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Clines Reflects on Clemente, Stargell, and the Team
of Color
By Danny Torres
Dec 31, 2006
FLUSHING, NY- 35 years ago on September 1, 1971,
observers in the press box and in particular, as legend
has it, a Pirate batboy noticed that the Pittsburgh
Pirate lineup consisted exclusively of African-American
and dark-skinned Latin American players. This would be a
significant date in major league history considering the
United States was still at war in Vietnam where a large
number of African-American and Latinos were dying in an
unjust war while racial division was still an ongoing
battle being fought in America. Yet baseball would be
"America's game" and a Pirate manager, Danny Murtaugh
said it best by stating, "When it comes to making out
the lineup, I'm color blind." Amazingly only 11,278 at
Three Rivers Stadium witnessed history unfold, as the
Pirates went on to defeat the Phillies 10-7.
Former Pirate and 10-year veteran, Gene Clines was on
that unbelievable team playing center field between his
two mentors, Willie Stargell and Roberto Clemente.
Clines, who is also the former hitting coach of the
Chicago Cubs, spoke exclusively to LATINOSPORTS
and reflected on being a part of that historical team,
what he learned from Clemente and Stargell and the
advice he imparts to today's MLB players.
Danny Torres: If you had to take a moment
and think about it, what was it like playing between
Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell?
Gene Clines: It was a dream come true. When
I played high school baseball in California, the bat I
used was a Roberto Clemente model bat. Not ever thinking
I would play with him, next to him on the outfield or be
one of his teammates. As a kid growing up, I admired
Clemente and to finally get a chance to play along side
of him was truly a dream come true.
Danny Torres:
In 1971, it was probably a dream come true
for Clemente to see a mixture of races on his team, if
by accident, can you talk about the 'All-Minority Team'
or as I like to call it the 'All Brother Team'? I heard
it was a batboy that noticed it?
Gene Clines: (Laughter) I've been thinking about who that
batboy was for a long time. It wasn't till the National
Anthem that I thought about what was said. I'm in center
field, I look to my right and there's Clemente. I look
to my left, there's Stargell. Then I said, "Oh my God."
(laughter) The press tried to make it look so negative
and Danny Murtaugh summed it up perfectly. They asked
him you know you made history today because there’re
nine black ballplayers on the field. Murtaugh's perfect
statement was "I put the nine best ballplayers out that
night that I thought could win for us." That was the
bottom line, we went out to win. It didn't matter who
was out there. We had the same goal; to win.
Danny Torres: It's been 35 years, talk about the chemistry
of the '71 team that won the World Series?
Gene Clines:
That '71 team was so special because as a
unit, 25 players did everything together. If there was a
kid who had a birthday party, a function at my house, or
a party at Clemente's house, we all showed up. We were
always there. Being in that clubhouse that was crazy at
times, we could get on each other, joke with each other
or call each other names, it stayed in that clubhouse.
If you messed with one Pirate on that ballclub, you're
messing with the whole team. That's how close we were.
You talk about a 'Dream team,' I don't think you'll ever
have a team that was as close as that Pirate team.
Danny Torres:
Where were you when you heard the news of
Clemente's passing? It's been 34 years since that
tragedy occurred.
Gene Clines:
I was at home and I was in bed. My wife woke
me up. I thought it was a dream and she said there was a
plane crash, Clemente was on it and he died. I went back
to sleep so when I woke up later on I talked to my wife,
I told her that I had this strange dream. She said it
wasn't a dream but that it actually happened. I was in a
total shock.
Danny Torres:
After Clemente's passing, you knew what you
got from Clemente but what advice did Willie Stargell
impart on to you?
Gene Clines:
It was like the passing of the torch. I was
fortunate to be around those guys and they were my
mentors. They showed me how to play the game, how to
play the right way and to respect the game. Stargell
received the torch and kept it going. I learned so much
from those two men and I've passed on what I learned to
all my players. I can't say enough about them because
they meant so much to me.
