Phoenix – A simple request has revived interest and created a delicate debate. When Ken Griffey Jr. asked permission to wear Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 today to honor the 60th anniversary of Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier, he had no idea so many would follow his lead.
More than 200 players will don the jersey, and there’s concern the tribute has been watered down, particularly since five whole teams with no ties to Robinson – St. Louis, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Houston and Philadephia – are wearing the number.
“I don’t like that entire teams are doing it,” Rockies reliever LaTroy Hawkins said. “I didn’t know that. Why would we have some teams and not others?”
Twins outfielder Torii Hunter was more outspoken. He thinks team-wide participation kills the meaning, dilutes the significance. It begs the question: What is the appropriate way to celebrate?
“What I heard is that Jackie wouldn’t have a problem with so many guys doing it,” Diamondbacks second baseman Orlando Hudson said. “For me, personally, I am not saying what should or shouldn’t be done. I do think, though, that every African-American in baseball should have that jersey on.”
The jersey participation, reminded Hudson, camouflages a bigger issue: the sharply decreasing numbers of African-Americans in baseball. The percentage has dropped from 27 percent in 1975 to 8.9 percent this season.
The simple fact is baseball is not as popular in the African-American community. For that baseball bears some responsibility. How many kids, regardless of race, could tell you Phillies slugger Ryan Howard is the reigning NL MVP? Baseball’s weak marketing of star players has claimed Howard as its latest victim.
If baseball pushed its stars harder, it only follows that it would make them more attractive to corporate sponsors.
But baseball isn’t the easiest game to embrace. It is a romance to football’s one-night stand. Baseball’s beauty exists in the subtleties, the nuances, the strategies. You have to invest time to love baseball, which leaves it miscast in a video-game world consumed with instant gratification.
Which brings us back to today’s tribute to Robinson. By serving as a reminder of where the sport was, it should provide a clear vision of where it needs to go.
“The NFL is 80 percent black, the NBA is 90 percent black. Black kids figure they have a better chance of making it in those sports than baseball,” Hudson said. “They need to see more black players (in ads), in the games. We have so many young black kids who can play this game but would rather shoot the brown ball or run the pigskin. That needs to change.”
Adjustments needed in Philly
Talked with Phillies manager Charlie Manuel on a lazy March day in Clearwater, Fla., and he emphasized the importance of a quick start. “We can’t get way back again and spend the whole year making up ground,” Manuel said.
There will be no profit if Manuel’s a prophet. He could soon lose his job if the Phillies don’t snap out of their funk. They started 2-8, their worst start in 20 years, hardly what was expected after shortstop Jimmy Rollins declared in January that the Phillies are the team to beat in the NL East.
“Nothing has changed. We can still catch fire,” Rollins told Phillies reporters.
Here’s an idea to create a spark: Move Shane Victorino to leadoff, hit Howard third and Rollins fourth, even if only temporarily, to ignite the offense.
Footnotes
Concern over Jason Schmidt’s velocity shrank a day after his dreadful start against the Rockies. A team spokesman said the in-house radar gun was on the blink, and Schmidt’s fastball was 84 to 90 mph. Still, Schmidt’s lost oomph is muting his terrific changeup. … If the Padres win the West, it will be because of a bullpen that is deeper than a Tolstoy novel. … Talk of avoiding April games in cold-weather cities is shortsighted. However, those games should be against division opponents, making it easier to reschedule. … Outfielder Josh Hamilton, his career sabotaged by drug use, is this season’s feel-good story. A Rule V pick of the Reds, Hamilton’s power is forcing manager Jerry Narron to pencil him into the lineup. … Alex Rodriguez’s home run explosion has interesting layers. The better he plays, the more chance he opts out of his contract at season’s end. Unless the Yankees win the World Series, look for A-Rod to exit New York. … Mark Prior has been on the disabled list nine times, but has never had surgery. I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn Express, but after watching him, clearly his shoulder isn’t right. … Juan Pierre’s name drop by Jay-Z in Beyoncé’s “Déjà Vu” song: “I guess it comes from the 2003 World Series. Jay was in Yankee Stadium. He yelled at me to slow down. I told him I couldn’t.
That’s who I am.”
AT ISSUE: A NATIONAL BASEBALL DISASTER
What: The Washington Nationals have positioned themselves to make a run at the New York Mets’ all-time futility mark, 120 losses.
Background: With president Stan Kasten in charge, the Nationals are modeling themselves after his former team, the Atlanta Braves. The idea is to build from within, then gradually supplement the roster with veteran stars. Problem is, the Nationals’ farm system is parched, offering little at the major-league level beyond third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. As such, the roster is duct-taped together with a mishmash of mediocrity and, in the case of the starting pitching, atrocity.
Renck’s take: The first hint the Nationals were going to stink came last winter when GM Jim Bowden set a modern-day record for the number of starters signed to minor-league contracts. The Nationals’ most accomplished pitcher is sore-armed John Patterson. Behind him is a mix of kids – Matt Chico, Shawn Hill – and Disney stories (Jason Simontacchi). Their current rotation won two games last season. New manager Manny Acta, 38, worried last week that “Jeez, we might be as bad as people are saying.” The Nationals are the first team not to score in the first three innings in their first 10 games. Washington will move into a $611 million stadium next season, which makes capitalizing on their awfulness imperative. Unlike last year’s fiasco with Alfonso Soriano, the Nationals must land a haul of prospects for closer Chad Cordero. Borrowing from the New York Post, if the Nationals topple the Mets, maybe Acta can break out the Casey Stengel line. Asked about his 120-loss season, Stengel said, “The players deserve a lot of the credit.”
EYE ON … ROYALS PITCHER ZACK GREINKE
Background: Selected as the sixth overall pick of the 2002 draft out of Apopka (Fla.) High School. If Greinke executed the minor-league treadmill any better he would have starred in OK Go’s “Here It Goes Again” video. After just 36 starts, Greinke made his major-league debut.
What’s up: Greinke became a mystery last spring, leaving camp without explanation. He ultimately revealed he was dealing with depression and social anxiety disorder. He pitched in only two big-league games last season. Healthy and happy, Greinke was the best pitcher in the Cactus League not named Felix Hernandez or Rich Harden. A National League GM and American League scout provided a thumbnail scouting report: 92-95 mph heater, slider and big curve, good changeup. Seems to be able put his fastball anywhere he wants.
What’s next: Greinke faces the Baltimore Orioles today, looking to continue his feel-good story. He went 1-1 in his first two starts with a 1.38 ERA and 12 K’s in 13 innings. Said Rockies reliever Jeremy Affeldt of his former teammate, “If he has his confidence, there’s no limit to what he can do.”
Renck’s take: Greinke’s career reads like a VH-1 “Behind The Music” special. Too much, too fast. Greinke had never experienced failure until he reached the big leagues. That helped escalate a downward spiral that nearly derailed his promising career. People forget that Greinke is just 23. He’s been compared to Bret Saberhagen and Mike Mussina. At this point, his talent meshing with a mind at peace, anything seems possible again.
AROUND THE HORN
THREE STRIKES
1. Mariners: Felix “The King” Hernandez looks like a modern-day Dwight Gooden.
2. Reds: Manager Jerry Narron sets a good example, benching Edwin Encarnacion for not hustling.
3. Braves: This is the Tim Hudson the Braves thought they were getting.
THREE BALLS
1. Giants: Have more first basemen on roster (Aurilia, Sweeney, Klesko, Niekro) than wins.
2. Athletics: The elephant on A’s uniform saw his shadow, so another six weeks without offense.
3. Nationals: After 712 plate appearances, they led after only one of them.
