Reds shortstop Barry Larkin thinks the new 6-foot white baseball with the No. 42 on it hanging behind the left-center field fence at Cinergy Field will prompt questions.
"When people come to the ballpark, they'll ask, 'Why is that out there? What's that for?' " Larkin said. "That will lead to conversation, and that will carry on his legacy.
"I think it's good for the community, for the fans and players who come up now who don't know about Jackie Robinson."
Robinson, who broke baseball's color barrier 50 years ago, was honored by the Reds before Thursday night's game with the Dodgers. His number 42 - retired by all Major League teams - was unveiled and will remain on the wall next to the retired jerseys of Reds stars Johnny Bench (No. 5) and Fred Hutchinson (No. 1).
Chuck Harmon, the first African-American to play for the Reds, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. It was 50 years ago Tuesday that Robinson made his first Major League appearance in Cincinnati. "You learn more and more each time his name comes up," Los Angeles outfielder Wayne Kirby, 33, said.
Robinson has been honored in many Major League stadiums this season, several times before the first game of a series with the Dodgers, the team for which he played.
"I've been talking about this all year," Deion Sanders said. "Major League Baseball can never repay Jackie Robinson."
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