opinions editorial opinion Unlocking the front office door Forty years ago Jack Roosevelt Robinson successfully climbed the first rung of a ladder that rested against a massive wall barring blacks from the baseball diamond., The date was April 15, 1947. It was an unprecedented moment in sports history when Robinson donned the blue and white of the Brooklyn Dodgers that day. He became the first black ball player in the major leagues. Since then, the "great American pas time" has been a showcase for black athlet ic talent. But while both black and white ballplayers share the spotlight on the field, scales in the front offices of the nation's baseball clubs are weighted in favor of whites. Among the 26 major-league baseball clubs there are no black managers or gener al managers, no blacks serving as person nel or minor-league directors and no blacks in high-ranking executive positions. In December, baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth dedicated the 1987 season to the memory of Jackie Robinson. It was an attempt to draw attention to the lack of black representation in management. Ue berroth publicly threatened to quit his job if minorities did not soon occupy front office positions. Ironically one of Robinson's teammates on the Dodgers farm club in 1946, Al Cam panis, was recently dismissed as vice presi dent of the Los Angeles Dodgers after commenting on national television that blacks might not have "some of the neces:- sities" to be managers and general man agers of major-league baseball teams. Such thinking from a man who spent a good portion of his life, 44 years, in major- "We're allo - Voed into the ice cream store now. We're just not allowed to run the ice Northy cream store." Words . Hank Aaron, former outfielder for the Atlanta Braves who holds the record for most home runs in a career. reader opinion We the People? Exactly 11 years since the 1976 massacre of schoolchil dren in Soweto, Apartheid still lives and kills. Apartheid is South Africa's policy of constitutional racism. The white government ruling South Africa is elected by white people only. The black majority of the population does not have any say in the affairs of the country. Blacks are not even recognized as citizens of South Africa. "We the People" are celebrating the 200th anniversary of "our" constitution while still 'constructively engaged' with Apartheid South Africa at the expense of black lives. White South Africa continues to trample on black people as if they were nonhumans. The renewal of the year-old state of emergency is evidence that the government of PW Botha still brutalizes the black population. Raids on the black population, rape, murder and detention of the young and old by Botha's security forces, have all become regular aspects of daily life in the black townships. South Africa's unjust laws deny the individual the right to freedom of speech. Blacks have no means whatsoever of peacefully expressing their loathing of Apartheid. The people's authentic leaders are either dead (victims of South Africa's law of detention without trial), or in jail serving life sentences. The laws prohibiting free speech have literally muffled the voices of the oppressed. Press coverage of the situation is restricted to the government's version of the events. It is even illegal for blacks to pray for their liberation. How else then can they express their Criminal or victim? In Goetz' case it is A group of youths are accosting p feeble old woman, just pushing her around and asking for her money. The woman draws a pistol from her purse and opens fire on the de fenseless group. They run away injured and she is yet another hero of justice on the streets of New York City. 0 ,40 • Sl:4 t'~~~ , yY = , l. Y' .. i.'. Though this may seem unlikely, in an era when Charles Bronson and Sylvester Stal lone always get their man and their audi ence, it's no wonder that Bernhard H. Goetz received worldwide acclaim for shooting four youths that attempted to rob him on a Manhattan subway train two-and-a-half years ago. league baseball does nothing for the future of the game's black management. But for tunately the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Ueberroth and others have made a firm commitment to dispel the myths by promoting what they believe are the right qualifications blacks possess for the big jobs. In an effort to intensify the crusade, Ueberroth delivered the ball clubs an ulti matum. Owners have until July 10th to submit affirmative-action policies for the hiring of minorities in management posi tions. Forty years after Robinson went 0-for-3 at Ebbetts field, things are finally beginning to change in the executive suites occupied by baseball's managers and front office per sonnel. Ueberroth did 'not quit; he got what he bargained for. Sports sociologist Dr. Harry Edwards will occupy the position of special assistant to the commissioner. A black man in a high-ranking office. American sports has waited too long for this moment. "The time is way overdue for minorities to get their chance. It's going to happen and it's going to happen now," Ueberroth said. Forty-four-year-old Edwards has long been an activist in the crusade for a deseg regated atmosphere in the sports arena. He is the second black executive to sit beside a commissioner from 1969-1984 former New York Giants outfielder Monte Irvin was commissioner Bowie Kuhn's assistant. The racial wall barring blacks from exec utive positions is slowly becoming surmoun table. Ueberroth's appointment of Edwards as his special assistant is only a small step, but it is a step in the right direction. feelings? One might say that bombs make a louder sound than muffled voices. Yes, indeed. And so deteriorates the situation in South Africa. Penn State should also realize that the Sullivan Prin ciples are a dead issue, The Reverend Leon Sullivan, author of the Sullivan Principles, is now calling for a total trade embargo against South Africa. Before it is too late, Penn State should seriously reconsider its stance on the divestment issue. We must remember, as we make these decisions, that in conflicts like that in South Africa, the underdogs always emerge as victors because God is always on their side. Thami Toni Dead not Red In response to the editorial "Never forget" by Jim Higgins, I would like to point out that the United States military has never been involved in a "needless conflict." Every U.S. military action has had a just cause, the last four ( Korea, Bay of Pigs, Viet Nam, Grenada) to drive out the communist menace. I get the impression that Mr. Higgins would rather be "Red than Dead." I think it is imperative that the U.S. help the Contras drive the communist out of our back yard, Nicaragua. After all it is those backward, economi cally troubled countries, such as those in Central America, that fall to the communists and under the Soviet wing As far as fighting In wars, I quote from our 35th president, John F. Kennedy, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country." I think defending our nation is an honor and I for one would rather be dead than Red. no easy decision when one lies bleeding and the other holds a smoking gun Yes, finally someone who stood up to the criminals in New York. Goetz received letters of support and outpourings of funds from strangers to help him with legal fees after the Dec. 22,19134 shooting. A hero in New York? It seems appropri ate for a vigilante to gain respect from those who face the daily paranoia of the criminals that roam on and below the streets of New York. The criminals seek weak and vulner able victims like Goetz. Goetz had been mugged before. Three men robbed him while he carried expensive equipment on a Canal Street subway in January 1981. After being denied an appli cation for a gun permit, he purchased a .38- caliber revolver in Florida. He ran scared after his first encounter with street crimi nals. But in a city like New York, too many people run scared. And after a jury of his peers acquitted the subway gunman of 12 of the 13 charges against him, they may just have granted frightened New Yorkers a license to kill. After the verdict was announced, a man Matt Pencek outside the courtroom carried a sign that read "Criminals watch out, we'll get you." This frightens me more than walking through crowds in Times Square on New Year's Eve. Those New Yorkers who have been fed up with the crime and threats they receive . regularly are ready to defend themselves and think they have the right to decide the fate of criminals they face. They are experi enced in the ways of a city and think like this, but far too many people entering New York don't know what to expect. Coming from a New Jersey suburb out side New York City, I've seen what can happen when inexperience hits the streets for the first time. I've seen friends from small towns looking up at the towering buildings and meanwhile being cased by young pickpockets on the corners. I've seen them freeze under the pressure of a surging crowd in rush hour. I've seen them stare dumbfounded at the street walkers and drug dealers in the seedier parts of the city. Although I may not be built from the threads of a city person, I can still hold my `THE Gfze-4, -- t - cocX.7e - i. iw - rNs- SI