A Book Review of Dixie Walker of the Dodgers - The People's Choice Written by Maury Allen

▷▷▷A Book Review of Dixie Walker of the Dodgers - The People's Choice Written by Maury Allen

Maury Allen wrote the biography of a major league ballplayer with deep roots back to his southern heritage. Dixie Walker became a fan favorite through his play on the field, but carries the legacy of having been an opponent to the breaking of the color barrier in baseball. In his book titled Dixie Walker of the Dodgers: The People's Choice, Maury Allen reviews this dual legacy.

When the Brooklyn Dodgers, and specifically Branch Rickey, decided to have Jackie Robinson on the roster for the 1947 season, it was said to have been Walker who generated a petition to team management in opposition of the move.

Seasons prior to the fateful events of spring training in 1947, Walker had been dubbed as the successor to Babe Ruth in the Yankees lineup but injuries and the arrival of a kid named Joe DiMaggio made him expendable. After accumulating decent career numbers with the White Sox and Tigers, he was picked up by the Brooklyn Dodgers for the 1940 season. With the Dodgers he not only continued to hit the baseball, but most importantly to fans, he always came through when it counted against the rival New York Giants!

As things can happen in baseball and in life, things are not always what the might seem at first. According to this article written by Jack Cuddy and carried here by the Modesto Bee, things were looking up for Dixie Walker with a change at the top of the Dodgers from Larry McPhail to Branch Rickey. According to Maury, McPhail was the "George Steinbrenner of his day" and had a lot of conflicts with Dixie because of the adulation the fans and the media heaped upon him. After the put downs and struggles with McPhail, things had to look better with new management. It was of course the efforts that Rickey made towards integration that would ultimately connect Walker and Robinson in the conflict that defined Walker's legacy.

It takes some effort to put these historical situations in context from our current cultural point of view, but during Walker's playing career it was The Negro Leagues where African Americans played the game, with a "separate but equal" type of mindset. Rickey was motivated for a number of reasons to integrate the game, including experiences with a former teammate, stocking the farm system with high caliber players, and financial reward at the gate.

Walker's perspective was of course very different, with pressures from business associates in his Alabama hometown of Birmingham, as well as a general sense throughout baseball that jobs were at stake. Players on the margins had to be looking over their shoulders at this potential influx of quality ballplayers and wanted to make every effort to save their own positions.

Maury recalls a failed strategy that Rickey used in his integration attempts, using Robinson as an opposing player during spring training in 1947, expecting the big league club to see his skill level and demand that he join the roster. This did not work of course, a petition was generated, and Walker sent a letter to Branch Rickey indicating that he wanted to be traded. Maury points out that the letter never specifically stated that the request was because he did not want to play with Robinson, but that he felt he had become a focal point in the controversy and a "scapegoat" for all of the southern players in opposition.

Walker went on to play during the 1947 season and apparently the on the field results were enough to help overcome any of the tension that had existed during spring training. Winning (and money) helped soothe many of the challenges that stood in the way of Jackie Robinson's teammates.

Maury had a chance to get to know Dixie Walker years later while Walker was coaching. The common response to any inquiries into the situation was that in those times it was a natural response to an attempt at integration, but after getting to know Jackie he learned to respect him, though they never became close friends. Walker also indicated that Robinson was not an easy person to get to like no matter his race, competitiveness and personality had an impact on a real friendship.

Dixie Walker had a good season in 1947, but the Dodgers still decided to trade him to Pittsburgh prior to 1948. Speculation was always that he was traded because of the opposition to Robinson, however as Maury discovered by speaking with Ralph Branca years later, it was purely a baseball business decision. Walker was getting up there in years and was traded as a 37 year old ballplayer in the twilight of a career. In fact, he was finished in the majors just two years later. As Rickey always said "it's better to trade a player a year too soon than a year too late".

Maury worked with Susan Walker, Dixie's daughter, when writing this book. She had no knowledge of her father's career directly, but could only infer from the comments from the numerous inquirers who knew of Walker's reputation as the guy who tried to block Jackie Robinson. Readers will get a great background on the family aspects of Walker's story, including his wife Estelle who worked for Sonny Werblin seeking out talent for the MCA radio show Your Hit Parade.

Maury Allen is able to identify the changing culture that was taking place in the country during this time period, and how it was impacting the game of baseball. It is a significant story that we do not usually get to hear.

You can find Maury at The Columnists.com to keep up with his current writings, and we look forward to any other books that he delivers in the future.

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