Coral Gables, Florida (VIP-WIRE). “My dear boys: I, who was black and a catcher, had already played with the Dodgers when the general manager, Al Campanissaid: ‘Blacks and Latin Americans do not have the intelligence to be receivers in Big leagues‘.
Campanis was one of the most notable executives of the baseballand the Dodgers They were the ones who opened the doors of the Major Leagues to blacks, with Jackie Robinson in 1947, after 50 years of discrimination.
Perhaps that was the only bad thing Campanis said in his life. But it was horrible, it’s historic. It happened on April 6, 1987, 36 years ago, but it is remembered as if it were yesterday.
Now we all believe that whites, blondes, blacks, yellows and redheads have equal abilities. And no one can say that Elston Howard or John Roseboro were bad catchers. As for the Latin Americans, Puerto Rican Iván Rodríguez heads a wonderful group of great receivers, with Benito Santiago, Manny Sanguillén, “Paquín” Estrada, Wilson Contreras, Salvador Pérez, Jorge Posada, Enrique Izquierdo, Martín Maldonado, Tony Peña, Álex Delgado , Carlos Hernández, Paulino Casanova, Clemente Álvarez, Francisco Cervelli, Henry Blanco, Álex Treviño, Mike González, Ray Noble, Yasmín Grandal, Yardel Molina and a few more.
However, baseball people remember Al Campanis and his son Jim with admiration and respect, but it is not possible to forget that mistake in 1987.
I came to this More herewhat you call Beyondin 1993, and I have always remembered what was said by Campanis, who, by the way, arrived here after me, in 1998. Things of life and death: we were both buried in California. I decided to write this letter to you to emphasize how we have responded to what Al Campanis said. I think it couldn’t have been better. We have been forceful, with quality and fine intelligence in the game.
No bragging about that, we have only told the world that the valuable Dodger executive was wrong. Very wrong. We, fortunately, knew how to demonstrate, simply, what we had to demonstrate.
Congratulations to all the black and native Latin American catchers who have shined in the Major Leagues. And my sincere wishes that many more continue to shine. In any case, Campanis gave us great praise for the catchers, because by referring to the position in this way, he showed that he considered it the most important in the game.
Friends, I wish you the best of the best and please remember Al Campanis with respect and consideration. He deserves it. Hugs, Roy.
Thanks to the life that has given me so much, even a reader like you.
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