ROBINSON: A HERO FOR 60 YEARS MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL MARKS ANNIVERSARY OF FIRST PLAYER TO BREAK ITS COLOR BARRIER.

Byline: RAMONA SHELBURNE 

Staff Writer

They lined up, as they always do, side by side, arms crossed or against their sides. White players, black players, Latinos, Dominicans and Japanese. On this day they were all the same, in the scorebook and in spirit ... all No. 42.

Every Dodger and nearly 200 players across Major League Baseball wore Jackie Robinson's No. 42 Sunday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the day he broke baseball's color barrier.

"I've often said baseball's most powerful moment was the coming of Jackie Robinson into baseball," Commissioner Bud Selig said at a news conference before Sunday's Dodgers-San Diego Padres game. "It's an incredible story, not only for baseball, but for society."

The last time baseball paid tribute to Robinson in such grand fashion was 10 years ago, when Selig officially retired his No. 42 across all of baseball in a ceremony at Shea Stadium in New York.

On Sunday No. 42 again served an important role, not only honoring Robinson but also shining a spotlight on the alarming decline in African- American participation in baseball.

Only 8.4 percent of Major League Baseball players are African-American, less than a third of the number in the mid-1970s and half the number just a decade ago.

"My greatest feeling and hope for this celebration is that we won't just celebrate the past, because we do that very well and it makes us feel better, but that we will reflect on how things are going now," said Robinson's widow, Rachel, 84, who received the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award before the game for her work with the Jackie Robinson Foundation and for carrying on his legacy with dignity and grace.

"We've made progress, but we have a long way to go in all areas. The celebration gives us an opportunity to come together and say where are we now and where are we headed."

Selig, who sat with Rachel Robinson for most of the game and escorted her to the podium before she addressed the near-sellout crowd at Dodger Stadium, didn't disagree.

"There's no question that we are a social institution and there's no question we do have enormous social responsibilities," Selig said. "We have work to be done. We're a long way from where we want to be. ... Somebody said we lost a generation and I think that's true."

Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, on hand Sunday to honor Robinson, recently published a book on the subject entitled "Dropping the Ball."

He argues that the drop-off in African-American players has been caused by three factors: baseball's disconnect with the black community, competition from other sports like football and basketball and rising costs of developing elite baseball players.

"Baseball is an Everyman sport. You can be any size and still succeed in baseball," said Winfield, the only man in history to be drafted by the NBA, the NFL and MLB. "It would've been difficult for me to stay on track for baseball (if I'd grown up now) because there would've been more barriers to entry and more hoops to jump through."

Winfield was one of several Hall of Famers on hand to honor Robinson. Frank Robinson and Hank Aaron threw out the ceremonial first pitches and Joe Morgan emceed some of the pregame festivities and announced the game for ESPN.

The gospel choir from First A.M.E. church in Los Angeles performed a rousing rendition of one of Robinson's favorite songs, "Oh Happy Day," and Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson sang the national anthem.

Dodgers' owner Jamie McCourt said it was fitting to hold Robinson's 60th anniversary tribute in Los Angeles because the famed ballplayer grew up just minutes away, at a house on Pepper Street in Pasadena, and was the first four-sport letterman at UCLA.

Fans at Sunday's game got posters displaying a charcoal drawing of Robinson stealing home, created by Dodgers pitcher Brett Tomko.

Outfielder Marlon Anderson, who is one of only two African-Americans on the Dodgers' active roster, admitted he was even a little nervous to be wearing No. 42 before Sunday's game.

"Putting it on is one thing, but I feel even more honored because I get to wear the Dodgers on the front," he said.

For Rachel Robinson, it's hard to believe how different her life was 60 years ago. After Jackie signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers for $5,000 a year, they lived simply along with their 5-month-old child, Jack Jr., in a small, cramped hotel room at the McAlpin Hotel in Manhattan.

"That first day, we were so anxious in the morning without acknowledging it," she said of historic April 15, 1947. "You know, Jack had to have a job. ... So I think what we felt at the end of the day was a great deal of relief. He performed even though he didn't do very well."

Robinson went 0 for 4, but reached on a throwing error by Boston Braves first baseman Earl Torgeson when he tried a drag bunt. Two batters later, he scored the winning run on a double by Pete Reiser.

"The celebration is only good if everybody takes something from it and tries to make something better," emcee Morgan said. "I'll find something and try to make it better, and I hope that the people watching at home will get that same idea. Because otherwise, it's just a celebration."

ramona.shelburne(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) Dodgers wear No. 42 in honor of the late Jackie Robinson in a pregame ceremony Sunday at Dodger Stadium marking the 60th anniversary of Robinson breaking the major league color barrier. Robinson's widow, Rachel Robinson, below left, appears on the Jumbotron as she speaks about her husband's major league debut with the Dodgers on April 15, 1947.

(3 -- 4 -- color) Baseball legends, from left, Ernie Banks, Frank Robinson and Hank Aaron sit with Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and Rachel Robinson during Jackie Robinson Day at Dodger Stadium on Sunday. Above left, Selig presents Jackie Robinson's widow the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer