Interview with Shirley Povich, March 29, 1976

Interview Summary

Shirley Povich was the son of Jewish immigrants from Lithuania. Povich was a reporter for the Washington Post. In this interview, he discusses his early association with Happy Chandler, a Look Magazine article written in 1945, Chandler's election as baseball commissioner, baseball during and after World War II, and Judge Kennesaw Landis' performance as commissioner. He talks about Chandler's relationship with baseball team owners and sports writers, his (Chandler's) removal as commissioner, and the status of the minor leagues under Chandler. He describes some of the problems faced by Chandler as baseball commissioner, including the Mexican League, labor relations, Robert Murphy's involvement with the Players' Union, and the Player's Executive Committee. He discusses the introduction of black baseball players into the major leagues, the differences in attitude between Chandler and his predecessor Judge Landis, baseball and gambling, and Chandler's suspension of Leo Durocher in 1948. He talks in great detail about the team owners' meeting on December 11th and 12th, 1950, regarding Chandler's status as commissioner, mentioning the owners who supported him and who voted against him. Other topics include Walter Mulbry and Chandler's legacy as baseball commissioner.

Interview Keyword

Albert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler Baseball Baseball Commissioner Jewish heritage

Interview LC Subject

Baseball--United States Chandler, Happy, 1898-1991 Povich, Shirley Povich, Shirley--Interviews

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Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.