Brooklyn Dodgers executive Buzzie Bavasi dismisses the New York Yankees reaction to Jackie Robinson’s charges
On December 2, 1952 — Brooklyn Dodgers executive Buzzie Bavasi dismisses the Yankees GM George Weiss denial of Jackie Robinson’s allegations of racism. Commissioner Ford Frick plans no action against Jackie Robinson for his comments.
Jackie Robinson on a New York NBC daytime TV show, “Youth Wants to Know,” Robinson answered yes when asked if the reason for the absence of players of color in pinstripe was racism. However, he was careful to cite the executives as the reason for Black players’ absences from the Yankee lineup, maintaining that the Yankee players were, “…fine sportsmen and wonderful gentlemen…”
By 1952, Jackie had spent six seasons in the majors and the Yankees didn’t integrate until 1955, becoming the third-to-last team to do so when they called-up catcher Elston Howard. By that time, there had been more than 50 players of color in Major League Baseball, none of whom played for the Yankees.
In reality Weiss will release or trade away all minority players in the Yankees farm system except for Howard. Among those minority players, who were traded away or released by the Yankees were future AL All Star 1B Vic Power, Artie Wilson, Frank Barker, Bob Thurman, P Ruben Gomez and others. In 1947, the Yankees had started signing black players under Co-Owner/GM Lee Mac Phail’s leadership, but when he left the team in the Fall of 1947, new Yankees GM Weiss started reversing Lee MacPhail’s moves in his quest for “perfect” 1st black Yankee MLB player, he found 1B Vic Power to be “too loud,” ending his search with Howard.
Howard went on to make 12 All-Star teams, win two Gold Gloves, four World Series, and an AL MVP. Despite receiving a regular regimen of racially insensitive remarks from Yankee brass (like scout Bill McCorry and his own manager, Casey Stengel).
@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90YWdzIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiTGVhcm4gTW9yZSBhYm91dCB0aGUgdGVhbXMsIHBsYXllcnMsIGJhbGwgcGFya3MgYW5kIGV2ZW50cyB0aGF0IGhhcHBlbmVkIG9uIHRoaXMgZGF0ZSBpbiBoaXN0b3J5IC0gLSAtIC0gLSAtIC0gIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJsaW5rX3RvX3Rlcm1fcGFnZSI6Im9uIiwic2VwYXJhdG9yIjoiIHwgIiwiY2F0ZWdvcnlfdHlwZSI6InBvc3RfdGFnIn19@
Play by Play, Box Scores, News Paper Reports and other links
Other Resources & Links