Sunday, May 15, 2011
Posted: 4 p.m.
By John R. Finger
CSNPhilly.com
ATLANTAThere arent too many vestiges of the old South left in Atlanta. Sure, there are historical sites and markers posted at places where events occurred, but these days they are crowded by tourists with cameras and gift shops.
The reality, of course, wasnt so sanitized. Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. heard some of the stories about the old South from his father who was a victim of segregation when making his way to the big leagues. See, the Phillies trained in segregated Clearwater, Fla. where Ruben Amaro Sr., born in Mexico with parents from Cuba, was not allowed to stay in hotels or eat in restaurants with his white teammates.
Complicating matters more, Amaro is the son of a Mexican father and a Jewish mother. That pairing in the old South undoubtedly caught some attention.
It was a very difficult time for my parents, Amaro understated about life for minorities in the age of segregation and discrimination.
Major League Baseball honored those involved in the struggle for equal rights with its fifth annual Civil Rights Game Sunday in Atlanta. Before the game, awards were given to Grammy-award winning musician Carlos Santana, actor Morgan Freeman and Hall of Fame baseball player Ernie Banks. In the pregame ceremony, Santana offered to the crowd at Turner Field that he felt there was still much work to do for equality.
MLB
It was there that Santana chided the states of Arizona and the city of Atlanta for similar legislation on immigration in which could result in the deportations of undocumented residents and would allow police to check the immigration status of suspects, even in routine traffic stops. Incidentally, the 2011 baseball All-Star Game will be held in Arizona this July.
For the people of Atlanta and the people of Arizona who passed the law, they should be ashamed of themselves, Santana said. If people in Arizona and Georgia dont do anything about it, then shame on you, too. Were all in this together, man. What I learned in the sixties was that you are either part of the solution or part of the problem. While Im grateful for this honor and the United States has given me so much, I am not the kind of guy who sings, Theres no business like show business. Im not that guy. Im like the Black Panthers.
"This law is not correct. It's a cruel law, actually," Santana said from the press box at Turner Field on Sunday. "This is about fear. Stop shucking and jiving. People are afraid we're going to steal your job. No we aren't. You're not going to change sheets and clean toilets.
"This is the United States. This is the land of the free. If people want the immigration laws to keep passing, then everybody should get out and leave the American Indians here."
Meanwhile, Phillies and Braves wore uniforms honoring their Negro League counterparts, the Philadelphia Stars and Atlanta Black Crackers on Saturday along with the styles of the 1974 on Sunday at Turner Field.
In 1974, the Braves Henry Aaronanother stalwart in the fight for Civil Rightsbroke Babe Ruths all-time home run record. According to Commissioner Bud Selig, it was Aaron who pushed for the Civil Rights game to be moved to Atlanta after two years in Memphis and then two more in Cincinnati.
While the world is much improved in the 64 years since Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, we all know that there is much work still to be done. Selig said in an address at Major League Baseballs Beacon Awards on Saturday night in Atlanta. This is why we are here today, to remember and to honor, and to pay tribute to all those who have devoted themselves and their lives to the Civil Rights Movement.
Interestingly, Ruben Amaro Jr. is the grandson of Santos Amaro, a Cuban who immigrated to Mexico where he was known as, The Babe Ruth of the Mexican League. Even more interesting is a victim of racial injustice could one day see his son become one of a handful of minority general managers and just the second Hispanic GM in Major League Baseball history.
Under general managers like Ed Wade, Pat Gillick and Amaro, the Phillies have seemingly reversed part of their ugly history. John Kennedy was the first African-American to play for the Phillies when he broke in during the 1957 season -- 10 years after Jackie Robinson broke the major league color barrier. Kennedy lasted just five games with the Phillies, but a little more than 50 years later, the franchise fielded an Opening Day starting eight comprised of minorities. The Phillies also have the most African-Americans on their roster than any other club in the big leagues.
Philadelphia was a team that Curt Flood once refused to join in 1970 because of its perceived racial inequities. Now, two of the leaders of the team are Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard.
Asked about the significance of this, Amaro shrugged.
We are color blind, he said. Well take good players no matter where they come from.
Meanwhile, broadcaster Gary Matthews says he was lucky to have ballplayers like Aaron, Willie Mays and Willie McCovey to pave the way for him so that the road to the big leagues was a bit smoother.
I didnt go through the things Hank Aaron went through. Dusty Baker went through some of those things, though, Matthews said. I played more on the west coast and we didnt go through that. Though in my Double A season playing in Little Rock, Ark. was a rude awakening, realizing for the first time that there was a lot of prejudice.
Growing up in the San Fernando Valley of California you didnt realize there was any prejudice because they always suppressed the news. They didnt put on all the things that were going on in Alabama and Mississippi.
Matthews also echoed some of the sentiment expressed by Amaro. Baseball is a great game, he says, because it is egalitarian. Talent rules.
It doesnt matter if youre black, green, orange or whatever, you have to be able to hit. Like I told my own son, if you cant hit you gotta hit the road, jack, he said. Thats just the way it isyou have to pull your own weight. I came in with Mays and McCovey and those guys and they didnt go to the plate with you.
The first thing one notices about Atlanta are the trees. Theyre everywhere. In fact, from a certain vantage point the landscape is shrouded with green as far as the eye can see. They weave in and out of the office buildings, too, which is quite something. How many urban centers have this many trees?
And we arent just talking about the fact that every other road is called Peachtree. Apparently when the city was rebuilt after Shermans march to the sea, they planted tons and tons of trees and ran out of ideas for street names. There are worse things one can say about a city. The crime statistics or the murder rate could impugn a place, but rarely are discussed when talking about civic pride.
In Atlanta, however, they name streets and public places for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., former president Jimmy Carter, Ted Turner, Ralph Abernathy and Andrew Young.
Currently, 16 different countries are represented from five different continents. Major League Baseball has come a long way.
E-mail John R. Finger at jfinger@comcastsportsnet.com