Celebrating Jackie

On the 61st anniversary of Jackie Robinson's breaking of the color barrier, Major League Baseball released a report that conveyed a staggering statistic: only 8.2% of the players currently competing in the major leagues are African-American. Mind you, what many fail to see is that Jackie Robinson eradicated the fetters of oppression for all minorities that have thrived in professional baseball (why else would Latin star Robinson Cano adopt the number during April 15th's contest with the Rays? Hell, the man wears Jackie's inverse, 24, to honor his legacy; and did you notice what his parents' named him?). When you calculate the number of players of Japanese, Latin and African-American descent, that 8% number jumps considerably. Furthermore, observe the last 16 MVP award recipients in the last 8 years: 13 of them are non-white, including Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, and Barry Bonds (four times). Of the greatest living ballplayers, feast your eyes on this group: Willie Mays (arguably the best all-around ballplayer EVER), Ken Griffey, Jr. (a man who dominated an entire decade, the 1990's), Bonds (baseball's most prolific slugger), Hank Aaron (Mr. Consistent, a man having slugged 755 homers in a career when he never topped 40 in a season), Rickey Henderson (the game's best leadoff man), Ozzie Smith (nicknamed the Wiz for his slick fielding), Tony Gwynn (Ted Williams's equal), Barry Larkin, Frank Thomas, Andre Dawson, Jim Rice, Rod Carew, Joe Morgan (arguably the best second basemen to grace the diamond), Bob Gibson, Reggie Jackson, Dave Winfield, and Frank Robinson (the first black manager, who later led his team to a World Series)...and this is merely the list of LIVING black baseball superstars. Once all is said and done, every one of these names will be recognized in Cooperstown. In fact, if you removed these players' accolades and plaques from the halls of Cooperstown, you wouldn't have much of a Hall of Fame: PERIOD. These aforementioned players are not simply amongst the best: by many standards, they are the best. None of this is possible without Jackie's influence. Several baseball purists argue that, because of his impact on the game, Babe Ruth's number should be retired all throughout baseball, just like Jackie's was in 1997. As far as I am concerned, this practice would altogether nullify the sanctity of what Robinson did for the game of baseball. As astounding as Ruth's feats were, his toughest choice on any given day was picking the woman he was going to sleep with or the beer he was going to swig that evening. Jackie endangered the well-being of himself and his family to make a statement to supersede all statements: people of color belonged in baseball. If Jackie's tenure in baseball were just a decade or two earlier, we'd be hearing stories of Josh Gibson's homerun prowess (a man said to have hit between .350 and .384 for his career, along with 800+ homeruns), not Babe Ruth's. Remember: Jackie Robinson wasn't merely a superb ballplayer; he was the greatest sports icon to ever live. Hence why millions nationwide pay homage to #42 this day, April 15, 2008.

From the archives of ESPN.com: Jackie Robinson by the Numbers (scroll down).