Art Rust's Weekly Round Up

A Final Salute to Larry Doby

Larry’s death last week brought to mind the last time I spoke with him about six years ago at a Negro National League celebration at Yankee Stadium. He was reserved and strong, just as he had been all along during his successful career.

Larry and I attended the same college, Long Island University; he was few years ahead of me. Several years ago, we were together at the same alumni gathering and talked at length of the many interviews we had done together. Larry had been a guest on my show many times. While interviewing him for my book, "Get That Nigger Off the Field" (Delacorte Press, 1976) on the subject of Jackie Robinson, he commented, “The only difference was that Jackie Robinson got all the publicity. You didn’t hear much about what I was going through because the media didn’t want to repeat the same story.”

Cleaveland Indians owner Bill Veeck said of Larry Doby, “Most of Doby’s experience in baseball had been at shortstop and second base. But there was little room at those positions on the Indians, what with manager player Lou Boudreau at short and Joe Gordon, whom the club had purchased from the Yankees that winter, playing second. But Doby had the stuff, he was moved to the outfield and became a superstar.”