Top critical review
2.0 out of 5 starsMr. Byant has conjured up many names and personalities ...
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 23, 2018
Mr. Byant has conjured up many names and personalities and has written about them in this book and he certainly brings back some unpleasant memories of murky times in Boston's storied history. Mr. Bryant also includes details of instances and incidents both in Boston and in surrounding cities and towns throughout the State of Massachusetts. The racially insensitive acts of some are also highlighted and truly regrettable.
As I read this book,I did not see the name of one man I was hoping to. That man's name was Edward W. Brooke. For those readers not familiar with Edward W. Brooke, Brooke was an Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts being elected in 1962. Four years later, Brooke was the first African American elected to serve in the United States Senate and represented Massachusetts in the Senate for two terms between 1967 and 1979.
In 1967, over 90% of the electorate was white while 3% was African American. That is a fact. In the Massachusetts U.S. Senate race, the republican Edward Brook and African Amercian beat his white democratic opponent with 61% of the vote to 39% in a state that traditionally favors democratic candidates. I wonder how Mr. Bryant would explain the results of this Senate race or if he would even endeavor to after characterizing Boston and other cities and towns the way he does. I am anxious to see how he could if Boston and Massachusetts were as racist as Mr. Bryant claims.
1967 also brought the dawn of Red Sox player Reggie Smith's career. Smith is mentioned over and over and over throughout Mr. Bryant's book as a victim of racism in Boston. What Mr. Bryant fails to mention is this player's attitude. He infamously inflamed fellow ballplayers and caused discord on the team. He also appeared to be selectively lazy. I consider a player hitting into and not running out double plays as characteristic of a ballplayer who has a less than desirable attitude or is lazy or both. Maybe that's why Smith played for four teams during his career when it was not uncommon to for a ballplayer to begin and finish his career with one team. Maybe not. One thing, however, is for certain... players with attitudinal issues tended to play for several teams during that ('60s and 70s) timeframe. Bobby Bonds is one ballplayer whose career coincided with Smith's and had attitude problems. Bonds played for eight teams and none of which were Boston. Were the teams that traded Bond racist? Or was it his attitude and actions the cause for him being traded?
I gave this book two stars because I felt the Red Sox ownership was treated unfairly. I have read Mr. Byant's account as well as other accounts of what happened on the day of Jackie Robinson's tryout and they drastically differ from those written in this book. As far as being the last team to racially integrate, as one team had to be the first to integrate, one team had to be the last to integrate. It happened to be the Red Sox. Where Mr. Bryant repeatedly criticizes the Yawkey "racist regime," he fails to recognize the tremendous financial support afforded to charitable causes, especially for improved health care which the Yawkey's provided very discreetly and for which they sought no press, praise or fame. The Yawkey Trust continues to this day to construct hospital buildings and clinics, award educational scholarships, build fields for public recreation and many other examples of philanthropy. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been donated to such recipients and there are no nor were there ever racial exclusions attached.
