HOUSTON, TX – The recently released movie Till left me both numb and disgusted by the behavior of the so-called white race. The movie told the story of Emmitt Till, the 14-year-old boy who was beaten to death by three adults for flirting with a woman. By the way, Till was black and the three goons were white. The woman was also white as is the writer – me.
My race has let me down on numerous occasions especially the way whites mocked the blacks back in the early sixties, while I was still in diapers. I grew up among Black, Hispanic, Jewish and White people. For me, they were all under one umbrella… Americans. To view someone and treat them differently by their skin tone was as pathetic as those whiteys on the screen, who spewed hatred.
Here we are in the year 2022 and the viewpoint is basically the same. During the press conference before Game 6 of the World Series, Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker was asked by a moron, who portrayed himself as a reporter, if he considered what it would be like to win the World Series as an African-American manager. Dusty’s answer was, “I don’t think about being an African- American manager because I look in the mirror everyday and I know what I am.”
Dusty has been involved in the game for over 50 years, as Hank Aaron’s teammate with the Atlanta Braves, as the recipient of the first time High Five from L.A. Dodger teammate Glenn Burke. He was also Barry Bonds manager when they were S.F. Giants. Let’s not forget Baker’s cool demeanor during the Steve Bartman fiasco, when the meddling fan practically destroyed Baker’s Chicago Cubs from advancing to the World Series. During those times, who can honestly say that Dusty Baker’s skin color is how one viewed this ultimate player’s manager?
There was a moment before Game 6 where Dusty was instilling confidence into his first baseman, Trey Mancini. The struggling Mancini had been hit-less throughout the post season. There was Baker, holding a bat, and preaching to Trey to keep grinding. Mancini later singled in his first at bat. Whoever saw this as a black man lecturing a white man, instead of Dusty coaching Trey needs to recite Martin Luther King’s I Have A Dream speech.
Baker is as cool as they come. With that toothpick dangling from his lip and the wristbands on his arms, right down to his swagger during every interview session, Baker is the man! There’s a reason why Dusty has managed five different teams – and it sure ain’t his skin tone.
It was 1975 when Frank Robinson’s managerial debut with the Cleveland Indians broke the color line. Robinson was doing double duty as the teams designated hitter. He homered that Opening Day against the NY Yankees, on his first at bat, and I’m wondering how many fans viewed him as a black man, as he rounded the bases.
In 2020 Dave Robert’s L.A. Dodgers were crowned the World Champs. The only color I saw was Dodgers Blue. For that so-called reporter to view Johnnie B. “Dusty” Baker Jr. as a black man, a toothpick from Dusty’s lip would have been a good fit up his ass.
