Jake Powell
Encyclopedia
Alvin Jacob Powell born in Silver Spring, Maryland
, was an outfielder
for the Washington Senators
(1930, 1934–36 and 1943–45), New York Yankees
(1936–40) and Philadelphia Phillies
(1945).
He helped the Yankees win the World Series
every year from 1936-39. In eleven seasons, he played in 688 games and had 2,540 at bats, 353 runs, 689 hits, 116 doubles, 26 triples, 22 home runs, 327 RBI, 65 stolen bases, 173 walks, a .271 batting average, .320 on-base percentage, .363 slugging percentage, 923 total bases and 43 sacrifice hits.
On July 29, 1938, in a pregame radio interview, Chicago White Sox
broadcaster Bob Elson
asked Powell what he did in the offseason. He replied (falsely) that he was a police officer in Dayton, Ohio
. When Elson asked what Powell did to stay in shape, Powell responded that he "cracked nigger
s over the head with [his] nightstick." After a surge of public outrage, including calls that Powell be banned for life, baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis
suspended Powell for ten games.
In the fall of 1944, during World War II
, Powell served as an emergency police officer in Montgomery County, Maryland
. He returned to baseball at the start of the 1945 season.
In 1948, Powell tried to make a comeback, playing in 31 games for the Gainesville G-Men of the Florida State League
, but batted just .220. In November of that year, Powell was arrested in Washington, D.C.
for passing bad checks. Distraught and mentally unstable, Powell drew a gun while in police custody and committed suicide
.
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
, was an outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
for the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
(1930, 1934–36 and 1943–45), New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
(1936–40) and Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
(1945).
He helped the Yankees win the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
every year from 1936-39. In eleven seasons, he played in 688 games and had 2,540 at bats, 353 runs, 689 hits, 116 doubles, 26 triples, 22 home runs, 327 RBI, 65 stolen bases, 173 walks, a .271 batting average, .320 on-base percentage, .363 slugging percentage, 923 total bases and 43 sacrifice hits.
On July 29, 1938, in a pregame radio interview, Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
broadcaster Bob Elson
Bob Elson
Robert A. Elson was a pioneering American sportscaster.-Early life and career:Born in Chicago, Elson got into broadcasting by accident. While vacationing in St. Louis in 1928, Elson was touring KWK when a receptionist saw him among 40 men in line for an audition and thought he was going for one...
asked Powell what he did in the offseason. He replied (falsely) that he was a police officer in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
. When Elson asked what Powell did to stay in shape, Powell responded that he "cracked nigger
Nigger
Nigger is a noun in the English language, most notable for its usage in a pejorative context to refer to black people , and also as an informal slang term, among other contexts. It is a common ethnic slur...
s over the head with [his] nightstick." After a surge of public outrage, including calls that Powell be banned for life, baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis
Kenesaw Mountain Landis
Kenesaw Mountain Landis was an American jurist who served as a federal judge from 1905 to 1922 and as the first Commissioner of Baseball from 1920 until his death...
suspended Powell for ten games.
In the fall of 1944, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Powell served as an emergency police officer in Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
. He returned to baseball at the start of the 1945 season.
In 1948, Powell tried to make a comeback, playing in 31 games for the Gainesville G-Men of the Florida State League
Florida State League
The Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...
, but batted just .220. In November of that year, Powell was arrested in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
for passing bad checks. Distraught and mentally unstable, Powell drew a gun while in police custody and committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
.
External links
- http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/sports/baseball/27powell.html Chris Lamb, "A Public Slur in '38 Laid Bare The Game's Racism", The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, July 27, 2008.]