In 1997, on the fiftieth anniversary of his debut in the major leagues, Jackie Robinson’s #42 was retired by every baseball team in Major League Baseball. The first African-American major league baseball player of the modern era, Robinson’s life and career were dedicated to the eradication of segregation and racist ideals, both on the field and in society.

Recently, the Hispanics Across America (HAA) has made a push to have the #21 of former major league All-Star and world humanitarian Roberto Clemente retired by all teams as well. Surprisingly, this movement has met opposition from an unlikely source.

Sharon Robinson, daughter of the late Jackie Robinson, has come out in opposition of the unilateral retirement.

“To my understanding, the purpose of retiring my father’s number is that what he did changed all of baseball, not only for African-Americans but also for Latinos, so I think that purpose has been met,” says Robinson. “When you start retiring numbers across the board, for all different groups, you’re kind of diluting the original purpose.”

What Jackie Robinson did for baseball is truly worthy of the honor bestowed. However, if ever there were another player worthy of this honor, Roberto Clemente would be that man.

A few facts: Jackie Robinson was indeed the first African American major league baseball player in the modern era. He endured more bigotry and adversity in the face of a segregated America and smiled all the way through it. Because of him, the game of baseball was two decades ahead of the rest of society and paved the way for a racially integrated America.

Not only was he a pioneer, but he was a damn good ballplayer. He was a six-time All-Star, an NL MVP, and a World Series champion. He still holds the record for most steals of home in the modern era (19). He hit .311 for his career.

Clemente was even more of a stud. Twelve All-Star appearances, 3,000 hits, NL MVP, two World Series Titles, World Series MVP, and twelve Gold Gloves, just to touch on a few of his highlights. This guy was the premiere Latin American baseball player, paving the way for the 37% of major league players who now boast Latino heritages.

Sure, there were others who had his numbers and his ethnicity, but it was his work off the field as a goodwill ambassador of baseball and humanity that stood out. His example and character have led to the building of countless safe baseball facilities in his name throughout Central and South America. The man died in a plane crash on his way to Nicaragua to bring relief supplies to the victims of an earthquake there. In the Latino community, he’s on par with... well, there’s really no one who transcends national borders quite the way that Clemente did.

So does this mean he deserves to have his number retired by all of baseball? Maybe not, but his efforts certainly warrant some sort of league wide recognition. Think how different the game today would be without the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Carlos Beltran, Pedro Martinez, Manny Ramirez, and the cadre of superstars with Latino roots. Clemente paved the way for their ascension and put baseball on the map south of the border.

Hey, it was different for Robinson. He was well aware of the barriers he was breaking, and took way more heat for his role in the desegregation of baseball than Clemente ever could have imagined. Sharon Robinson is absolutely justified in her stand. We can’t cheapen the honor bestowed to Jackie by just retiring numbers left and right across the board.

What we’re talking about here, though, isn’t a whim. This isn’t like calling for a John Rocker Day because he served his community service sentence. Clemente is a hero to the game of baseball on par with the likes of Robinson.

Maybe retiring his number is just simply not the right honorarium. For one thing, the Yankees are running out of active numbers to give their enormous payroll. For another, two players on two different teams have already had their #21 retired. Do we take that distinguished honor away from Bob Lemon of the Indians or Warren Spahn of the Braves?

Something needs to be done across the league to recognize the achievements of this legend. In 1973, less than a year after his tragic death, he was inducted posthumously into the Baseball Hall of Fame, the only player in history to have the five year waiting period waived. Each year, the Roberto Clemente Award is given to the baseball player who best follows Clemente's example of humanitarian work. Perhaps all this is satisfactory. But then again, there's never enough thanks for a hero.

Andrew Rogers made Editor angry by not turning in column on time. But Editor forgives, and you should too at arogers@stanford.edu.