Aug. 3, 1964 - Usually, a visit to New York is a festive and nostalgic occasion for manager Alvin Dark of the San Francisco Giants. His greatest days as a player were enjoyed there when the Giants had “New York” on their shirts, and to Giant fans he was always a special hero.
Tomorrow, Dark and his Giants are in New York for a two-game series with the Mets at Shea Stadium, and the atmosphere is entirely different. Dark is under a cloud because of recent statements attributing a “white supremacy” position to him, and when he gets to the ballpark tomorrow he is prepared to face a battery of questions on the subject. It may be the most painful hour of his life.
How did the current controversy arise?
About two weeks ago, Dark, a Southerner, had a long, analytic discussion of the Giants with Stan Isaacs, an interviewer from Newsday on Long Island. In one aspect of it, Dark remarked on the large number of mental lapses made by his team.
He was quoted as having said: “We have trouble because we have so many Negro and Spanish-speaking players on this team. They are just not able to perform up to the white ballplayers when it comes to mental alertness. You can’t make most Negro and Spanish players have the pride in their team that you get from white players.”
These statements subsequently received wider attention through a radio show on WNBC in New York.
Dark has reportedly stated in no uncertain terms that he was severely misquoted by Isaacs.
The incident has been getting increasing attention and has become a nightmare for Dark, whose career is threatened by it. He was instructed by Horace Stoneham, the owner of the Giants, to say nothing more about it.
Those who have known Dark for years, who traveled with him as a player, who have kept close contact with him as a manager, and who have discussed his philosophy in depth, have largely rallied to his defense.
Whatever private prejudices may exist, they have had no visible effect on Dark’s judgment as a manager or on his behavior as a social being, according to those who know him well.
His team came within an inch of winning the World Series in 1962 with a regular lineup that included two Negroes (Willie McCovey and Willie Mays); two Puerto Ricans (Orlando Cepeda and José Pagan); two Dominicans (Felipe Alou and Juan Marichal); two white rookies from Illinois (Tom Haller and Chuck Hiller); a former football star from Mississippi Southern College (Jim Davenport); a couple of New Englanders (Jack Sanford and Stu Miller); and a blue-eyed blond from Wisconsin (Harvey Kuenn). This season, Dark made Mays the captain of the Giants, making Mays the first Negro captain in major league baseball. “You should have had it long before this,” Dark told the superstar.
A more integrated team is hard to imagine, and no one, to this point, has questioned Dark’s skill or integrity in running it.
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