By the time the controversy had settled, however, several myths about white southern baseball players had become part of baseball lore. Like all myths, they had elements of truth and fiction and were a powerful means of understanding the world. Unfortunately, these myths continued to affect player relationships for years. In fact, their impact was obvious during the 1950s and still noticeable in major league dugouts during the seventies. For at least one former player--"Dixie" Walker--those myt

Dixie's brother Harry Walker attributed Dixie's omission to what he called a "bad rap" regarding his opposition to Jackie Robinson joining the Dodgers. Dixie Walker was an early and vocal opponent of Robinson's entry into the league, and the publicity that surrounded Dixie's opposition resulted in his being labeled the "most extreme of Dodger racists."(FN3) But was this label really a "bad rap," as Harry Walker suggested? There certainly is little doubt that Dixie initially opposed Robinson's entry into the league, but so did many other players. Why has history singled out Dixie Walker as the embodiment of the anti-Robinson hatred? In fact, it may have been due to Walker's conflicts with Branch Rickey rather than Jackie Robinson--conflicts that were primarily financial disagreements and not debates on racial issues.

Branch Rickey had a major influence on the game. In addition to breaking baseball's color barrier by promoting Jackie Robinson to the major leagues, he introduced the batting helmet and was also the first to use tryout camps as a way to sign players. Described as simultaneously "pious and devious," he was far from being merely a benevolent innovator, and reporters sometimes referred to him as "El Cheapo." Sports writer Roger Kahn once noted that Rickey "had a Puritan distaste for money in someone else's hands." His players had similar opinions, and their comments remained remarkably consistent over three decades. In 1934 Enos Slaughter said that Rickey would "go into the vault to get a nickel change." Former Brooklyn Dodger Eddi

Some topics in this essay:
Dixie Walker, Branch Rickey, Jackie Robinson, White Sox, Ebbets Field, Harry Walker, Dodgers Dodger, Robinson Prior, Ben Chapman, Rickey Puritan, dixie walker, branch rickey, jackie robinson, major league, harry walker, major leagues, jackie robinson help, white sox, robinson help, rickey's reputation, dodgers dixie, dodgers dixie walker, robinson's entry league,