St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1961-12-15

There was this luncheon '
ment of the Waldorf Hotel, a
chance for the Minnesota people to
share chicken legs and converse
ton with the space cadets from
the local sports beat.
The Minnesota people were Jack
McKeon, the dark stocky man
picked to manage the Mounties
next summer. And Joe Haynes, a
tall dark executive vice-president
of the Twins. And Sherry A. Rob-
ertson, the tall dark farm director
of Twins, resplendent in a dark
suit with matching prejudice.
Cut On The Bias
The conclave went along, a laugh
here, a few holes generously pun
ched in the truth there. Then Mr..
Sherry Robertson, the farm di-
rector, stood up on his hind legs
and let his jaws flap open.
Mr.. Robertson told how the
Twins were the Washington Sena-
tors until last season, when they
were transplanted in the heartland
of the American midwest.
1--WE sure hated to leave Wash
ington, DC" Robertson said into
the microphone. 1--WE liked it, in
spite of all those niggers down
there"
1t was a specious remark, drip
ping with thick old-fashioned bias,
a laundering condescension in a
time when Negro athletes perform
with class on big-league play
grounds. Even the Twins allow Ne
groes locker room space, among
them Earl Battey, the best young
catcher in baseball, and Len Green.
a fleet outfielder who apprenticed
in Vancouver three years ago.
Mr.. Robertson's warped COM
ment didn't raise a smoker, only
eyebrows.
Povich Punch
There was time later to phone
Shirley Povich, the respe C t d
sports columnist Of the Washing
ton Post. His considerable reputa-
ton is based on being fortnight
instead of forth wrong. He sinks
regular shafts into the horny pelt
of George Preston Marshall, owner
of the Washington Redskins in the
National Football League and a
die-hard refuser of Negro talent.
"The colors of the Redskins"
Shirley Povich has written, "are
gold, burgundy and Caucasian.
Now, on the phone, Povich was
saying: I'm not surprised at any
offhand cracks by certain men,
bers Of the Minnesota brass. Some
Of them are very capable of max
ing ignorant remarks"
The Minnesota franchise is con-
trolled by the Griffith family, Cal
win r. Griffith, president. They
moved out of Washington hollering
non-support from the Washington
spectators.
THE Griffith clan insisted they
had to leave Washington because
Negro fans wouldn't attend their
games" Povich said. THE fact is
their ball team was so bad, the
whites didn't attend either" e.
Cosy Family Compact
The Washington Senators have
been so futile in the last rs years
that Bugs Baer, the satirist, once
said: Washington is first in peace,
first in war and last in the Amer
lean League"
Last year, as the Minnesota
Twins, they finished dreadful sew
enth. That Is no reason to fear the
Minnesota farm-hands assigned
here next season will be brutal,
but it is too premature to be all
joyous with glee.
Some whangdoodle has been dis
pensed about the warm" Family
Compact that runs the Twins, a
honey dynasty of descendants of
the late Clark Griffith. Mr.. Crit
fifth didn't have any heirs, but he
adopted two children of his wife's
dead brother, a chap named Rob-
ertson. One of the adopted kids
was Calvin Griffith, the current
president. Then Old Clark took
care of Calvin's brothers and sis
tiers, including Sherry Robertson,
the farm director; James Robert
son, the concessions director, and
William Robertson, the stadium
director. A sister, Thelma, mar
ried Joe Haynes, the executive
vice-president.
This snug clique was skewered
In the latest issue of the Sporting
News by Dan Parker of the New
York Daily Mirror. Quote: IF the
name Twins ever pals on the
Minnesotans, they can change the
name to a more apt -one-Fhe