This post is in no way intended to disrespect Jackie Robinson...Seeing what Jackie Robinson went through, without a doubt helped give Bill Veeck the confidence to do what he knew was the smart/right thing to do...So Veeck brought Larry Doby to Cleveland, and Doby became the American League's first black player...
And Doby was no bum...He started out slow, but he got it together...Doby was a key member of two of Baseball's great teams...The 1948 Indians, (last World Series Championship) and the 1954 Indians (so close)...He ended his career having played 1533 games...With 1515 hits...243 doubles...52 triples...253 Home Runs...970 RBI...47 Stolen bases...And a .283 batting average...
Now the Indians retired Doby's number 14...As well they should have...I don't want to see everyone wearing number 14 on a day to honor Doby...I don't like it on Jackie Robinson Day, that all of baseball wears 42...A number is retired because the player it represents is so highly regarded, that no one else is worthy of that number...So I had no problem with 42 being retired throughout Major League Baseball...But no one should ever wear it again...
What I would like to see, is the Cleveland Indians doing the right thing, once again...I mean this is the organization that not only brought Doby in, but also made Frank Robinson the first black manager in Baseball...SO what should they do?
Well, last year, the city of Cleveland and the Indians were all in love once again, with Jim Thome, after bringing him in late in the season...Some how people forgot how he said he wasn't going to leave, and then took boat loads of cash and ran off to Philly...At the end of the year, they had Jim Thome Day, and said they were commissioning a statue of Jim Thome in their center field park area...
There should be a Larry Doby statue long before they ever put up one for a guy who said he 'wasn't going to leave the Indians, and wanted to be an Indian for his whole career.' I guess Thome meant after he got done with the Phillies, White Sox, Twins, and Phillies again...
While I'd like to see all of Major League Baseball give Doby the love he deserves, I'd be happy if the Indians at least stepped up, and honored a true Cleveland Baseball hero with more then his number on the wall...For what Larry Doby went through, he deserves if far more then any other past Indians...
Later, The Beeze.
1 comment:
A statue of Larry Doby is scheduled to be dedicated in his hometown of Camden, SC in April 2013.
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