The first black player in the American League, Larry Doby, has passed away. He joined the Cleveland Indians in 1947, a few months after Jackie Robinson broke MLB's color barrier.

Doby: "It was a learning lesson for baseball and the country. If we all look back, we can see that baseball helped make this a better country for us all, a more comfortable country for us all. Kids are our future and we hope baseball has given them some idea of what it is to live together and how we can get along, whether you be black or white."

This from his obit: "In 1946, Doby, a 6-foot-1 left-handed-hitting second baseman, batted .341 and was an accomplished power hitter.

That caught the attention of the Indians' owner, Bill Veeck, who had decided to join the Dodgers' general manager, Branch Rickey, in breaking the unwritten rule against signing nonwhite players, assuring the integration of both major leagues.

Doby, who lost his father when he was 8 years old, regarded Veeck, who signed Doby as an infielder, as a second father. "He didn't see color," Doby said of Veeck in an interview with The New York Times in 1997. "To me, he was in every sense, color blind. And I always knew he was there for me. He always seemed to know when things were bad, if things were getting to me. He'd call up and say, `Let's go out, let's get something to eat.' "

Veeck was more than just kind. He also yielded a hammer when needed. When Doby was first introduced to the Indians players by Lou Boudreau, then their player-manager, about 10 players refused to shake his hand.

"The next year Bill Veeck eliminated about five of the guys who were discourteous to me," Doby told Art Rust Jr., author of 'Get That Nigger Off the Field; An Informal History of the Black Man in Baseball'.

Though there was an element of fear involved because of death threats against Robinson and Doby, the players eventually settled into major league life. Lesser burdens such as loneliness and isolation were persistent. Robinson did his best to help Doby prepare for the institutionalized segregation that awaited him around the country."

Link to NYTimes obit. (reg. req.)

and Washington Post (reg. not req.)

[ June 19, 2003, 06:06 AM: Message edited by: DCBucky ]

Very touching: I am glad Doby had such a solid support system in Veeck.

[ June 19, 2003, 06:29 AM: Message edited by: bluebird48234 ]

A truly important figure in baseball history. Though Jackie Robinson was the first black major leaguer, Doby had to endure all the same mistreatment due to the fact that he was the first to go around to all the AL parks.

Very touching tributes indeed....listening to the Tony Kornheiser radio show this morning and hearing him talk about the lack of support that Doby received from many of his Cleveland teammates made his story even more compelling -- apparently in some respects the treatment Doby received in his own clubhouse may have been worse than that of Jackie Robinson, who at least received well publicized support from several teammates, most notably all-star SS Pee Wee Reese....as the stories point out, were it not for Indians owner Bill Veeck Larry Doby would likely never have survived those first few years in the majors and gone on to become a Hall of Famer....all the minority players who are fortunate enough to be in the majors today (and the minor leagues as well, for that matter) should pay tribute to men like Larry Doby and never forget the sacrifices and pain they endured to make the luxuries that today's athletes are enjoying possible.

Doby is a real hero. He and Robinson together, through their courage, determination and talent, made it possible for all non-white players in major league baseball. People shouldn't ever forget that before Doby and Robinson, only white Hispanics were allowed to play; there'd have been no Roberto Clemento, no Juan Marichal, as well as no Willie Mays or Frank Robinson, and who knows how much longer it would have taken for Asian players too, without these two incredible men, and, I should add, Bill Veeck and Branch Rickey, who also were agents of change. We shouldn't ever forget Doby, or the history of baseball and what he had to go through so that others could be stars today.

Not just those two, but ALL the Negro League and black MLB players in the '40s and 50s... The history of Jim Crow baseball is a tragic and compelling one. I believe players faced segregation in spring training (ie, Florida) well into the SIXTIES.

Somewhat ironic that Doby was also the second black *manager*, following another Robinson (Frank).