D’Addona: Monte Irvin’s legacy overlooked by most fans
From SABR member Dan D’Addona at the Holland Sentinel on January 13, 2016:
When I heard Monte Irvin had died, I was a little heartbroken. When I read the Associated Press obituary that shared the news across the country Tuesday, I was devastated.
Not because one of my heroes had passed, though that was sad enough. I was devastated because the obituary of the 96-year-old Hall of Famer barely mentioned that he played in the Negro leagues.
The story was full of explanation about how his career with the New York Giants was abbreviated because of the color barrier and that he reached the majors two years after Jackie Robinson, but it missed a bigger part of Irvin’s legacy.
He is the only African-American player whose career and legacy are completely cut in half by integration.
Read the full article here: http://www.hollandsentinel.com/article/20160113/SPORTS/160119672/0/rwd
Originally published: January 15, 2016. Last Updated: January 15, 2016.