This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1377810
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1377810
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Thank you, I’d never heard of Mudcat.
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A solid historical account. Jim Grant led a most excellent and useful life.
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I really appreciate this-- I was a kid following the Tribe in 1960 and remember Mudcat Grant, Gary Bell, Larry Doby (then very late in his career) and many of the others you mention here very well. I had no idea all this was going on at the time. What character he had, struggling with the urge to give as good as he got and going on to try to teach people to come around. Most people these days don’t seem to remember just how recent this out-and-out racism was. We all need reminding.
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Terrific piece. I knew some of the bits and pieces about Mudcat Grant, but far from the whole picture. He should be more celebrated.
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This was wonderful! Thanks.
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In July of 1965 the head coach and general manager of the Green Bay Packers, Vince Lombardi, got a call from NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle that one his players, Lionel Aldridge wanted to marry his college sweetheart, a White woman. Rozelle told the Lombardi to inform Aldridge that he would be run out of football as Rozelle had run other players out of football for “marrying White”. Rozelle also told Lombardi he was concerned that there were too many Black players on the Packers and that when the season started the Packers were to keep a reduced number.
Lombardi called Aldridge into his office to ask about the situation. Aldridge said “I want to marry my college sweetheart but we are concerned that it would end my football career”, mentioning other players who Rozelle had run out of the league.
Lombardi asked Aldridge, “Lionel, do you love her”.
Aldridge responded “with all my heart”.
Lombardi than asked, “you going to treat her well”.
Aldridge said “I intend to give her only my best”.
Lombardi, “Lionel, you should marry that girl”. Lombardi then added in regard to Aldridge’s football career, “you just do what is right and let me worry about the rest.”
Aldridge left Lombardi’s office to announce to his teammates and call his girl friend that with Vince Lombardi’s blessing he was getting married.
When news reached Rozelle about what had happened, he called Lombardi back. Rozelle brought up Aldridge and said to Lombardi, “I told you” to wit Lombardi cut Rozelle off and said, “this is my team, you cannot tell me what to do with my team and the Green Bay Packers will only the best players”.
This is an important story because not only for how it affected interracial marriage in sports but how it smashed the color line. That is Jackie Robinson and other players broke the color line but it was still there limiting to only a few the number of players of color a professional sports team could have. But with Lombardi’s refusal to put on any limits, George Halas, Tom Landry, Paul Brown, Don Shula or any other coach or general manager in any sport was not going to put themselves at a disadvantage to Lombardi by enforcing quota on players of color Lombardi was able to ignore.
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As a White Sox fan in the 60’s, and still today, I remember Jim Grant and that he was one of the pitchers we didn’t want to face.
Great story.
ETA. I did enjoy it when the Cubs had to face Bob Gibson.
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I was a kid when Mr. Grant was one of the leading stars of the Minnesota Twins team that went to the 1965 World Series. As a kid, I just loved baseball and the players (my favorite Twin was Tony Oliva, no offense to Mr. Grant). I had no idea that Mr. Grant was such a leader in the fight for Civil Rights, and I am very impressed by him and disgusted by what he dealt with. It sickens me that this sort of behavior is BACK!
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I grew up listening to Mudcat on the radio as one of the voices of Cleveland Indians, along with Herb Score who did the play-by-play. Always loved his southern accent. It’s great to learn more about him and his other accomplishments.
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Outstanding Article.
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Maintaining white supremacy requires complicity from whites up and down the hierarchy.
There may no longer be a quota for black players, but there clearly still is for coaches and senior management
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“So, we anticipated everybody would say, ‘Okay, you’re a ballplayer. Come on in!’,”
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I consider myself to be a pretty serious baseball fan, but I knew next to nothing about this impressive player and person. Thanks for helping to fill in the gap.
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Thank you for this wonderful (and awful) slice of history. I did not know anything about Mudcat and I am sorry for all of the indignities and terror he had to go through.
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I only knew a little of the Mudcat Grant story (although I did know it included racist mistreatment) until the Black Aces project came to my small city’s Double-A Eastern League stadium, and the local steno-media published their promo material. Since then I’ve been a fan.
I got to chat him up a little during Spring Training in Scottsdale. He signed autographs for charity and we talked about music, and our mutual love of jazz. He and Larry Doby would followi Duke Ellington around the midwest, driving for hours on their off days to see The Duke play in venues along the Mississippi River. RIP Jim Grant you were gracious to me. I will never forget it.
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