The Yawkey divide

The battle over renaming Yawkey Way continues, with the Boston Globe, owned by Red Sox owner John Henry, taking all sides of the fight.

Was Tom Yawkey a racist? Yes, says Adrian Walker, and that’s why renaming the street matters. Was he a misunderstood product of his times, someone who did far more philanthropic good than bigoted evil? Jeff Jacoby thinks so. Is this a lose-lose scenario for everyone? That’s Shirley Leung’s belief.

The matter should be decided in the next week or so when the Boston Public Improvement Commission decides whether to keep the Yawkey Way as the name of the street that runs alongside Fenway Park or revert to its longtime name of Jersey Street, the Fenway stretch which was changed to honor the late Sox owner in 1976.

But decided is certainly not settled, and there’s little doubt the debate will roil for years to come, regardless of the ruling. There are disputes over whether Yawkey yelled the racial epithet when a trio of black baseball players, including Jackie Robinson, were trying out for the Red Sox. There are disagreements over whether Yawkey and team treated blacks differently. But amid all the charges against and defenses for Yawkey’s legacy being immortalized by the city, there’s a few historic facts that get overlooked.

Many, including the Rev. Ray Hammond, a member of the Yawkey Foundation board and a leader whose organizations have benefitted from the foundation’s grants, offer the argument that had Earl Wilson, a flame-throwing righty who could handle the bat as well, not been drafted into the service, he would have been the first black player, long before Pumpsie Green took the field for the last team to integrate.

But move ahead to Spring Training in 1966. Wilson and two white teammates walked into a bar in Florida that was a popular hangout for the team and he was told, according to one of the white teammates, “We don’t serve n—— in here.” He took his complaint to team management and was told to forget about it and not say anything. Anyone who knew Wilson understood that wasn’t going to happen and he went to the press with his complaints. A couple weeks later, he was traded to the Detroit Tigers for what amounted to a bag of balls and some chewing tobacco. (Actually, he was traded for outfielder Don Demeter and a minor leaguer who never made it to the bigs but the balls and tobacco would have been more useful.)

Years later, an eerily similar incident occurred involving Sox coach and former player Tommy Harper, for which he won a discrimination suit.

One anecdote that has long been overlooked involves an all-white school in Yawkey’s home state of South Carolina. When the courts desegregated the public school district in McLellanville, S.C., in 1971, not far from Yawkey’s home in Georgetown, a group of white parents launched the private Archibald Rutledge Academy. Yawkey was a benefactor for the segregated school and in his will bequeathed $25,000 a year (Boston Herald archives, subscription required.)

That annual grant continued until several years ago, amounting to nearly $1 million over time. The school is no longer a K-12 academy, leading to the end of the grant, but it would be hard to argue Yawkey was not aware of what his money was supporting then and in death.

Jacoby, like many who favor retaining the name to honor Yawkey and his wife, Jean’s, posthumous largesse to the city, argues it’s difficult to measure historic attitudes within the prism of 21^st century morality. He points out if that’s the case, perhaps the name of Faneuil Hall should be changed because Peter Faneuil was a slave trader. He also brings up Henry Ford, a virulent anti-Semite, and the actions of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy in Chappaquiddick as examples of people who have been lionized despite questionable behavior.

“Virtually all human beings, even the greatest, have flaws, blind spots, and times when they acted indecently.” Jacoby writes. “If the only people for whom streets, schools, and buildings should be named are those against whom there can never be any conceivable accusation of vice or bad judgment — now or in the future — we are going to have a lot of unnamed streets, schools, and buildings.”

But Harper, the former Sox player and coach who had first-hand experience with Yawkey, summed up the feelings of many who want the change.

“You can’t pick and choose,” Harper told the Globe’s Dan Shaughnessey. “History is what it is. Does philanthropy outweigh the harm done to African-American players? Does it? In my opinion, it does not.”

JACK SULLIVAN

BEACON HILL

Sen. Kathleen O’Connor Ives of Newburyport said she will not seek reelection, and Rep. Diana DiZoglio, who may have worn out her welcome in the House with her attacks on secrecy and sexual harassment there, said she plans to run for the open seat. (Eagle-Tribune)

One day after President Trump called for a tougher stance on drug dealers, Gov. Charlie Baker went to Haverhill and advocated for legislation that would make it easier to lock up fentanyl traffickers. (Gloucester Times)

About 100 people rallied outside Worcester City Hall for Baker to provide more state money for regional transit authorities, including the Worcester Regional Transit Authority. (Telegram & Gazette)

Lawmakers, led by Senate President Harriette Chandler, push for legislation creating a civics requirement for students. (MassLive)

Police chiefs are slamming legislation sponsored by Sen. Cynthia Creem that would prevent prospective employers from scouring applicants’ social media accounts, saying it would hamstring their ability to screen out recruits who posted racist or homophobic messages. (Boston Herald)

