Wearing Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 has even more significance for Texas Rangers now
With all the questions the Texas Rangers have at the halfway point of this 60-game season, and with the trade deadline creeping up on them Monday, none of that seemed to matter Friday.
It was Jackie Robinson Day, which this season was pushed back from April 15 because of the coronavirus shutdown. Not only that, but Friday was the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech. And Friday was also the day after the Rangers supported the Oakland A’s decision to not play in order to draw attention to racial injustice after the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by a white police officer in Wisconsin.
While tragic, the shooting of Blake and the events that have occurred in its aftermath, have served as another reminder of the racial issues facing many Americans.
Robinson was the first player to break baseball’s color barrier in 1947. The racism he faced from players within the game — even from some of his Brooklyn Dodgers teammates — and from baseball fans and non-fans is well-documented.
He carried a tremendous burden because it needed to be done to open the doors for other Black players. Even today, players who aren’t white say they wouldn’t be where they are if not for Robinson.
Willie Calhoun and Taylor Hearn, the two Black players on the Rangers’ active roster, feel that way.
Maybe Robinson’s legacy carried Black players through the past few days and their decision to boycott games across league. Or maybe it was the Milwaukee Bucks, the team that launched the boycott movement.
But in the 12 years that all uniformed MLB personnel has worn No. 42 on their backs to honor Robinson, it has never been more meaningful than it was Friday in light of today’s social climate.
“The beautiful thing about this game is how diverse it is now,” Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. ‘But in the landscape of today it is a whole different scenario. We all have to look back.
“I have had conversations with Willie and guys on our staff and Taylor and talking about what he had to deal with, and what they’re having to deal with. It’s significant, and my heart goes out to our guys who are here and everybody around the league and in the sport, across country. It’s a very significant day, and I’m proud to have the uniform on with No. 42.”
The Rangers played host to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday to open a weekend series. The clubs collaborated on a video, which they released through their social media accounts.
Among those who spoke from the Rangers was third-base coach Tony Beasley, one of two Black coaches on Woodward’s staff. He spoke not only about what Robinson did in 1947 but what he did after his retirement.
“The thing about Jackie Robinson is he was more than a baseball player,” Beasley said. “He was an activist, as well. He stood for social justice, and he continued that fight even after his playing days.”
Beasley spoke to Rangers media Thursday after the game was postponed, saying the Rangers supported the A’s decision but had intended to play. He said the Rangers are talking regularly about racial injustice and working on the next step, which he said they can’t take until they are no longer constrained by the MLB safety guidelines designed to prevent a COVID-19 outbreak.
Sitting out one game, especially when one will be played the next day, ultimately doesn’t have much impact without some follow through.
Robinson, who was honored again Friday, followed through.
“We have to have the right conversations, and we have to do things that are going to have impact,” Beasley said. “So, we’re trying to have conversations. Things don’t happen overnight. This is an issue that’s been in our country for 400 years. It’s not going to change overnight, and I’m well aware of that. But we just have to make sure that each and every day we chip away at it. It’s not just one day.”
