in honor of jackie robinson, a number of mlb players wear the number "42" on their jerseys, despite the number being retired by every team in 1997. last year, ken griffey jr. asked permission to wear the number on jackie robinson day and not only did bud selig give him permission, he invited other players to do so. ultimately, over 200 players wore number 42 last season.
now, don't get me wrong--i think it's a great idea to honor jackie robinson in this way. there is no way to measure what that man did for not only baseball, but for african-americans as a whole. BUT. i think the intent does get a little cheapened when just anyone wears the number and there seems to be no rhyme or reason to it. i would be fine if one or two players wore it, or if every african-american player wore it, or even if every team wore it. but there should be some sort of uniformity to it, not just a haphazard "whoever wants to can do it." i do think it takes away from the meaning a little.
anyway, just my two cents there.
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