A new sheriff in town

Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis

The owners in baseball believe they do something good for the game 103 years ago today as they hire Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis to be a much-needed, strong-willed commissioner for a game still recovering from the Black Sox scandal of 1919.

While some historians label him as a racist who keeps Black players out of the game, Landis more likely is merely complicit in allowing the owners to maintain their not-so-gentlemanly agreement of prohibiting Blacks from playing in their all-White major leagues.

This look-the-other-way approach, reprehensible as it is then and now, allows Landis to keep his job from 1921 until his death in 1944.

A.B. “Happy” Chandler

Less than a year after his death in December 1944, Landis’ more forward-thinking successor – former Kentucky governor and United States Senator A.B. “Happy” Chandler – greenlights the Brooklyn Dodgers’ historic decision in November 1945 to sign Jackie Robinson to a minor league contract for 1946 before bringing him to Brooklyn in 1947.

The series of moves clears the way for Robinson to become the major leagues’ first Black player in the 20th century.

Chandler’s decision to correct decades of wrong is met with distain by many major league owners. Chandler, though, is unphased by their complaints.

“I’ve made up my mind that I’m going to have to meet my maker someday,” Chandler says at the time. “If he asks me why I didn’t let (Robinson) play and I said it’s because he’s Black … that might not be a satisfactory answer.”

Chandler’s boldness, especially in comparison to Landis’ inaction, ultimately costs him his job as Chandler resigns midway through the 1951 season when the owners do not offer to extend his contract.