Author Information
Z Larry Doby
The out of town crowd
begins to jeer..
and in awe is silent
and finally joins the cheers
****
HERO'S HALO
Scott Simon said that
Larry Doby had to endure
death threats and catcalls
and beanballs (thrown at
his head).
The Cleveland Indians
were the first American
League team to integrate
their players..
Larry Doby.. just 11 weeks
after Brooklyn played
Jackie Robinson..
joined the team in 1947
and was appointed to
7 straight All Star
teams. He was a factor
in the World Series
win of the Indians in 1948
as well as their
record breaking 111 games
won in 1954.
Off the field, the management
did not stand by him,
not using their economic
power to desegregate
hotels and restaurants.. for
10 years in many Northern cities
he ate separately
and slept in different places.
He wears a hero's halo
now.. as he always did.
May he overshadow us with his
spirit to make our world
a fairer place. May he
help make the UN a nonracist
body. It is now run by
a Security Council in which
4 of the 5 veto power countries
are predominantly white.
No Africa nation has
veto power. May he help
change Benton Harbor, where
the 90% black population
is tyrannized by a white
police. (NPR waited 2 days
before reporting that
along with the 1 death
from a police chase were
12 injuries.)
May he end the racist executions
everywhere. The Indian fans
always stood by him, but
elsewhere in other cities
he faced racism.
And now the Indian owners have
gone from the engine of
social change to the caboose
as owners have denied Native
American requests to drop
the insulting Chief Wahoo
image and have for years
contracted with unionbuster, disease
spreading, cruelty born
McDonald's.
Number 14, his number, was retired
by the Indians in his honor.
