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February 11, 2021

Thoughts About Leo, Jackie, and Willie

 

Things Could Have Been So much Better…

It’s really a shame Leo Durocher wasn’t around to run interference for Jackie Robinson in 1947. Actually, it’s more than a shame, it’s an outright tragedy. What a disservice Happy Chandler did to Jackie Robinson and the game of baseball when he suspended Leo for no good reason at the start of the 1947 season. Branch Rickey had hand-picked Jackie Robinson to break the color line and he knew Leo was the one man who could ease his difficult transition into the majors. I often think about how different things would have been for Jackie if he had Leo at his back at this crucial time.

 Instead, the role fell to the nondescript Burt Shotten. Jackie was left virtually alone to fend for himself. If anyone had tried to abuse Jackie while Leo was around, they would have been hearing about it from him, big time. Leo would have been in their faces firing back in a heartbeat. I don’t think he would have let anyone get away with abusing his star player.

Leo and Willie

Also, I think Leo deserved entry into the Hall of Fame if for no other reason than the way he handled a frightened and homesick rookie named Willie Mays in 1951. I wrote about it last year. Here’s a couple paragraphs from the post. I can’t help getting emotional every time I think about the scene:

“Leo had his faults…lots of them. As many players hated his guts as loved him. But, as I’ve been saying for a long time, in spite of what you might think about him and his accomplishments on the field, his greatest and most lasting contribution to baseball was taking a young, homesick African-American named Willie Mays under his wing in 1951 and mentoring him during his difficult transition into the major leagues. In doing so, Leo allowed Mays to blossom into arguably the greatest player in the history of the game. I don’t know if there was anyone else around at the time besides Leo Durocher who could have done this.

I always love to think about the wonderful scene in the Giants’ clubhouse after rookie Willie Mays got off to his disastrous 0-12 start (which eventually extended to 1-26). Giants’ coach Freddie Fitzsimmons saw Willie sitting alone in front of his locker crying. “Leo,” Franks said, “I think you better have a talk with your boy over there.”

What would have become of Willie Mays if Leo wasn’t there to console him at this crucial time? I still get goose-bumps whenever I think about it. Leo went over to Willie and asked him, “What’s the matter, son?” Willie turned to his manager and with tears streaming down his cheeks, replied:

“I don’t belong up here…I can’t play here…I can’t help you Missa’ Leo. Send me back to the minors.”

Leo smiled, patted Willie on the back, and simply said:

“Look son, I brought you up here to do one thing. That’s to play center field. You’re the best center fielder I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been around a long time.  As long as I’m here, you’re going to play center field. Tomorrow, next week, next month. As long as Leo Durocher is manager of this team you will be on this club because you’re the best ballplayer I’ve ever seen.”

[Yep, I’m getting choked up again! -GL]

The rest, as they say, is history. On his 13th at-bat, Willie hit a homer over the left-field fence off Warren Spahn who later joked, “I’ll never forgive myself. We might have gotten rid of Willie forever if I’d only struck him out.”

What a great story and what a great scene!

To close, I have to include a couple of my favorite quotes about Leo:

“Leo Durocher was like my father away from home.”–Willie Mays

“Leo Durocher has the uncanny ability to make a bad situation worse.”-Branch Rickey

And here’s one right from the horse’s mouth:

“I do not care if the guy is yellow or black, or if he has stripes like a f***in’ zebra. I’m the manager of this team, and I say he plays.”

As I said, love him or hate him – and there was plenty on both sides – Leo played a major role in a couple of baseball’s most critical moments. And I think he came through with flying colors. 

Gary Livacari

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