prosopis
Arizona Chupacabra
Notes: Hudson honored to wear No.42
Second baseman chosen for tribute to Jackie Robinson
By Steve Gilbert / MLB.com
"It means a lot," Orlando Hudson said of wearing No. 42. "That's Jackie Robinson, man."
WASHINGTON -- Usually, the words come quickly for Orlando Hudson.
But sitting in front of his locker Thursday afternoon, one day after he found out he would be wearing No. 42 to honor Jackie Robinson on April 15, he spoke slower, his voice filled with emotion.
"It means a lot," he said. "That's Jackie Robinson, man. Four-sport star at UCLA. All the stuff he went through. I don't know if I would have been strong enough to go through the stuff he went through. Back of the bus, different bathrooms, teammates mistreat you, slide into a base and be spit on, be called the 'N' word by some fans."
As a tribute to Robinson, who broke baseball's color barrier on April 15, 1947, Commissioner Bud Selig will allow players to wear Robinson's No. 42. Selig had retired the number throughout baseball on April 15, 1997, the 50th anniversary of Robinson's debut.
D-backs equipment manager Roger Riley approached veteran first baseman Tony Clark on Wednesday while the team was in Denver to ask him if he wanted to wear No. 42. Clark did, but suggested that Hudson do so instead.
"I'd love to wear it," Clark said. "But I told him perhaps 'O' should wear it because I know that number needs to be on the field and I may not be on the field that day."
Hudson has already asked his agent to get him some throwback shoes and he plans on wearing his socks high and pants baggy that day just like Robinson did.
Riley said the club will make an extra No. 42 jersey for Hudson to hang onto, as well as one for Clark.
"And for me to have the honor of wearing his number ... when TC asked me, that's beyond being called up to the big leagues, playing every day in the big leagues," Hudson said. "It's beyond Gold Gloves, beyond All-Star Games. Just for that one day I get to put myself in Jackie Robinson's shoes without the name calling and stuff that went along with it.
"I do want to steal home, though."
Second baseman chosen for tribute to Jackie Robinson
By Steve Gilbert / MLB.com
"It means a lot," Orlando Hudson said of wearing No. 42. "That's Jackie Robinson, man."
WASHINGTON -- Usually, the words come quickly for Orlando Hudson.
But sitting in front of his locker Thursday afternoon, one day after he found out he would be wearing No. 42 to honor Jackie Robinson on April 15, he spoke slower, his voice filled with emotion.
"It means a lot," he said. "That's Jackie Robinson, man. Four-sport star at UCLA. All the stuff he went through. I don't know if I would have been strong enough to go through the stuff he went through. Back of the bus, different bathrooms, teammates mistreat you, slide into a base and be spit on, be called the 'N' word by some fans."
As a tribute to Robinson, who broke baseball's color barrier on April 15, 1947, Commissioner Bud Selig will allow players to wear Robinson's No. 42. Selig had retired the number throughout baseball on April 15, 1997, the 50th anniversary of Robinson's debut.
D-backs equipment manager Roger Riley approached veteran first baseman Tony Clark on Wednesday while the team was in Denver to ask him if he wanted to wear No. 42. Clark did, but suggested that Hudson do so instead.
"I'd love to wear it," Clark said. "But I told him perhaps 'O' should wear it because I know that number needs to be on the field and I may not be on the field that day."
Hudson has already asked his agent to get him some throwback shoes and he plans on wearing his socks high and pants baggy that day just like Robinson did.
Riley said the club will make an extra No. 42 jersey for Hudson to hang onto, as well as one for Clark.
"And for me to have the honor of wearing his number ... when TC asked me, that's beyond being called up to the big leagues, playing every day in the big leagues," Hudson said. "It's beyond Gold Gloves, beyond All-Star Games. Just for that one day I get to put myself in Jackie Robinson's shoes without the name calling and stuff that went along with it.
"I do want to steal home, though."
to Hudson - he has an appreciation for Robinson's career and legacy and clearly is a worthy choice. It's been said often of pro athletes in recent years that they do not have a proper appreciation, respect, and oftentimes even basic knowledge of the players who came before so it's great to see this isn't the case with O-Dog.
Rockies need to get some better black dudes. At least they have one.
