Just watched a half hour show on MLB Network called "Studio 42" hosted by Bob Costas
, who has always been an impressive announcer but who is also reliably liberal in his views. This one was about the horrifying incident in August of 1965 when Giants star pitcher Juan Marichal clubbed Dodgers catcher John Roseboro on the head with a bat, leaving Roseboro with a deep head gash that bleeded profusely. Marichal was matched up against Sandy Koufax that day.
The show was, not surprisingly, the typical Caste morality play. Marichal was given plenty of time to "explain" what led to his actions. Only non-whites were interviewed, including Tito Fuentes, who was in the on-deck circle when Marichal went nuts. There is no film of the actual incident, but some of what took place right after, in which Fuentes can be seen running into the middle of things -- also wielding a bat in a menacing fashion.
Various teammates then say how this was "out of character" for Marichal (of course it was, unlessbashing players on the head with a bat was one of his specialties). We are then led to believe that Marichal was "punished" by the writers because he wasn't elected to the Hall of Fame the first time he was eligible but rather the third time (horrors).
Roseboro, who was quite articulate and a class act, something far more common among black athletes then as compared to today, forgave Marichal and became friends with him. When he died in 2002 Marichal gave a eulogy at his funeral.
From the script and the background music, thisepisode of unparalleled brutality in baseball was presented as a tale of redemption. Marichal even eventually signed with the Dodgers and retired as one in 1975.
I was a kid when that happened and will never forget how shocked I was when it occurred. Perhaps even more shocking is that Marichal was suspended for just 8 games. Roseboro could easily have been seriously injured or killed.
I can't help but believe a star white pitcher who did what Marichal did would never have been so easily forgiven, or punished so lightly. If he hadn't been kicked out of baseball immediately, the media would still ritually identify him with that behavior. Given that great white stars from the past are almost always identified with a negative trait (Ruth - womanizing and drinking; Mantle - drinking; Cobb - racist ogre), he wouldn't have gotten a pass like Marichal, and Orlando Cepeda (big time drug dealer who also was elected to the Hall of Fame).
Here's a couplephotos. In the first one, Fuentes (#26) can be seen holding his bat alongside Marichal. There are also some famous ones of Roseboro's bloody face but I couldn't find any:
Edited by: Don Wassall
The show was, not surprisingly, the typical Caste morality play. Marichal was given plenty of time to "explain" what led to his actions. Only non-whites were interviewed, including Tito Fuentes, who was in the on-deck circle when Marichal went nuts. There is no film of the actual incident, but some of what took place right after, in which Fuentes can be seen running into the middle of things -- also wielding a bat in a menacing fashion.
Various teammates then say how this was "out of character" for Marichal (of course it was, unlessbashing players on the head with a bat was one of his specialties). We are then led to believe that Marichal was "punished" by the writers because he wasn't elected to the Hall of Fame the first time he was eligible but rather the third time (horrors).
Roseboro, who was quite articulate and a class act, something far more common among black athletes then as compared to today, forgave Marichal and became friends with him. When he died in 2002 Marichal gave a eulogy at his funeral.
From the script and the background music, thisepisode of unparalleled brutality in baseball was presented as a tale of redemption. Marichal even eventually signed with the Dodgers and retired as one in 1975.
I was a kid when that happened and will never forget how shocked I was when it occurred. Perhaps even more shocking is that Marichal was suspended for just 8 games. Roseboro could easily have been seriously injured or killed.
I can't help but believe a star white pitcher who did what Marichal did would never have been so easily forgiven, or punished so lightly. If he hadn't been kicked out of baseball immediately, the media would still ritually identify him with that behavior. Given that great white stars from the past are almost always identified with a negative trait (Ruth - womanizing and drinking; Mantle - drinking; Cobb - racist ogre), he wouldn't have gotten a pass like Marichal, and Orlando Cepeda (big time drug dealer who also was elected to the Hall of Fame).
Here's a couplephotos. In the first one, Fuentes (#26) can be seen holding his bat alongside Marichal. There are also some famous ones of Roseboro's bloody face but I couldn't find any:
Edited by: Don Wassall