If you’re my age or better, you probably read “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” in your formative years and grew up already knowing the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything.
But on April 15, 1997, on the 50th anniversary of the breaking of the color barrier in major league baseball, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig retired the number 42 for all team jerseys. (Only Mariano Rivera continues to wear this special number for the Yankees, as he’s been their best relief pitcher since 1995.)
Today, April 15, if you attend the ballpark or watch a MLB game on television, you’ll probably see everyone, including the coaches, wearing the number 42 as a tribute to Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in the majors.
So now I’m thinking someday they may also retire Roberto Clemente’s number 21. Clemente was the first Hispanic to break the same barrier. And 21, multiplied by 2, is 42, which is, as stated previously, the answer to everything.