Here's the historical lineup card as it was presented
that day on September 1, 1971:
Rennie Stennett, (Panama) 2B
Gene Clines, (African-American) CF
Roberto Clemente, (Puerto Rico) RF
Willie Stargell, (African-American) LF
Manny Sanguillen, (Panama) C
Dave Cash, (African-American) 3B
Al Oliver, (African-American) 1B
Jackie Hernandez, (Panama) SS
Dock Ellis, (African-American) P |
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Danny Torres,
son of Puerto Rican parents and a native New Yorker,
was born in 1966 and raised in the South Bronx. He
is a graduate of Pratt Institute in Brooklyn where
he majored in Industrial Design. In 1990, he began
teaching Art to HS students with an emphasis on
Design. In 1998, a transformation would occur where
another hidden passion began to evolve. After seeing
a baseball display in honor of Pittsburgh Pirate
great, Roberto Clemente, he was inspired to begin
collecting Roberto Clemente memorabilia. After a few
years, his collection has grown to about 300 items
with close to 15 rare, “one of a kind” pieces. In
2002, he was able to take a trip with another fellow
collector to Puerto Rico and attend a VIP opening on
a museum exhibition dedicated exclusively to Roberto
Clemente.On
his trip, he had the opportunity to meet his widow,
Mrs. Vera Clemente. From that moment, a close
relationship began with the Clemente family. Every
year, he volunteers his time to assist the Clemente
family in their annual charity event in Puerto Rico.
In 2003, he began to submit stories to a sports
website, LatinoSports.com and was able to obtain press
credentials with the NY Mets. He has interviewed
over 100 sports personalities. He has been featured
in the NY Times, USA Today, Bronx Times, Bronx Net
TV and XM Radio. He resides in Queens where he
married his college sweetheart. He has two
children ages 12 and 10. |
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Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in
America
By Melissa V.
Harris-Perry
According to the
author, this society has historically exerted
considerable pressure on black females to fit into one
of a handful of stereotypes, primarily, the Mammy, the
Matriarch or the Jezebel. The selfless
Mammy’s behavior is marked by a slavish devotion to
white folks’ domestic concerns, often at the expense of
those of her own family’s needs. By contrast, the
relatively-hedonistic Jezebel is a sexually-insatiable
temptress. And the Matriarch is generally thought of as
an emasculating figure who denigrates black men, ala the
characters Sapphire and Aunt Esther on the television
shows Amos and Andy and Sanford and Son, respectively.
Professor Perry
points out how the propagation of these harmful myths
have served the mainstream culture well. For instance,
the Mammy suggests that it is almost second nature for
black females to feel a maternal instinct towards
Caucasian babies.
As for the source
of the Jezebel, black women had no control over their
own bodies during slavery given that they were being
auctioned off and bred to maximize profits. Nonetheless,
it was in the interest of plantation owners to propagate
the lie that sisters were sluts inclined to mate
indiscriminately.
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Sex at the Margins
Migration, Labour Markets and the Rescue Industry
By Laura María Agustín
This book explodes several myths: that selling sex is completely different from any other kind of work, that migrants who sell sex are passive victims and that the multitude of people out to save them are without self-interest. Laura Agustín makes a passionate case against these stereotypes, arguing that the label 'trafficked' does not accurately describe migrants' lives and that the 'rescue industry' serves to disempower them. Based on extensive research amongst both migrants who sell sex and social helpers, Sex at the Margins provides a radically different analysis. Frequently, says Agustin, migrants make rational choices to travel and work in the sex industry, and although they are treated like a marginalised group they form part of the dynamic global economy. Both powerful and controversial, this book is essential reading for all those who want to understand the increasingly important relationship between sex markets, migration and the desire for social justice. "Sex at the Margins rips apart distinctions between migrants, service work and sexual labour and reveals the utter complexity of the contemporary sex industry. This book is set to be a trailblazer in the study of sexuality."—Lisa Adkins, University of London |
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The White Masters of the
World
From
The World and Africa, 1965
By W. E. B. Du Bois
W. E. B. Du Bois’
Arraignment and Indictment of White Civilization
(Fletcher)
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Ancient African Nations
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If you like this page consider making a donation
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Negro Digest /
Black World
Browse all issues
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Enjoy!
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The Death of Emmett Till by Bob Dylan
/
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
/
Only a Pawn in Their Game
Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson Thanks America for
Slavery /
George Jackson /
Hurricane Carter
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The Journal of Negro History issues at Project Gutenberg
The
Haitian Declaration of Independence 1804
/
January 1, 1804 -- The Founding of
Haiti
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posted 2 December 2007
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