Sez Me …
Since Abner Doubleday didn’t throw out the first pitch, baseball’s record books have been printed solely in White ink, making for a hard, incomplete read.
Racists — both the obvious and closeted — have to hate Major League Baseball more now than they did in 1947. That’s when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier — eight decades after the Emancipation Proclamation.
And, at that, it took arguably our greatest all-around athlete to reach 28 years of age before Brooklyn’s Branch Rickey had the figs to bring Jackie into an all-White fraternity.
Up to that time, black players were confined to the Negro Leagues, which were around from the 1920s to the late ‘40s, and featured some of the greatest ballplayers of any color in the sport’s history.
Now, MLB not only has been integrated, but the records of Negro Leagues players have been integrated in its own book, normally abundant Black ink finally found and put to use.
I am 100 percent in favor of it, although researchers thus far have managed to accumulate 75 percent of what would be the final stats. , this was long before their box scores were widely published.
It isn’t as though MLB history is made up of two White leagues incorporated into its album.
At the merger, the NFL allowed AFL records to its own. The NFL Team That Used To Be Here has stuff rolled in there. During the 1961 season, their first here, the “Seven Thieves” — who defended behind the original “Fearsome Foursome” — returned interceptions for 929 yards, 200-plus more than the second-place Rams. Do we not want that record to stand?
The big difference is that the Negro Leagues didn’t play long seasons, averaging around 60 games a year. So what?
The Negro Leagues had some fantastic players, and while the Whites were establishing the records, they were not facing athletes of color. It was that way before the Dodgers’ Rickey brought up Robinson to break the color barrier — and even after that, although Cleveland promoted Larry Doby less than a month later — Black players weren’t being acquired in droves.
I don’t know how many team owners were racists, but they certainly had to be opportunists, which is why they own things. Bosses worried about revenue, fearing Black players might keep the haters from buying tickets (yes, there were racists then, as I’m positive there always will be).
I doubt Negro League players were doing many performance-enhancing drugs back then, but modern players who did them or were suspected of doing them, still dot the record book. No reason why the likes of Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Satchel Paige, Mule Suttles, Charlie Blackwell, Oscar Charleston and Charlie “Chino” Smith shouldn’t be identified.
Gibson’s .372 career batting average now tops Ty Cobb (.367). Gibson’s .718 career slugging percentage is now the best ever. Of course, some of these players still had enough to play in the bigs. Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, for two, played in the Negro Leagues, if briefly, and their stats have been added to the revise.
Records may be made to be broken, but this isn’t breaking any rules. It should be as plain as Black and White. …
Caitlin Clark is being targeted — but not by the U.S. Women’s Olympic Team. Stupid on both counts. She’s going to make more money for WNBA players who are harassing her. She’s put eyes on her sport, where there have been few. So the Olympic team leaves the most popular female basketball player home. Really stupid. …
Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano, who reportedly bet on baseball while with Pittsburgh and thus has been banned for life, made 231 wagers and reportedly won 4.3 percent of them. Moral: Even if you’re not a player, betting on baseball is idiotic. …
It’s a shame Marcano didn’t get to play for the Padres. He’s made enough mistakes to be an everyday starter. …
People bet on exhibition baseball games. Might as well use your money for kindling. …
Think of an extreme close-up of Godzilla, ticked off more than usual. Then think about how Padres batters see left-handed starters. …
These Padres have too many things they can’t do well. Keystone Cops baserunning is one of them. Ingredients to make a “something happen cake” have to exclude brain flatulence. …
And to them, clutch hitting is something you do with your left foot in a manual transmission automobile. …
Mike Shildt’s use of his bullpen on the last road trip is worth discussing, but I don’t feel like it. …
The best thing about Padres home games is that they allow fans to look down at their cell phones more than usual when they have runners in scoring position. …
Do you know who’s an assistant coach under Jason Kidd with the Mavericks in these NBA Finals? Jared Dudley of Horizon High School (thanks to Rick Smith for the info). …
LeBron says he longs to again play basketball with Kyrie Irving. Then why isn’t he? LeBron controls the world. Isn’t he replacing Pat Sajak? …
The Lakers may hire Dan Hurley, but only if it’s OK with LeBron, who owns the mineral rights. …
Bill Walton said it all the time, but if Hurley gets that job, it’s OK for J.J. Redick to say: “I’m the luckiest guy in the world.” …
Manti Te’o is being considered as co-host for NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football.” His partner may or may not be a former girlfriend who doesn’t exist. …
Corey Linsley, who is retiring as the Judases’ center due to heart issues, played 1,572 consecutive -block snaps without allowing a sack. The most unappreciated position in football. …
RIP, T.J. Simers. The toughest, most unafraid sportswriter I have known. If T.J. ripped an athlete, coach, anyone, he would not hide until the flames subsided. He’d be back in your face the next day. No one took the power of the pen more seriously. …
RIP, Larry Allen, quite possibly the greatest offensive guard. Larry went to Butte JC and Sonoma State. Which means? Hundreds of scouts swung at a Sandy Koufax curveball. Missed. …
Remarkable Ozzie Guillen, to managers: “Put the computer down; go downstairs and be a coach.” …
There’s an Italian tennis player named Sinner who didn’t have a chance in hell to win the heavenly French Open. …
Does anybody really believe a whistle is clean? …
More Tony Gwynn. He struck out three times in a game. Once. In 9,186 at-bats. …
June 6, 1944. D-Day. I hope you didn’t allow it to without study. One of the greatest moments in time, Ike’s enormous gamble. You’ll never look at a ballgame and think “heroes” again. Nearly 1,500 soldiers who first landed on American beaches didn’t live to June 7. …
Matt Kemp blames the San Diego media for discovering what a jerk he really is. It didn’t take deep investigating, but thanks, anyway. …
I’ll never forgive myself for missing it, going through life not believing everything is rigged. Blinders on. …
There is a TV series — “Clipped” — about Donald T. Sterling. This of course is the long-awaited sequel to “Schitt’s Creek.”
