[Deathwatch] Joe Black , athlete, 78

[Deathwatch Central <cdw@slick.org>]

Joe Black Dies of Cancer at 78 
Sat May 18, 4:08 AM ET 
By MEL REISNER, AP Sports Writer 

PHOENIX (AP) - Joe Black's rendezvous with fame was nearly 50 years
ago. By the time he lost his battle with cancer, he was remembered as
much for his generous nature as for being the first black man to win a
World Series game.

"He was a contemporary of Jackie Robinson, and he saw what he went
through," Arizona Diamondbacks general manger Joe Garagiola Jr. said of
Black, who died Friday in nearby Scottsdale. He was 78.

"He went through many things himself," Garagiola said. "But this was a
man with no bitterness or hate in his heart. He was a big man, but
there was no room in him for that."

Black was an Army veteran and a Brooklyn Dodgers rookie when he beat
the New York Yankees 4-2 in Game 1 of the 1952 World Series.

Although he pitched five more years, Black never approached the
accomplishments of his first season, when he went 15-4, had 15 saves
and won the National League Rookie of the Year award. Working out of
the bullpen, the right-hander had a 2.15 ERA in 142 innings — eight
short of having enough to win the title.

He started two more games in the Series because the Dodgers were
strapped for pitching and lost both.

The next spring, manager Chuck Dressen urged Black to add some pitches.
He tried, but lost control of his fastball and curve in the process and
was never as effective again.

After four seasons with Brooklyn, Black was traded to Cincinnati. He
also played for Washington, compiling a 30-12 career record in six
years.

"He was a Dodger, but he was a giant of a man," former NL president Len
Coleman said. "He was the greatest friend, and his loss leaves the
world a lot more empty."

Black reached the majors five years after the Dodgers brought up
Robinson to break baseball's color barrier.

He roomed with Robinson and shared his experiences in a world where
pro-segregation feelings still seethed. The memory made Black an
activist — he worked for a pension plan for Negro League players and
led the fight to include those who played before 1947, which included
himself. Black had a 45-28 record with the Baltimore Elite Giants,
helping them win two Negro League championships in seven years from
1944-50.

"Joe was a doer," said former Dodgers pitcher Don Newcombe, who knew
Black as a teen-ager. "He wanted to get things done, and he knew how it
was to be a black baseball player. I think he made his mind up that he
was going to make change and be involved in change."

After his playing career, Black became an executive with Greyhound in
Phoenix. He remained in touch with baseball as a consultant for the
commissioner's office and a board director of the Baseball Assistance
Team, offering guidance for young players and working for the
Diamondbacks in community relations.

"He was an unofficial ambassador for baseball, period," said Montreal
manager Frank Robinson, who visited Black this spring when the Expos
were in Phoenix. "He was willing to talk to kids about the pitfalls of
life."

A native of Plainfield, N.J., Black graduated from Morgan State in 1950
and later received an honorary doctorate from Shaw University. He wrote
a syndicated column, "By The Way," for Ebony magazine and an
autobiography, "Ain't Nobody Better Than You."

He's survived by son Joseph "Chico" Black and a daughter, Martha.

Funeral arrangements were incomplete, but his son said Black would be
cremated, with a memorial service in New Jersey.