[The Professor]

I agree that it is a terrible shame that Larry Doby is so overlooked.

That said, I don't think Hunter is necessarily wrong even if I'm not sure I completely agree with him. It is fine to honor Jackie Robinson, it is another thing entirely to make a circus of that celebration or to water down his meaning. I don't think it is just that "white guys" might wear the number, because I recall Hunter saying something yesterday about black players wearing the number, ostensibly because it "was cool", not because they actually knew about Robinson or what he stood for.

I think, deep down, Torii Hunter has a point. This whole Robinson-Day thing is sort of generic. For all of the Dodgers to wear #42? That makes a lot of sense. For the St. Louis Cardinals to do so? Why? (especially given the famous story about how a Cardinals boycott against Robinson was, reportedly, barely averted in 1947). The Astros? ???

As baseball fans we should remember the cause and the sacrifice of Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby, Wendell Smith, the many, great, Negro Leaguers who were barred from the game, the Frank Grants and the Walkers of the baseball world, as well as the Latino pioneers, each season. It is 2007, so yes, it makes sense to honor Jackie Robinson in some special way. I don't know that what MLB is doing is all that special.

I'm not saying it should be restricted to just black players, or that people who want to honor Jackie shouldn't be allowed to do so, even if it means the entire team is going to don the jersey, but I think Hunter is spot on in recognizing that this affair - for various reasons, some hard to define - is somewhat bereft of meaning.

But, hey, I bet MLB sells some cool Jackie Robinson Day apparel!!!