Boston's Yawkey Way gets new name over allegations of racist origin

[DonViejo]

BY MAX GREENWOOD - 04/26/18 01:37 PM EDT

A Boston city commission voted unanimously on Thursday to change the name of Yawkey Way, fulfilling the request of the Red Sox owners who pushed to rename the street in front of Fenway Park.

The street, named for former Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey, will be changed back to its original moniker, Jersey Street, the Boston Globe reported.

Yawkey, who owned the team from 1933 until his death in 1976, has faced allegations of racism stemming from the fact that he fielded all-white teams even after black players joined the league.

The Red Sox Organization requested that the city change the name of the street in an effort to distance itself from the racism allegations against Yawkey.

The Yawkey Foundation, the charitable organization that the former Red Sox owner founded, expressed disappointment in the decision to rename the street, saying that doing so would permanently tarnish his legacy.

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http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/385028-bostons-yawkey-way-gets-new-name-over-allegations-of-racist

[Croney]

1. If they think renaming a street will tarnish his legacy,

let them swallow their pride and triple their charitable efforts in his name.

[rsdsharp]

2. Yawkey was a straight up racist.

The Red Sox were the last team in MLB to integrate, when they added the immortal Elijah "Pumpsie" Green to their roster in 1959. I say this not to denigrate Green (whose brother Cornell was also a professional athlete -- a Pro Bowl safety with the Cowboys in the 1960s and 70s), but the Red Sox had previously passed on Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente.

Instead of finishing in the second division for much of the 1950s and into the 1960s, imagine what they could have done with an outfield of Clemente, Mays, and Ted Williams who was followed by Carl Yaztremski in 1961. But noooo, they weren't good enough. Yawkey held out for Pumpsie Green -- a backup infielder who played parts of 5 years for the Red Sox and Mets.

[maveric]

3. Its about fucking time.

Yawkey was a raging racist who didn’t allow a black player on his team until 1959. Pumpsie Green. Twelve years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier.
Kudos to my old hometown of Boston.