Hamas vs. Humanity

‘You could have said that last week. You can say it next month. Why are you saying it now? The man just died.” That’s my paraphrase, from memory, of a Facebook comment that John Thorn, the official historian of Major League Baseball, wrote in response to a bitter denunciation that someone had just written of Alvin Dark, a former shortstop and longtime manager.

Dark made his major-league debut in 1946. MLB was still racially segregated. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier the next season, and Luke Easter and other recruits from the Negro Leagues soon followed. According to much hearsay and on the evidence of an atrocious remark of his quoted by a newspaper columnist in 1964, Dark was racist. He offended and angered most notably Orlando Cepeda, who described him as hostile to Latin American players. Dark may have mellowed as he matured, but accounts of his alleged moral ugliness in his prime persisted. If they were true, he was wrong.

About the Author

Nicholas Frankovich

Nicholas Frankovich was the deputy managing editor of National Review.

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‘You could have said that last week. You can say it next month. Why are you saying it now? The man just died.” That’s my paraphrase, from memory, of a Facebook comment that John Thorn, the official historian of Major League Baseball, wrote in response to a bitter denunciation that someone had just written of Alvin Dark, a former shortstop and longtime manager.

Dark made his major-league debut in 1946. MLB was still racially segregated. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier the next season, and Luke Easter and other recruits from the Negro Leagues soon followed. According to much hearsay and on the evidence of an atrocious remark of his quoted by a newspaper columnist in 1964, Dark was racist. He offended and angered most notably Orlando Cepeda, who described him as hostile to Latin American players. Dark may have mellowed as he matured, but accounts of his alleged moral ugliness in his prime persisted. If they were true, he was wrong.