Jimerson relishes meaning of No. 42 - Mariners outfielder to honor Robinson by wearing his number

ST. PETERSBURG -- An opportunity to wear a baseball jersey with the number "42" on the back would be a special thrill for Mariners outfielder Charlton Jimerson.

"It would be an honor, it really would," he said.

That honor should happen next Tuesday, when the Mariners play the Royals in the second game of a two-game series at Safeco Field, a
day set aside by Major League Baseball as Jackie Robinson Day.

For the second consecutive season, Commissioner Bud Selig has invited all players to wear the number that Robinson wore during his Hall of Fame career with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Introduced in 2004, Jackie Robinson Day was created to honor the enduring impact of Robinson and his legacy as the first African-American player to break the Major League color barrier. Robinson played his first Major League game at Ebbets Field on April 15, 1947, as a member of the Dodgers. In honor of the 50th anniversary of Robinson breaking the Major League color barrier in 1997, Robinson's uniform number 42 was retired throughout the Major Leagues.

Robinson's memory lives on today in initiatives such as the Jackie Robinson Foundation, which was founded by Rachel Robinson in 1973 to provide education and leadership development opportunities for minority students with strong capabilities but limited financial resources, as well as Breaking Barriers, which utilizes baseball-themed activities to reinforce literacy skills, mathematics, science and social history in addition to addressing critical issues of character development, such as conflict resolution and self-esteem.

The idea of "unretiring" Robinson's number last year was the brainchild of former Mariners star center fielder Ken Griffey Jr., who personally petitioned the Commissioner for the opportunity.

While stars like Griffey, Andruw Jones, Dontrelle Willis, Torii Hunter, Jermaine Dye, Derrek Lee, Mike Cameron, Gary Sheffield and, C.C. Sabathia honored Robinson by wearing the number "42" last season, Jimerson was at his home in Houston wishing he could have been doing the same thing.

But he had been released by the Astros on March 30 and was out of work until May 1, when he signed a Minor League contract with the Mariners.
As he watched television coverage of Jackie Robinson Day, Jimerson said he remembers reflecting on the fact there are so few African-American players in the game and the number seems to be dwindling. He is the only one currently on the Mariners' 25-man roster.

"It's a tough thing to talk about," he said.

Asked what he would say if had a chance to sit down with Robinson, Jimerson said, "I would ask him about some of the things he went through that he had never talked about publicly. I think it would be very interesting, very enlightening."

(mariners.com)