Sports

NEVER TOO LATE TO MAKE AMENDS

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. – The nation that theoretically invented equality in 1776 has taken inexcusably long to put it into accepted practice. Still, the ancestors of 17 African-American baseball victims and heroes saw their inductions into the Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday as anything but too late.

“I think it’s perfect timing,” said Ray Mackey, the great nephew of Biz Mackey, who may have been the greatest catcher of all-time according to more people than just Biz himself. “My father always said Biz was unequivocal: He not only was better than Josh Gibson [Negro League catcher inducted in 1972], but the best ever.

“But my great uncle would have been satisfied to be inducted in this collective manner with a unified message. Now, he’s arrived at the final place where he will rest with the great ones forever.”

It took 13 elections for enough voters to get past an illogical bias against relievers to get the dominant, innovative, Bruce Sutter inducted yesterday. That injustice was trivialized by the discrimination faced by Sutter’s 17 fellow inductees, all honored posthumously. Six were so largely forgotten they could not be represented by family.

Frank Grant played six years in the 1880s before white players refused to play with him. Grant’s great, great nephew Arthur, who knew only that there had once been a player in the family’s history until reading a newspaper article at age 17, was thrilled by the discovery process undertaken by the Fay Vincent-chaired, 12-person, committee. “I didn’t know Frank Grant was quite the player he was,” said Arthur Grant.

The induction of Mule Suttles, a first baseman from 1923-1944, was cheered wildly yesterday by a posse of his ancestors, here to collect his just reward. And Effa Manley, a civil rights crusader during her ownership of the Newark Eagles (1936-48), became the first woman inducted into The Hall.

The number of Negro League and pre-Negro League inductees rose to 40, including those who followed Jackie Robinson across the color line. But yesterday hardly was an indiscriminate and token apology for Jim Crow. The committee did not elect Buck O’Neil, the former player and manager who has become not just a pre-eminent source of this rich history, but the face of it. Still, he and Jackie Robinson’s daughter Sharon were obvious choices as yesterday’s speakers.

“I hate cancer because it killed my mother and my wife,” said O’Neil, 94. “I hate AIDS; a good friend died of it a few months ago. But I can’t hate a human being because God never made anything ugly. You can be [ugly], but He didn’t make you that way.”

O’Neil’s chance likely has passed, never mind that Negro League record-keeping could be so scattershot, Hall President Dale Petroskey calls “the door not totally closed” to further inductions. A good thing, since closed doors were why this election became necessary.

“I was told when I started playing in 1936 I could never aspire to be a major leaguer,” said Hall of Famer Monte Irvin, who played for Manley and praised her humanity and business sense. “This is a wonderful day.

“I played with great players who didn’t get to know precisely how good they were.”

Or, how their struggles ultimately enriched us.

“There’s sadness because people who were a part of this with my grandfather, including four daughters and a wife, are gone and cant share in this joy,” said Nancy Boxill, granddaughter of Cumberland Posey, player, manager and owner of the legendary Homestead Grays. “Segregation diminished us all.

“But instead of focusing on our losses, today is a day to focus on what we’ve gained.”