Every Player to Wear No. 42 Wednesday to Honor Jackie Robinson
Why
There will be No. 42s everywhere on Wednesday as Major League Baseball honors Jackie Robinson's first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers, which came on April 15, 1947. Commissioner Bud Selig has asked that all managers, coaches and players on the 30 major league teams wear Robinson's number as a sign of unified support for the anniversary, which marks the breaking of baseball's color barrier. The interest in wearing Robinson's No. 42 to honor his memory began to gather force two years ago, on the 60th anniversary of his first game. That year, a number of teams chose to have everyone wear No. 42 on April 15. Now Selig has taken that notion a step further. All Mets players and coaches will wear No. 42 on Wednesday night against the San Diego Padres to honor Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball's color barrier with his major-league debut exactly 62 years ago. Earlier Wednesday, the Mets held a dedication ceremony for the Jackie Robinson Rotunda at Citi Field. Robinson's widow, Rachel, attended along with a number of public officials. Mets chairman and CEO Fred Wilpon, COO Jeff Wilpon and president Saul Katz; New York Gov. David Paterson and Sen. Chuck Schumer were among those in attendance.
Search Terms:
jackie robinson, jackie robinson biography, jackie robinson stats, ebbets field, jackie robinson day, 15 april
References:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/sports/baseball/15jackie.html,http://www.nj.com/mets/index.ssf/2009/04/new_york_mets_to_wear_no_42_in.html,http://www.athleticsnation.com/2009/4/15/838383/honoring-jackie-robinson,http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/dedicating-the-jackie-robinson-rotunda/,http://www.fishstripes.com/2009/4/15/838971/jackie-robinson-day
