Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol walks to the dugout during a game against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday, May 27, 2024, in Cincinnati.
The more I think about the game in Alabama, the more I think about the pregame.
Reggie Jackson’s words were bone-chilling.
Before Cardinals-Giants on Thursday in Birmingham, Alabama — at the site of old Negro League games — the Hall of Fame slugger spoke on the Fox pregame show about racism he endured while a Birmingham minor-leaguer in 1967.
Here’s what made it stand out.
Regarding racism in America, anyone can make a strong, general statement to describe it. But hearing Jackson’s specific anecdotes of being called the N-word — and hearing the pain and fear in Reggie’s voice — was a visceral and overwhelming experience for the viewer.
And this, right here, was the point of Major League Baseball’s game at Rickwood Field. The whole event was both to honor those who played in the Negro Leagues — and educate baseball fans about all that happened in the past.
And these are vital lessons to be learned in the present. Consider that here, in 2024, some Cardinal fans have yelled racial slurs directly to Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol.
“No doubt about it,” Marmol said Saturday. “More than you would think.”
Marmol was born in the United States and is of Dominican descent. In 2022, Marmol went 93-69 in his first year as manager. But last year, his Cardinals were 71-91. This year, Ƶ is 38-37. The losing has frustrated many.
Now, Marmol didn’t bring up this topic on his own. He only responded when I asked him about Jackson’s comments on racism spewed his direction in Alabama.
“I’ve been called that here — like, different words that I won’t repeat publicly, but not that far removed,” Marmol said from his office at Ƶ’ Busch Stadium. “To hear him recalling some of the things that he’s been through, I think, is really good for people to kind of understand it and shed light on it. Because sometimes, you’re a fan of the team and of the sport, and you get so into what’s going on, you forget you’re actually still yelling at people.”
To learn that some fans are saying these things to Marmol is disgusting and embarrassing. If only they could truly feel what it’s like to be on the other side of racism. Well, Jackson gave us a glimpse with his searing descriptions.
“Coming back here is not easy.”
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX)
Reggie Jackson shares his emotions of visiting Rickwood Field.
“Coming back here is not easy,” Jackson said on Fox from Birmingham. “The racism when I played here, the difficulty of going through different places where we traveled — fortunately, I had a manager and I had players on the team that helped me through it — but I wouldn’t wish it on anybody. …
“I walked into restaurants and they would point at me and say, ‘The n—– can’t eat here.’ I would go to a hotel and they’d say, ‘the n—– can’t stay here.’ We went to (Athletics owner) Charlie Finley’s country club for a welcome home dinner and they pointed me out with the N-word: ‘He can’t come in here.’ Finley marched the whole team out. … Finally, they let me in there and he said, ‘We’re going to go to the diner and eat hamburgers. We’ll go where we’re wanted.’”
“Fortunately, I had a manager in Johnny McNamara that if I couldn’t eat in a place, nobody would eat. We’d get food to travel. If I couldn’t stay in a hotel, they’d drive to a hotel to find a place where I could stay. If it had not been for Rollie Fingers, John McNamara, Dave Duncan, Joe and Sharon Rudi — I slept on their couch three, four nights a week for a month-and-a-half. Finally, they were threatened that they’d burn our apartment complex down unless I got out.”
Jackson said had it not been for his white teammates and friends, “I would have never made it — I was too physically violent, I was ready to physically fight. I’d have gotten killed here because I would’ve beat someone’s (butt) and you’d see me in a oak tree somewhere.”
It’s uncomfortable to read these words. It’s also imperative to read them. We can all grow as citizens and compassionate neighbors. We need lessons taught from history because, even in 2024, there’s the fear of repeating history.
Reggie Jackson did not deserve to experience what he did.
Oliver Marmol did not deserve to experience what he did.
And our neighbors don’t deserve to be treated as lesser or smaller.
As the late television host Fred Rogers once said: “I think that those who would try to make you feel less than who you are, I think that’s the greatest evil.”
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