Tony Clark regrets no US-born black players in World Series | Sport

HOUSTON – The head of the players’ union, Tony Clark, said years of neglect by Major League Baseball contributed to the World Series going without a black player born in the United States for the first time since 1950.

“It’s really unfortunate that any young black player who might watch these games won’t see someone like them and as a result may decide not to continue playing our great game and move on to something else,” Clark said. before Friday night’s game between Houston and Philadelphia. “It’s disappointing and upsetting.”

Clark, 50, was a major league first baseman from 1995-2009, making the 2001 AL All-Star team.

“When I first started playing, the players were watching, the black players on your team and other teams were watching to encourage you and support you, realizing that even back then the numbers weren’t that high, so you had less of a chance a lot ways to see someone who was like you or came from the same place as you,” he said. “Towards the end, those conversations became fewer and fewer because there were fewer players to have them with.”

Clarke became the executive director of the players’ association in 2013, the first player to hold the position.

“How we got here didn’t happen overnight. Talks on this topic have been going on for a long time,” he said. “As a result of the fact that we did not get to this place in one night, the return from it will not happen in one night either. But for now, there are people who are committed to providing opportunities, providing opportunities both on and off the field. , tomorrow will be an opportunity for our game to be better than today.”

Houston’s Dusty Baker is one of two black managers, and Chicago White Sox executive vice president Kenny Williams is the only black head of baseball operations for a major league team.

Clark said the onus is on leadership to increase the proportion of black executives in decision-making positions.

“To the extent that we only have a couple of black coaches, to the extent that we only have a few black front offices,” he said, “I think that’s a conversation you have to have with those who holds positions like why is this going on when they have 100% control over who they hire and who they don’t.”

Clark said about 30 players met with MLB officials in 2006 to express what they saw and what areas needed to be addressed.

“It’s 2022 and we’re still having the same conversations we had in 2006,” he said. “Now we’re sitting here 16 years later having the same conversation.”

Houston and Philadelphia announced their 26-man rosters hours before Game 1 on Friday night at Minute Maid Park, and neither included a black player born in the United States. Both rosters feature players of color from the Caribbean, Central and South America.

Michael Brantley, Houston’s black outfielder, is out for the season with a shoulder injury.

— Clark said the union is happy with the expanded 12-team playoff and still opposes the 14 teams MLB proposed during negotiations last offseason.

“I think it was good that we crawled before we went,” he said.

Philadelphia became the first third-place team to reach the World Series.

“During the playoffs, for a month, you can walk in the door and lock it, all kinds of things can happen,” Clark said. “What makes our game great.”

— The union and MLB began negotiations Thursday on a collective bargaining agreement for players on minor league contracts.

“There really is an opportunity to find common ground before the start of the 2023 season,” Clarke said.

— The union will discuss with the players whether they favor keeping the rule that mandates the current player start at second base in extra innings in regular-season games, which was enacted as a pandemic change in 2020 and continued through 2022.