Interview with Shirley Povich, March 29, 1976

Project: A. B. "Happy" Chandler: Desegregation of Major League Baseball Oral History Project

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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 Accession

1976oh026_chan005

Interviewee Name

Shirley Povich

Interviewer Name

William J. Marshall

Interview Date

1976-03-29

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

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

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

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Povich, Shirley Interview by William J. Marshall. 29 Mar. 1976. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.

Povich, S. (1976, March 29). Interview by W. J. Marshall. A. B. "Happy" Chandler: Desegregation of Major League Baseball Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.

Povich, Shirley, interview by William J. Marshall. March 29, 1976, A. B. "Happy" Chandler: Desegregation of Major League Baseball Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.





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