Irlandos at 20:57, April 5, 2006

2006-04-05T20:57:54Z

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'''Alexander Sebastian Campanis''' ([[November 2]], [[1916]] - [[June 21]], [[1998]]) was an [[Greek-American]] executive in Major League Baseball. He had a brief Major League career as a second baseman, playing in seven games for the Brooklyn Dodgers in [[1943]], but is most famous for his position as general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers from [[1968]] to [[1987]], which he was fired from as a result of a high-profile incident in which he made racially insensitive remarks during a live interview on [[April 15]], [[1987]].

==Controversy==

Campanis' infamous remarks took place on the late-night ABC News program ''Nightline'', on an episode coinciding with the 40th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's Major League Baseball debut ([[April 15]], [[1947]]). Campanis, who had played alongside Robinson and was known for being close to him, was being interviewed about the subject, and ''Nightline'' anchorman Ted Koppel had just asked him why, at the time, there had been few black managers and no black general managers in Major League Baseball. Campanis' reply was that blacks "may not have some of the necessities to be, let's say, a field manager, or, perhaps, a general manager" for these positions; elsewhere in the interview, he said that blacks are often poor swimmers "because they don't have the buoyancy." He was fired two days later.

In an interview the next year, Campanis attempted to clarify that he was referring to the lack of African-Americans with experience in these areas, rather than their innate abilities; he also said that he was "wiped out" when the interview took place, and therefore not entirely himself. Many other figures in baseball, such as fellow Dodgers manager Tom Lasorda and former Dodgers player Don Newcombe, have also spoken in Campanis' defense.

==Trivia==
*Campanis was born in [[Kos]], [[Greece]] [http://www.baseballacropolis.org/didyouknow.htm]

*In one of Campanis' first trades as general manager, Campanis traded his own son, Jim Campanis, a former Dodgers player, to the Royals for two minor leaguers. [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/C/Campanis_Al.stm]

*In the book '''Baseball's Golden Greeks''' by Diamantis Zervos, Campanis' son, Jim, relates one of the big moments in his life which he called "a Greek moment in Cincinnati in [[1967]]" when Jim was batting against the Reds, [[Alex Grammas]] was coaching third base, [[Chris Pelekoudas]] was umpiring behind the plate and the Reds' pitcher was the great [[Milt Pappas]].[http://www.aegeanbooks.com/book_reviews/body_book_reviews.html]

==External links==

*[http://www.newsthinking.com/story.cfm?SID=146 In-depth article on the interview by Bob Baker]

[[Category:1916 births|Campanis, Al]]
[[Category:1998 deaths|Campanis, Al]]
[[Category:Greek-Americans|Campanis, Al]]

Al Campanis - Revision history

Irlandos at 20:57, April 5, 2006