Remembering Robinson: Players plan to wear Jackie's number

For once, Major League Baseball got out of its own way long enough to make a great decision.

As a tribute on Jackie Robinson Day, any player who wants to wear Robinson's No. 42 will be allowed to do so. It was the brainchild of Ken Griffey Jr., who put a personal call in to MLB Commissioner Bud Selig.

(Selig apparently had to make "a couple of phone calls" before giving the OK; not sure why, since this is the no-brainer of no-brainers, and the guy is the COMMISSIONER. But I digress.)

It's a great idea for a league that tends not to have very many of them. In fact, three teams -- the Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates -- will have their entire roster wear No. 42 on Sunday.

"I think the players should wear it who want to wear it," Selig said. "On the Diamondbacks, there are four or five players who are going to do it. [Mets manager] Willie Randolph, I know, is very proud to wear it."

While I know Selig is always reticent to ruffle feathers with edicts, there's still time for Major League Baseball to do the best thing -- mandate that all players on all teams wear No. 42 on Sunday and make it an annual tradition on Jackie Robinson Day.

What a tribute that would be.

Other interesting stuff on Jackie Robinson today -- most of it from the Philadelphia Inquirer, which is doing some amazing work this week:

• Resuming our conversation of African-Americans in baseball, check out this NPR report.
• "Rachel Robinson: Still spreading the legacy," by Frank Fitzpatrick, Philadelphia Inquirer. (A really, really great story.)
• "Another Legacy: College for 1,200," by David Aldridge, Philadelphia Inquirer