One of these posts where we just copy the free part of an Insider column

Come on, now. This is too much:

[Griffey] spoke with commissioner Bud Selig and asked to wear No. 42 on the 60th anniversary of Robinson's first game, and the commissioner embraced the concept, then expanded it. Now the rest of baseball is climbing aboard, too.

The entire Dodgers team will wear No. 42, as Steve Henson writes, and Barry Bonds will wear No. 42; LaTroy Hawkins proved he gets it by initially saying that he doesn't feel worthy to wear No. 42; hopefully, somebody convinces Hawkins that by virtue of his respect, he showed he is absolutely worthy.

Actually, I'm sorta with LaTroy on this one.

I think I'm obliged to preface this with "I'm no racist or nothin', but..." Haven't we all gone a little overboard with anniversaries and symbolic gestures? Where does it end? And why do these things always revolve around numbers? I thought people hated numbers.

This raises another, more important question: If a whole team can wear the same number in a game, why do we even have numbers in baseball? And how are they gonna track the fouls? (Wait... what sport is this again?) This whole thing has me a bit rattled. Whatever--as long as someone wears the number 09 on Benito Santiago's birthday, I'll be happy.

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