Baseball Remembers Jackie Robinson

This past week was a rather interesting one in this country with much of the conversation focused on race in the wake of the Don Imus and Duke Lacrosse controversies. The irony in all of that was Sunday marked the 60th anniversary of the biggest single moment in the history of major league baseball which after all calls itself “America’s National Pastime.” Jackie Robinson’s breaking of the color barrier in baseball was “celebrated” throughout the major leagues, although weather forced several games and ceremonies to be postponed. His retired number “42” was worn by more than 200 players, managers and coaches
and that included every member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who marked the occasion by honoring his wife Rachel in pre-game ceremonies. Robinson, a four-star athlete at UCLA, broke the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 at age 28 and just twenty-five years later he died after a long bout with diabetes.

There seems to be several different accounts of his early days with the Dodgers and how he got along with teammates and opponents. There’s no arguing that what he endured was incredible and this was almost a decade before Rosa Parks, school desegregation and what many view as the early days of the civil rights movement. However Robinson was not only one of the most significant Americans of the 20th century he also must have had a pretty good sense of humor. As he left for Ebbets Field on April 15, 1947 he told his wife that in case she couldn’t pick him out on the field he was the one wearing #42.

While New Governor Jon Corzine faces a long recovery from injuries that nearly killed him it appears that many residents of the Garden State are focusing on his breaking of the law by not wearing a seat belt. It’s likely that Corzine will receive a ticket at some point for the violation but clearly his near-fatal accident may actually have positive ramifications. The issue of wearing a seat belt should not be because it’s the law but rather because it can save your life and prevent the kind of serious injuries Corzine suffered. I would imagine that when he can the Governor is the obvious choice to become a spokesman for seat belt safety because he learned his lesson the hard way. Let’s use this as an example to others, especially young drivers and passengers.