RE: Questions That Weren't Allowed On Antoine's Chat

["Boston Sports Fan" <Bostonsptsfan@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

If you haven't, I would strongly recommend Howard Bryant's book "Shut
Out - A story of race and baseball in Boston". It goes into the race
issue in Boston like nothing I've ever read before. With details. Also,
Bryant just signed a deal to come write for the Boston Herald. I look
forward to reading his stuff there. 


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-celtics@igtc.com [mailto:owner-celtics@igtc.com] On Behalf
Of hironaka@nomade.fr
Sent: Wednesday, October 30, 2002 2:03 PM
To: berrym@BATTELLE.ORG
Cc: celtics@igtc.com
Subject: Re: Questions That Weren't Allowed On Antoine's Chat


(After all, the Red Sox didn't sign a single African-
American free agent in the ENTIRE decade. That lasted 
until Billy Hatcher in 1992. It was Pumpsie Green all 
over again.)

I attended games back then, as a non-white guy, and it 
was distinctly uncomfortable at times (that's even an 
understatement in some case). 

I'll tell you some incredible stuff offline if you want, 
just so you'll know I'm not politicizing race etc to seem 
stylish or something. I'm sure you probably won't believe 
me otherwise (that I don't have an axe to grind). 

I didn't have the slightest conception of race or racism 
before I lived in Boston, and everywhere I've lived since 
it just stopped coming up. Of course, I chose where I 
wanted to live after that.

We all have different outlooks on the Walker situation 
back then, just as you have your own perspective. I knew 
a part of what was up, and it felt nauseating. If you saw 
what happened in games, imagine what his hate mail might 
have looked like. Think what other, much more popular, 
black athletes have reportedly gone through in Boston.

Again, I'll stress I'm talking about a different era. 
I've been back there with my wife several times this 
year. Its a lot different. And I hope its obvious I love 
Boston. I literally love the Red Sox, for goodness sake. 
I will breakdown and cry in public if they ever win it 
all in my, and my son's, lifetime.

I look on all the scenarios of how Walker could have 
handled the worst moments (turning it back against fans, 
reacting to individual media reports, hinting for or 
demanding a trade). 

I don't think anyone, at any age, could have responded 
more appropriately than Walker did. He has a distinct 
type of maturity and competitiveness to actually handle 
playing in Boston. And the guy showed he wants to be a 
Boston Celtic. 

Many a GM and coach would have done the popular thing at 
the time and traded him, but it turns out they happened 
to like Antoine a lot back then, just as weve grown to 
(mostly) appreciate him now. 
 
All that having been said at too much length, thank 
goodness there is a Mark Berry, and a Jim Hill etc. to 
give the other side of the story in a completely fair and 
effective way. There's no right answer, with Walker, so 
I'm more than happy to admit Mark has good points. He 
always does. Well, there goes my lunch break again. 

I should cut down this post (the self-referential parts). 
You need to know the art of skimming, with at least some 
of my posts. ;-)
 





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