Every year baseball looks to take another step forward as it embraces the legacy of Jackie Robinson, and this year, from the Empire State building bathed in blue lights, to the unveiling of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda at the new Citi Field to the various ways and combinations individual players chose to wear Robinson's 42, the date usually known for paying taxes had a much bigger payoff for fans of the National pastime. There were a host of key pieces and activations supported by MLB today, including Bill Shaikin's piece in the LA Times on the Angels Torii Hunter revisiting his comments last year with regard to race issues, Paul Williams’ USA Today story looking at many of the ways Robinson would be remembered, and even a piece on how AA Trenton Thunder manager Tony Franklin would honor the legacy. In an era where many celebrations are sometimes overshadowed by the commercial value, MLB again got the Robinson tributes correct, without a presenting sponsor and in a way that totally dignified a trailblazers legacy.
Also today, the San Francisco Giants went all out on the 50th anniversary of thei. first game in San Francisco. The team also took great detail in commemorating the event, from a plaque at the site of Seals Stadium to starting the game at the exact time the first game began, to bringing back many of the Giant legends. The team even found a fitting tradition for the Robinson legacy today, having the senior member of the team, Ray Durham, wear the 42 uniform on behalf of all Giants players. Another good retrospective of the anniversary was found in the Napa Valley Register, which took a look back both at the event and the way the move was covered by the paper.New York fans were also remembered in a great piece in Monday's New York Times by Rich Sandomir. Great all around, well thought on plan, and a nice double hit by MLB today.
Some other baseball notes…for those who missed the Real Sports piece by Bernard Goldberg on Lennie Dykstra a few weeks ago, we went to thestreet.com to check out Lennie's latest stock picks, and like many who saw the original piece remain pleasantly surprised at Dykstra's business acumen and his ability to create a successful business brand many would never have thought possible…also on the baseball surprise front, the Tampa Rays continue their bounce back, as highlighted by a piece in the Orlando Sentinel on the team's aggressive efforts to raise their profile and court fans from central Florida…smart move at the time when the team rebranding is at a key spot…lastly, SI's Richard Deitsch has his ever-improving media circus piece out with some great insight into the TV world, and more than a few solid suggestions for media issues…worth a read as well.
