Von Joshua, Physics of the Swing - 658

Asked by The Los Angeles Times whether he believed race had played a role in his Dodger coaching career, AA hitting coach Von Joshua , who was black, said he believed it did. The question came only a few days after Dodger General Manager Al Campanis' infamous appearance on Nightline where the GM said he believed blacks "may not have some of the necessities" to be a manager. "You can see the writing on the wall," Joshua told The Times in a story that appeared three days after the Nightline broadcast. "I'm not stupid. I see myself getting caught up in the shuffle. I haven't heard one thing about moving up. Not one peep." Joshua had been an instructor with the Dodgers since 1984, having spent parts of six seasons in Los Angeles as a player. He was also the first full-time black minor league coach for the organization, The Times wrote . But he had never been asked to go to winter instructional ball. Joshua went on in 1988 to get that pr...