March 26, 2011

Posnanski: Murray Chass's Post On Musial Is Unethical, Vomitous, Grotesque, Devoid Of Basic Decency

One of Joe Posnanski's many talents is his innate curiosity in looking beyond the surface of a story or an event. He'll happily think out loud on the page for a few thousand words, musing about a person's motivation - things are never as simple as they may seem - but he's loath to jump to conclusions. He understands and appreciates that people are complex, they may have unique or unconventional needs, and it's a hallmark of an open and adult mind to not sit in judgment of anyone. In short, he's always willing to see the best in everyone.

Well, almost always.

A recent blog post by Murray Chass criticized Stan Musial for some alleged racist behaviour -- and Pos could not remain quiet. This reply to Chass has been posted on Sports Illustrated's website, in addition to Joe's personal blog.
Years and years ago, I wrote a newspaper column that - technically, I guess - could have gotten me fired. It was a column about silence. I won't go into too many of the details but I'll tell you that the column involved a barber shop, a series of racist jokes and the disgraceful silence of the young man getting his hair cut, the young man being me. I just sat there, in that lost world between embarrassment and rage, while these racist jokes flew around the room. I didn't say a word. I didn't express my disgust. I didn't walk out. I didn't stand up and break out into a "To Kill A Mockingbird" speech. I just stayed quiet. The column was about my own shame, about the shame of being silent in the face of small injustices, about that "Hey, you can't change the world," feeling that I used as a crutch to make myself feel better. ...

I think back 20 or so years, and I still don't know how I feel about that column. Part of me is proud I wrote it. Part of me is embarrassed. Part of my feels like it took some courage to write it. Part of me thinks it was really a cowardly way out. It's all true. I was very young.

I bring this up now because former New York Times sportswriter Murray Chass has written a post so vile and untrue and devoid of basic decency that I have found myself once again in that strange place where I'm not sure what to do. On the one hand, Murray Chass is a nobody now. He's a bitter man with a past and a blog he refuses to call a blog. He seems to bring dishonor to himself and his work with such regularity now that I cannot help but wonder if he was in fact a vile hack throughout his newspaper career but few noticed because he happened to be on the right side of the baseball labor issue and the indomitable Marvin Miller. ...

So part of me says that writing to stomp out the disgusting Murray Chass post about Stan Musial and Curt Flood will only draw more attention to it, will only spread his lies and malice to bigger lands. That part of me says that the way to deal with a man like this and a blog post like this is to ignore it and let it curl up and die unseen. Stay silent.

But another part of me says that some people DID see it, and if we let it go then a handful of people will wonder if maybe there's some truth to it, if maybe this is not just bitterness and bile and revenge and a desperate attempt to be noticed but maybe there is a germ of truth in it. ...
Pos closes by saying: "[I]t's a shame that tragically unhappy people don't know when they've run out of useful words."

8 comments:

johngoldfine said...

I saw this column the other day. I very much like everything JP writes, and nothing makes me happier than an angry polemic, smiting the heathen hip and thigh, so I found this particularly good.

What I did not understand, though, was why writing the column he described, his moment of moral cowardice, would have been a firing offense. If everyone who has not spoken out against overheard racist remarks were to be fired, well, unemployment would be near-universal.

Now the current column, that I can well imagine Chass's lawyers poring over for libel, and SI lawyers and editors also getting a bit nervous--but no one sane would dream of firing a writer who writes like this.

allan said...

What I did not understand, though, was why writing the column he described, his moment of moral cowardice, would have been a firing offense.

Me, too. I'd like to read that column.

allan said...

I posted a comment at Joe's blog wondering if the text of the old column could be posted. (As far as I know, he's never in comments, though.)

allan said...

The Hardball Times also mentioned Chass's post.

Someone posted a quote from Curt Flood Jr.: "I have not read Mr. Chass’s blog, however, the incident DID in fact happen to my father and my mother. But according to my parents, Mr. Musial was not in the restaurant. His doorman that night called Mr. Musial by telephone, but by the time it could rectified, my parents were pretty much fed up with not being fed up."

And I posted: "And it was only a few months ago (mid-December 2010) that Chass failed to verify a story about Tom Verducci (for the first time ever in his entire career, he says!) and was reminded "that a reporter always has to check and verify his information". I guess it’s time for Murray The Blogger to be reminded yet again about the very first rule of journalism.

laura k said...

I liked this enough to click through and read more, which is rare for me. I always enjoy the quotes Allan runs, but seldom need to go any further.

I really related to Posnanski's feelings and memories of his moment of moral cowardice. I have two such moments in my memory. Both occurred when I was very young, in grade school, but I never forgot them, and never completely forgave myself for them, either. I feel I know how he feels when he thinks about that young man in the barber shop.

Now I see how good it was that I never forgot those moments - how useful those memories have been, how they helped steer me as I got older.

I haven't read Chass yet, don't think I will.

laura k said...

Sad about Marvin Miller, too. He's long been a hero of mine and I hate to see his name connected with such crap. I remind myself that no one is perfect.

FenFan said...

Murray Chass continues to prove the point that stupidity has no bounds.

JewishVampireInMonterey said...

Chass failed to verify a few key facts. One, according to Ralph Kiner, it was Marty Marion of the Cards who represented the players in drafting the pension plan in 1946. Two, Musial did not discuss the offer from the Mexican League in 1946 with team owner, Gussie Busch, because Gussie Busch did not own the Cardinals until 1953. Three, Curt Flood Jr directly contradicts what Marvin Miller allegedly told Chass. Four, all accounts have Slaughter attempting to organize a boycott and that it was Musial who stopped the boycott from even being organized. Chass has attempted to spread lies and false facts, and is being taken to task for it.