Beacon Hill lawmakers are expected to rush through legislation that would help a group of retired teachers avoid a massive increase in health insurance costs. (MassLive)

MUNICIPAL MATTERS

A Stoughton selectman candidate who refused to apologize for a racist image he posted on Facebook because he thought it was “humorous” now says he’s sorry as town officials in Arlington, where he works as a paralegal, are investigating his behavior. (The Enterprise)

A memorial to victims of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, which was slated to be unveiled at this year’s race next month won’t be ready in time. (Boston Herald)

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh burnishes his everyman image at the re-opening of a downtown McDonald’s. (Boston Globe)

WASHINGTON/NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

A suspect in a series of bombings in Austin, Texas, blew himself up after an early morning police chase, officials said. (New York Times)

President Trump ignored warnings by aides not to call Russian President Vladimir Putin to congratulate him on his election victory. (Washington Post)

A former Playboy model is suing the National Enquirer to invalidate a nondisclosure agreement she signed. She wants to be able to discuss her alleged affair with President Trump. (New York Times)

President Trump’s call for the death penalty for big-time drug dealers is a line politicians have trotted out for decades — and there is already provision for it in federal law, but there is little evidence to suggest it would be effective and it has largely not been pursued by prosecutors. (Boston Globe)

Six students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida speak at a Harvard forum and call for action nationally to change gun laws. (Boston Globe) With another school shooting yesterday — this one in Maryland, where two students were wounded — a Herald editorial says talk of gun control needs to be accompanied by serious attention to mental health issues.

ELECTIONS

Berkshire County District Attorney Paul Caccaviello may now be the incumbent, thanks to some political maneuvering by his predecessor and Gov. Charlie Baker, but he is facing at least one challenger. Andrea Harrington, an attorney and former state Senate candidate, said she is running for the post. (Berkshire Eagle)

Anthony Amore, the security director for the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, announced he is running for secretary of state as a Republican. (MassLive)

A WBUR poll finds Sen. Elizabeth Warren with a 30-point lead over opponents who most voters don’t know (WBUR)

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

KB Toys of Pittsfield, which filed for bankruptcy more than a decade ago, may be making a comeback. The California company that purchased the rights to the retailer’s name said it is exploring a return. (Berkshire Eagle)

A Utah family has filed a discrimination suit against the Boy Scouts of America, claiming the organization prevented their 15-year-old son from achieving Eagle Scout status because he has Down syndrome. (Washington Post)

EDUCATION

State Auditor Suzanne Bump told a gathering of school business officers the state needs to fully reimburse districts for transportation costs for regional schools rather than the current 73 percent level. (MetroWest Daily News)

HEALTH/HEALTH CARE

Haverhill officials see little progress in the fight against opioids, noting the city had two overdoses a day during February. (Eagle-Tribune)

A new report says care and treatment for people with Alzheimer’s will cost the nation $277 billion in 2018 but early detection of the disease could save $7.9 trillion in long-term health costs. (U.S. News & World Report)

ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT

The top CEOs in Massachusetts press Gov. Charlie Baker, House Speaker Robert DeLeo, and Senate President Harriette Chandler to back an expansion of the region’s natural gas pipeline capacity. (CommonWealth)

The surge in US oil production and technology advances that make break-even costs lower have contributed to a cap on gas prices that should hold steady for the foreseeable future. (U.S. News & World Report)

CASINOS

US Rep. William Keating has filed a bill to allow the Mashpee Wampanoag to keep land in trust that was granted by the Interior Department, a measure that would short-circuit legal challenges to the tribe’s ownership of the land. (Cape Cod Times)

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/COURTS

State Police Col. Kerry Gilpin reveals the agency is dealing with an overtime scandal. (State House News) Joe Battenfeld says the buck stops with Gov. Charlie Baker. (Boston Herald)  Fellow Herald columnist Howie Carr wonders how aggressively Attorney General Maura Healey will pursue the matter, suggesting she’s reluctant to go after any of her “fellow Democrat hacks” — but he seems to forget that the State Police union has actually backed Baker in the past.

David Lowy, a justice of the Supreme Judicial Court, heard arguments on the Berkshire Museum’s proposed sale of artwork and his comments gave both proponents and opponents of the sale hope. (Berkshire Eagle)

A second-chance program to divert juvenile offenders in Suffolk County away from the criminal justice system is showing positive outcomes. (Boston Globe)

A former MBTA trolley driver appeared in court yesterday in connection with charges that he schemed with a friend who beat him while on his trolley route one night last October so he could claim workers’ compensation payments and other benefits. (Boston Herald)

MEDIA

MassLive, which has been covering Worcester for years, decides to open an office there. (MassLive)

Retired US Army lieutenant colonel Ralph Peters, a longtime Fox news analyst, quits what he called the “propaganda machine.” (Buzzfeed)