[h3]Hudson eager to honor Robinson[/h3]Infielder reflects on legend two days before anniversary
[h4]Related Links[/h4]
By Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com
04/14/09 12:25 AM ET
LOS ANGELES -- Orlando Hudson has always been an admirer of Jackie Robinson.
So when Hudson hit for the cycle against the Giants on Monday, one of the first people he thanked was Robinson, even though he never met the man who broke baseball's color barrier 62 years ago.
"It just feels great to put on that Dodgers uniform," said a proud Hudson, who became the first Dodgers player to hit for the cycle since 1970. "I get to play in the house that Jackie Robinson built. I give my thanks to him because he was looking down on me."
Hudson will again honor Robinson by wearing No. 42 on Wednesday for Jackie Robinson Day, which celebrates the 62nd anniversary of Robinson breaking the color barrier on April 15, 1947.
It will be the third time the second baseman will wear the No. 42, but this time he said it will mean more because he'll be wearing it with "Dodgers" across his chest just like Robinson did.
"I wore No. 42 in Arizona, but now that I'm in a Dodger uniform it's even more special," Hudson said. "It's definitely a great feeling to be a part of it. And I'm African-American and I play second base here and wear No. 42."
Hudson, who wears No. 13 on the Dodgers, admitted his favorite number has always been No. 1, but said there's no number he would rather wear than No. 42 on Jackie Robinson Day.
After all, Hudson has studied Robinson ever since he was a child growing up in Darlington, S.C.
"He was one of my favorite guys to write about in school," Hudson said. "He means so much, not just to Dodgers fans, but for jobs around the country for people with ethnic backgrounds even outside the sports world."
Hudson was first asked if he wanted to wear Robinson's No. 42 on Jackie Robinson Day on April 15, 2007, and he jumped at the opportunity to honor his hero.
Hudson was one of 240 players to wear Robinson's number that day, and he did his best to honor Robinson proud by going 2-for-3 with a run scored in the Diamondbacks' 6-4 win over the Rockies.
For Hudson, the decision was a no-brainer, and he again wore No. 42 on the back of his jersey last season on April 15 as a member of the D-backs when 330 players wore Robinson's number.
But this season, every Major League player, coach and umpire will don Robinson's jersey number on Wednesday.
The Dodgers had already honored that tradition the past two seasons, because they are organization that gave Robinson the opportunity to integrate baseball.
Robinson, of course, played second base for the Dodgers just like Hudson. And both players are known for their all-around skills and speed both offensively and defensively.
And another similarity came on Monday when Hudson joined Robinson as just one of eight Dodgers to hit for the cycle. Robinson did it during the first game of a doubleheader on Aug. 29, 1948.
But unlike Hudson, Robinson played his inaugural 1947 season as a first baseman before moving to his more natural second base the next season and for the rest of his career.
And unlike Hudson, Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, and his debut was at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, not at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
And as Hudson surely knows, Robinson was subject to racism and dealt with death threats, isolation, degradation and insults from fans, opponents and even some teammates. Various hotels and restaurants also refused to serve him.
Hudson thankfully doesn't have to suffer through any of that, in part because of Robinson and what he went through.
"God simply gave Jackie the strength to do what he did," Hudson said. "I couldn't say what I would have done in those shoes."
Hudson, who was on the cover of the Dodgers' new playbill wearing Robinson's jersey, will further honor Robinson by launching the Around the Mound Tour, where he will visit schools and Little Leagues in urban areas to promote baseball. The 10 cities are Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New York, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Chicago, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Anaheim and Washington, D.C.
The Dodgers will also celebrate Jackie Robinson Day by recognizing 42 Dodgers Scholars, who receive college scholarships from the Dodgers Dream Foundation, which donates $105,000 each year to Jackie Robinson Foundation.
And Robinson's former teammate, Don Newcombe, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch Wednesday. Newcombe, who is the Dodgers' special advisor to the chairman, helped integrate Major League Baseball and start the civil rights movement along with fellow African-American Dodgers such as Robinson and Roy Campanella.
It should make for a special day at Dodger Stadium, 62 years after Robinson made his historic debut at Ebbets Fields.
"I'm excited," Hudson said. "Why wouldn't I be as an African-American myself playing this great game of baseball? He stood strong for it and fought for it. So of course I feel great about it."
