No question here. The man to break the color barrier in major league baseball is the best athlete to ever wear the number 42. The number 42 is now retired for every major league baseball team (with grandfathering for those players wearing the number 42 when the decision was made to retire it across baseball, i.e. Mariano Rivera,) because it was Jackie Robinson's uniform number. According to Henry Aaron on TIME.com's article about the most important people of the century, "He thrilled fans, shattered baseball's color barrier and changed the face of the nation." Other than breaking baseball's color barrier, here are Jackie's other creds:
- 1947 NL ROY
- 1949 NL MVP
- 1949 NL Batting Champ
- 1962 HOF inductee
- 6-time All-Star
- 1955 World Series Champion
- .311 career batting average
Did you know.....Jackie played baseball for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro League? (photo courtesy of achievement.org)
Dodgers
Baseball
42
Robinson
NO QUESTION.............ZERO
ReplyDeleteTough luck for Ronnie Lott that Jackie wore the same number, he was a @#!$%^& wrecking ball!
ReplyDeleteUgh. Too bad for Ronnie Lott indeed. Ronnie is probably a better 42 than Robinson but...I guess you're kinda locked into Robinson for other reasons.
ReplyDeleteuuuuuuh! That was low.
ReplyDeleteMuch like Hammerin' Hank, Jackie Robinson is not only a great sportsman, but their inclusion in the sport contributed to great societal change.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I love how Ronnie Lott would cut off a finger to be in the game, there is a reason that every ballpark has Jackie's number displayed.
What about Mariano Rivera? I would put him ahead of Jackie Robinson
ReplyDeleteButch Huskey!
ReplyDeleteJackie's no. 1, and Mariano's leading the pack for 2nd place.
ReplyDeletePaul Warfield was another great 42 - but you can't deny the change that Jackie brought about.
ReplyDeleteMariano. Robinson was great but not twice-in-a-life time. Mariano on the other hand is a really rare breed. Jackie Robinson for best human being to wear #42, but best athlete has to be Mariano Rivera.
ReplyDelete