book was a direct calling out of Tim McCarver being a racist. It leaves nothing to the imagination. Okay, off track a bit. My favorite "42" is Grady Sizemore. Until I had seen him on TV, after having read about him for some time, I was shocked that he is white.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like Torii changed his mind.
ReplyDelete