Bo Porter
Do you know this man? I didn't until CBS did a story on him. Too bad. Anytime a black man is hired as a manager in the MLB, NBA or NFL, its news to a lot of African-Americans. Its news we want to here about. Why, because 38 years after the first black man was hired to manage a major league team, blacks are still viewed with enough suspicion to keep them out of the best jobs. Since most of the media is too busy trying to be Stephen Colbert, "I don't see color," the media doesn't make mention of an item millions of people are interested in hearing. I think Bo Porter's opportunity is exciting, and what his GM says about him even more promising. “People know Bo is going to be here for a long time,”Jeff Luhnow says. “He could be one of those guys who is an Astros manager for decades, not just years. The players knowing that this is the group that's going to be here -- it begins to lay the foundation for stability, which is really what we're looking for.” I wish I could be 100% happy for Bo, but I can't knowing that he was given an opportunity a lot of black managers are given: The opportunity to manage a shitty team.
Baseball needs more Nolan Ryan's. He hired and then kept Ron Washington as the Texas Rangers manager when he could have fired him. Ryan gave Washington the keys to the team, believed in him wholeheartedly and Washington delivered two consecutive American League Championships. Baseball also needs more Bud Selig's. Since he became commissioner more minorities and women have been hired at all levels in MLB, than at any other time. What a coincidence that Selig is hated by many sports journalists and fans. Lets hope Luhnow gives Porter the kind of confidence and patience, that Ryan and Selig have given others looking only for opportunity in places it has historically been denied.
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