Dragons paying homage to Robinson

Bill Hoban’s sport column, April 17.|

Sunday was Jackie Robinson Day in Major League Baseball. As usual on that day, all of the players, coaches and even umpires wore Robinson’s number, 42, to commemorate the day that he made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.

Major League Baseball has been marking the day since April 15, 2004, to honor the man who broke baseball’s color barrier. At first it was just a few players who wore Robinson’s number on April 15, but in 2009, all players, coaches and umpires wore Robinson’s number 42.

MLB also retired Robinson’s jersey number in 1997.

Friday night, the Sonoma Valley High baseball Dragons joined the parade, so to speak.

The Dragons all wore jerseys with the number 42 on the back that night paying tribute to Robinson.

It wasn’t the first time the Dragons wore the jerseys. They wore them two years ago for the first time when the Dragons had a game on April 15. Assistant Coach Mario Alioto and his wife, Maggie, donated the jerseys.

And the Dragons pulled them out again Friday night.

Hopefully, it’ll become a tradition for the Dragons to wear the jerseys on the game closest to April 15 from this year forward.

The clock is winding down on what is left of the Sonoma County League. Fall sports have come and gone as have the winter sports. All we have left is spring sports – baseball, softball, swimming, track, tennis and golf.

After this spring, the Sonoma County League will cease to exist.

Next fall, the Dragons will find themselves in a new conference – the Vine Valley Athletic League with some new foes.

Gone are Healdsburg, El Molino, Analy, Piner and Elsie Allen. They’re in the revamped 12-team North Bay League.

Sonoma’s opponents starting in the fall, will be old foe Petaluma, who follows Sonoma into the new league, and Casa, who used to be a foe before they were moved into the NBL several years ago.

Starting this fall, the Dragons will also be facing Napa, Vintage, American Canyon and Justin-Siena in the Vine Valley League.

Well, at least for the next two years.

The North Coast Section could revamp leagues again two years from now.

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