“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”

On the eve of Major League Baseball’s annual commemoration of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball, the New York Mets and Miami Marlins staged a short, but eloquent display in hopes of breaking a few barriers of their own. The history making event took place at Citi-Field on Thursday, August 27, 2020.

The Mets and Marlins huddled around their respective dugouts as ‘game-time’ approached. At 7:10, the Mets took the field having just released a lineup and not releasing game notes at all. Pitchers from both teams did not warm up.

Then, in a moment that will be etched in both Major League Baseball memory and perhaps history overall, the two teams removed their caps, and bowed their heads in silence—for 42 seconds. Precisely the number on Jackie Robinson’s uniform, a number retired in perpetuity in 1997. The two teams left the field as Lewis Brinson of the Marlins draped a Black Lives Matter tee-shirt over home plate.

“There’s not an American in this country free until every one of us is free.”

Shortly after the poignant 42 second vigil, the Mets made themselves available to the press. First to speak was the quartet of Michael Conforto, Robinson Cano, Dellin Betances and Dominic Smith. Conforto is the Mets player representative and throughout the trying day, comported himself with poise and class. He met with the Marlins player rep. Miguel Rojas during the afternoon to discuss options for the impending game. He gives Rojas the credit for the idea of a 42-second, solemn salute that transpired a few hours later.

“We’re definitely united in this decision, 100%, from top to bottom. … After seeing the comments Dom made last night, although it’s not just about Dom, it touched all of us in the clubhouse.” Conforto told the press.

Courtesy of SNY and Roger Cormier on Twitter

Smith was equally elegant following up on his comments from Wednesday,

“The most difficult part is to see that people still don’t care,” Smith said. “For this to continually happen, this just shows the hate in people’s hearts. That just sucks, you know. Being a black man in America is not easy. Like I said, I wasn’t there (mentally) today, but I will be fine.”

On Thursday, Smith’s emotion, still raw, said, “This is way bigger than baseball. This is life. This is humanity.” He continued, “So many people have reached out. It’s been overwhelming.” He added that players from the NBA, NFL, MLB among others have reached out to him after his emotional words from Wednesday.

After the four Mets finished their statements, manager Luis Rojas spoke.

He opened by saying, “(I’m) very proud of them, fully support what they did out there just to use the baseball platform to voice their opinion on this topic”

As for his thoughts on Dom Smith,  “I’m glad he came out and was able to share his opinion with the public. .. After seeing it last night, I couldn’t wait to talk to him in person. We had some conversation. I told him how proud I am.”

“I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me… all I ask is that you respect me as a human being.”

After Rojas finished, Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen took the podium to deliver his thoughts on the controversy brewing between himself and MLB. He also weighed in on his team, and how proud he was of them. But his remarks were overshadowed by his comments about Manfred and his office.

The day started in a surreal manner and was full of ebbs and flows, with little news coming from either team. Then, in the middle of the afternoon, Van Wagenen turned a hot mic into a hot potato.

Word came down from MLB that Commisioner Rob Manfred wanted the Mets and Marlins to take the field at the appointed time of 7:10, then leave for an hour to protest inequities and social injustice and resume things at 8:10 as if nothing happened. When Van Wagenen heard this, he was caught on an open microphone saying, basically, the Manfred does not grasp the magnitude of the situation and he “just doesn’t get it.”

Van Wagenen, perhaps unaware of the situation, quickly redacted these comments and said,  “My frustration with the Commissioner was wrong and unfounded. I apologize to the Commissioner for my disrespectful comments and poor judgement in inaccurately describing the contents of his private conversation with Jeff Wilpon.”

 

Image

For his part, the Commissioner released this statement:

Image

If Manfred and MLB did what was first thought, and that is stage a one hour walk-out to signify injustice, then the Commissioner’s office and MLB should be ashamed. Reaction to this sham were quick and perhaps best summed up by Mets radio broadcaster Howie Rose who called the ‘massaging’ of this societal message into what amounts to a scripted Broadway event both “reprehensible and disgusting.”

In what might turn out to be a he said, she said scenario, we may never know the actual truth, but public opinion so far has fallen squarely in favor of Van Wagenen and his frank (and I believe accurate) assessment of the current commissioner.

A powerful day ended without a pitch thrown or a bat swung. It was an extraordinary display of camaraderie, sportsmanship, and togetherness as young men, black and white, came together for a just cause. One can argue that a baseball diamond is not the place for such action, but I would argue that it was the perfect place. It’s unlikely that a show of solidarity on an August night will stop racism or unite America. But if we remember one thing on Friday as we recount the grandeur of Jackie Robinson, it’s that sometimes little things can snowball into major events.

Jackie Robinson changed baseball. The Mets and the Marlins may not have changed things, but they made us look within ourselves and pridefully say now and forever more, ‘I am proud, very proud to root for these guys.’

“But as I write these words now I cannot stand and sing the National Anthem. I have learned that I remain a black in a white world.”

(Incidentally the italicized quotes throughout the article are from Jackie Robinson, himself).