Number 42

"Judas Priest" was the strongest expletive used by Branch Rickey in his private life. But he used much stronger language when he was preparing Jackie Robinson to be the first person of color to play in Major League Baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers circa 1947. Rickey wanted to make sure that Jackie could endure the taunts he was sure to encounter on the playing field and not retaliate. Robinson had been an outstanding athlete at U.C.L.A. and a military officer - both of which were rare in Big League dugouts. He won over his teammates with his playing ability. He was pigeon toed and very fast and when he was on the base paths he drove pitchers and catchers crazy. He even stole home against the N.Y. Yankees in a World Series game although Yogi Berra always claimed he was out. Jackie led the way for Larry Doby, Monte Irvin, et al. After his playing days he was an executive with Chock-Full-of-Nuts, the coffee company. He left such a mark on baseball that they have retired his number 42 and the last player to wear it will be  Mariano Rivera of the N.Y. Yankees who plans to retire at the end of this season. The movie "42"  opened  in Manhattan last week.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/07/movies/jackie-robinson-the-hero-in-42.html?ref=arts
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