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| Date | Question | Answer |
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| 2013-11-07 13:00:00 (link to chat) | It's been a long time since I read the book, but one thing I remember were a few stories or comments involving race that struck me as maybe "ok for the late 70s, early 80s", but definitely not ok for the early 2000s when I read them. Those comments would seem even more out of their time today. Did feel that you needed to address the changing attitudes towards race and stereotyping when you revised the manuscript for this edition? Thanks and I'm really looking forward to reading the new edition and finally owning a copy of my own.
(Mike from PA) | Can give me me an example? One scout used the N-word when recalling how some racists in the late-1940s scorned the Dodgers for having black players. Others casually assumed that black players were usually faster runners than whites.
Two scouts used the word "monkey," but they were referring to WHITE guys-the way that you or I might call someone "big donkey."
I remember showing Bip Roberts (one of my favorite players) the passage where one scout described him as "a smiling black with a motor up his ass." Bip thought that was hilarious.
On the other hand, I think it's significant that the man who popularized the use of the term "good face" was Al Campanis, who later embarrassed himself on air with some racial stereotypes. When scouts form impressions of a player based on what he looks like, they can apply unconscious prejudices-and the best example of that in the book is Eddie Murray. When he was a prospect, some scouts referred to him as "lackadaisical" because of his cool demeanor. The Pirates knew better because Howie Haak was studying him. The Orioles knew better because they had the benefit of a psychological test score, and they beat the Pirates to the punch. (Kevin Kerrane) |
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