Larry Whiteside of Boston Globe given Spink Award

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -Boston Globe sports writer Larry Whiteside, a pioneer for blacks over nearly a half-century in journalism, was honored Wednesday with the Hall of Fame’s J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing.
Whiteside, who died in June at the age of 69 from complications of Parkinson’s disease, will be recognized during the Hall induction ceremonies July 27 in Cooperstown, N.Y.
“Mr. Whiteside was a Hall of Famer in every sense of the word,” the Red Sox said in a statement. “Today’s honor is richly deserved.”
Whiteside, known to his friends as “Sides,” received 203 votes from the members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Nick Peters, who retired this year from The Sacramento Bee, got 119 votes and Dave Van Dyck, a Chicago baseball writer for 25 years, got 89.
Whiteside worked for The Boston Globe from 1973 until he was sidelined by Parkinson’s disease in the past decade. He was a member of the expert panel that selected baseball’s all-century team and an honoree in 1999 by the National Association of Black Journalists for his work in advancing the careers of black sports writers.
The Red Sox said Whiteside “earned the respect of front office executives, managers, coaches, and players alike. He covered the sport with integrity and passion. He was a pioneer as one of the first African-Americans to cover a major league baseball beat and was a mentor to many young baseball writers who followed him.”
Whiteside began his career with Kansas City Kansan in 1959 and worked at The Milwaukee Journal from 1963-1973, where he covered the Braves of Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews and Warren Spahn. He also covered the civil rights movement.
After the Seattle Pilots moved to Milwaukee in 1970 and became the Brewers, then-owner Bud Selig offered him a public relations job with the team. Whiteside turned it down to continue covering the sport.
“Larry Whiteside and I literally started in baseball together,” the commissioner said after Whiteside died on June 15.
“He was an extraordinary person. He was one of the finest journalists and finest friends that I have ever encountered. I will certainly miss him.”
In 1971, Whiteside created “The Black List” to aid sports editors in helping hire qualified black journalists. There were only nine names on the list when he started, but by 1983 it had expanded to more than 90.
When he was hired by the Globe in 1973, Whiteside was the only black reporter in America covering major league baseball on a daily basis for a major newspaper. An expert on the Negro Leagues, he also was among the first to pay close attention to baseball in Japan and Australia.
Whiteside covered the Boston Red Sox in the 1975 and 1986 World Series and memorably left in the middle of Roger Clemens’ record-setting 20-strikeout game in ’86 to cover a Celtics playoff game. Whiteside was present when Clemens matched the feat in Detroit in 1996.
Seeing Whiteside after the second game, Clemens told him, “Thanks for sticking around.”