Roman Mejias: Houston's First Major League Latin Star and the Troubled Legacy of Race Relations in the Lone Star State

Abstract

During 1999 baseball season, businessman and owner of Houston Astros Drayton McLane was involved in a controversy with Texas Hispanic community. According to Marco Comancho, general manager of KTMD Television and a subsidiary of Telemundo, and Rod Rodriguez, station's sales manager, McLane made disparaging and belittling comments regarding Mexicans and Mexican Americans shortly before a dinner honoring businessman with Houston Advertising Federation's Trailblazer Award for service to community. An outraged McLane vehemently denied having uttered any remarks that might be construed as racist. Following an investigation of incident, Telemundo's chief executive, Roland Hernandez, apologized to McLane, stating that he found no evidence of racially biased comments being made by baseball owner. In a prepared statement, a relieved McLane insisted, Having spent a lifetime honoring values of integrity and honesty, this episode has been unsettling. Despite a rush to judgment by some, this action by Telemundo, hopefully, will help to speed healing process. (1) But if McLane devoted his life to values of integrity, honesty, and community service, why were so many in Hispanic community so quick to question baseball executive's motives? The answer to this question may lie in troubling history of race relations in Lone Star State of Texas, where, in words of Carey McWilliams, have always been 'gringos' to Hispanos while Hispanos have been 'greasers' to Anglos. (2) In Occupied America: A History of Chicanos, Rodolfo Acuna asserts that racial animosities in Texas are a result of Anglo economic domination of Mexican community enforced by official state violence, such as that perpetuated by Texas Rangers, an organization so much admired by dean of Texas historians, Walter Prescott Webb. (3) Jose Angel Gutierrez, as well as other Chicano activists, argues that education in Texas is presented from an Anglo perspective, ignoring fact that the land of West and Southwest, beginning with Texas, was stolen from Mexica ns. (4) While less confrontational and more scholarly in its approach, David Montejano's study of Anglos and Mexicans in Texas, Anglos and Mexicans in Making of Texas, 1836-1986, which received 1988 Frederick Jackson Turner Award from American Historical Association, maintains that history of Texas has been Anglo economic control perpetuated by cultural, political, and social Jim Crow legislation, hegemony of which has been challenged by Chicano civil rights movement. (5) It is within this historical context that alleged racist remarks of Astros owner McLane must be placed. While Houston organization has produced such talented Latin players as Jose Cruz and Joaquin Andujar, it should be noted that Astros management, unlike Los Angeles Dodgers with marketing and pitching success of Fernando Valenzuela, has tended to maintain an Anglo identity, building team around such stars as Nolan Ryan. Jeff Bagwell, and Craig Biggio. While it is impossible to deny athletic achievement of these ballplayers, failure to develop and especially market more Latin star players flies in face of southwestern demographics. From a 1980 base of 8.7 million people of Mexican origin, there was an increase of 4.7 million to a 1990 total of 13.4 million, a 54 percent intercensual increase. And Mexican-origin people constitute approximately two-thirds of Latins, who, in turn, comprise more than 8 percent of U.S. population. Nearly 75 percent of all Mexican-origin per sons live in California and Texas, both of which have populations in excess of 25 percent with Mexican roots. (6) Yet, Major League Baseball establishment in Houston has historically failed to capitalize on these demographics by consistently developing and marketing Latin talent. While perhaps operating on an unconscious level, this policy, nevertheless, may be reflective of city's conservative to reactionary political traditions. …