Title/Author:
“Tom Yawkey: Patriarch of the Boston Red Sox”
by Bill Nowlin
Tags:
Baseball, history,
biography, Red Sox, race
Publish date:
February 1, 2018
Length:
560 pages
Rating:
5 of 5 stars (outstanding)
Review:
From 1933 until his
death in 1976, one man was the owner of the Boston Red Sox. Some consider this man, Tom Yawkey, to be the
savior of the franchise as they were in a dire financial situation due to the
Great Depression when he bought the team from Bob Quinn for $1.25 million.
Others considered him to be racist and holding back progress for minority
players and employees because the team was the last team in Major League
Baseball to integrate. Yawkey’s team did
not have an African American play in a game until Pumpsie Green made the team
in 1959, 12 years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier.
Whether a reader
believes one of these images of Yawkey to be true, there are many more aspects
to the man and they are told in this very good book by long time Boston
sportswriter Bill Nowlin. The issue of race is frequently mentioned in the
book, but there is far more to the man that should be told and Nowlin does that
in vivid detail
This book could be
considered more of a history book on the Red Sox than a biography, as there is
little space dedicated to Yawkey’s life outside of the Red Sox. There is some
information from his childhood and how he obtained his wealth, but the bulk of
the book is dedicated to the team to which he dedicated his life. His relationship
with his players is well-known to be warm, cordial and personable. Stories of
interaction between Yawkey and his players are plentiful in the book. These players include stars such as Carl
Yastremski and Ted Williams, but there are plenty of warm exchanges shared in
the book with other players not as well known, writers such as Al Hirshberg and even
regular citizens.
An example of this
type of generosity with fans is a story in the book about a 13-year-old fan who
ran away from his home in Nova Scotia, hoping to see the Red Sox in person.
When the young man made it to Boston, the Red Sox were on the road. But Yawkey brought him inside Fenway Park
anyway, gave him a tour and a baseball. When the young man was flown home by
the police, he received a letter from Yawkey inviting him back to Fenway – but
the next time he had to bring his mother along with him.
This type of
generosity and personality was also reflected in his leadership, which is where
he drew most of the criticism he received.
He rewarded loyal employees and managers with continued employment and
raises. He hated to get rid of loyal
employees in the front office, no matter the team’s record or their
mistakes. Men like Joe Cronin, Pinky
Higgins and Eddie Collins were part of Yawkey’s front office for decades and
when they were gone, others like Heywood Sullivan stepped in – and stayed.
This type of
leadership style led to the most damaging criticism that he faced and still
faces today, more than 40 years after his passing. The charges of racism are addressed
throughout the book and while Nowlin never comes out and says that Yawkey was a
racist or ran an organization that blatantly discriminated against African
Americans, he does point out that there was plenty of circumstantial evidence
that made the charge of racism appear to be true. Among the harshest critics of the Red Sox and
Yawkey on the matter of race are Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays. The Red Sox had
the opportunity to sign both men to the team but never did. Robinson was especially negative toward the
team after he and two other African American players were invited to a tryout
for the team that many feel was a sham.
This event is covered quite well in the book and on the topic of racism,
Nowlin is tough on Yawkey for his lack of leadership in addressing this with
Cronin, Higgins and Collins but stops short of taking sides. I believe this is a fair approach to this
topic for the man and the book does this very well.
It should be noted
that while it doesn’t cover as many pages as the question of racism does,
Yawkey’s Red Sox were much more progressive toward allowing women access to the
press box and the players. While their
attempts were awkward at times, such as placing a flower on the table for
female press members, many recognized that the team was at least recognizing
that these women were simply doing the same job as the men.
There is also a lot of
material in the book on the success and failures of the Red Sox on the
field. Of course the pennant winning
years of 1946, 1967 and 1975 are covered extensively as these were the pennants
won during Yawkey’s life, but plenty is written about other seasons and players
as well. There is enough baseball
material in the book that a reader who wants more baseball and less business or
social issues will be able to learn much about the Red Sox on the field as
well.
This was a very good
book that despite its length, was one that was a relaxing one to read and one
could easily escape into the world of Fenway Park and Tom Yawkey’s space in
that park, as well as his off-season home in South Carolina and his hotel in
New York where he conducted his non-baseball business. It is an excellent source of information for
both the man and his team.
I wish to thank
University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for
an honest review.
Book Format Read:
Hardcover
Buying Links:
Great review! I really want to read more biographies, they are so interesting and inspiring :)
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