Posted on 10/26/2022 9:32:19 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Looking around Memorial Stadium before Game 1 of the 1983 World Series, Philadelphia Phillies star Gary Matthews saw a lot of Black talent.
Joe Morgan. Eddie Murray. Garry Maddox. Ken Singleton. Al Bumbry. Disco Dan Ford. And plenty more that night in Baltimore.
“There were quite a few of us,” Matthews recalled.
When fans watch the Houston Astros and Phillies line up this week to begin the Fall Classic, it will be a much different picture.
To be sure, Houston’s Jose Altuve and Philadelphia’s Jean Segura are among scores of Latin players helping keep big league rosters diverse.
But for the first time since 1950, shortly after Jackie Robinson broke the Major League Baseball color barrier, there project to be no U.S.-born Black players in this World Series.
Zero.
“That is eye opening,” said Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. “It is somewhat startling that two cities that have high African American populations, there’s not a single Black player.”
“It lets us know there’s obviously a lot of work to be done to create opportunities for Black kids to pursue their dream at the highest level,” he said.
Robinson debuted in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers and played in the World Series that year. Since then, the 1950 matchup between the New York Yankees and Phillies has been the only World Series without a Black player.
Houston and Philadelphia will announce their 26-man rosters several hours before Game 1 on Friday night at Minute Maid Park, where Dusty Baker, a Black outfielder for the 1981 champion Los Angeles Dodgers, manages the Astros.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
On those great Dodger teams in the ‘70s, the best hitter was Reggie Smith. On the Yankees it was Reggie Jackson and Willie Randolph. On the Padres it was Dave Winfield. On the Reds it was George Foster and Joe Morgan. One of the Phillies’ best was Gary Maddox (just don’t ask him about the ‘78 playoffs), the Red Sox had Jim Rice and Dwight Evans, the Astros had Bob Watson, the A’s had Rickey Henderson, the Brewers had Cecil Cooper and the Twins had Rod Carew.
These are just the superstars. no shortage of not-quite-superstars who were still notable like Dusty Baker, George Scott, Mickey Rivers, Manny Mota, Paul Blair.
These guys played some of the best baseball ever. I miss that era, and players like them. And outside of a few showboats like Willie Montanez and Reggie Jackson, not a whole lot of attitude problems.
so what.
Blacks are completely over-represented on basketball and football teams. Where is the moral outrage of this major racial disparity, let us all demand 67% white players there.
By the AP’s standards Chico Escuela wouldn’t count as black because he’s from the Caribbean.
And I predict in 20 years, most NFL Players will be foreigners, as well.
Hilarious that they got Reggie to do the cameo for that scene. If only Queen Elizabeth would have played herself! Can’t make movies like that any more.
US-born players are still over 70% of MLB. Some players with Hispanic surnames are Americans.
They are more fundamentally sound
MLB Channel was showing Game 5 of the 1980 NLCS between the Phillies and Astros. Besides the hideous uniforms, perms, and porno mustaches, one of the most noticeable things is both teams fielding African-American players including some of the greats mentioned earlier. The game itself was much more exciting with players actually trying to hit base hits not the binary strike out or home run.
The rosters back then was much more multiethnic. Now it is Caribbeans and whites.
It was great to listen to Howard Cosell and Keith Jackson in the booth.
Well Jeeze, cancel the series then... Hurry!
The Sub-Saharan Africans are coming to play in the NBA via Europe.
What the hell happened to US-born white guys since the 60’s / 70’s when white players were still a majority in the NBA ?
Blacks want to play basketball and football not baseball period
A white man created baseball. Just saying.....
Eventually France will be the best basketball country over the US. They are following the same blueprint as the soccer program.
“It lets us know there’s obviously a lot of work to be done to create opportunities for Black kids to pursue their dream at the highest level,” he said.“
That’s an illogical deduction. There are many black MLB players from countries with much less “opportunity” than exists in the US.
Don’t worry. The television commercials between innings will be well represented by successful black characters.
-PJ
There nothing holding back any black kid who wants to play baseball. But I do think there is an attitude now in the black community that baseball is “too white” or “too Latin”.
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