# Blacks and hispanics can take the heat better. Racist foolishness or common sense? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 8, 2003, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-hispanics-can-take-the-heat-better-racist-foolishness-or-common-sense/187010 "2003-07-08T15:20:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-hispanics-can-take-the-heat-better-racist-foolishness-or-common-sense/187010/21 "2003-07-09T00:57:24Z")
Dusty’s right. And his statement was not racist. He told it like it is. Wish we could all be so honest. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-hispanics-can-take-the-heat-better-racist-foolishness-or-common-sense/187010/22 "2003-07-09T01:13:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Not unthinkable, just no evidence for it. Sorry **Dr, Lao** but that just isn’t true. There has been a large amount of work done on Allen’s rule in humans, and it has repeatedly shown that tropical populations have different limb proportions to temperate populations. There seems little doubt that this is related to heat dispersal and there is no doubt that dark skin correlates well to the tropics. So yeah, there is considerable evidence of adaptations to cope with heat stress found amongst dark skinned people ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-hispanics-can-take-the-heat-better-racist-foolishness-or-common-sense/187010/23 "2003-07-09T01:33:32Z")
I think the mistake Dusty made was a common one, that is ascribing adaptive strategys of populations to climatic conditions to individuals. Dark skinned people are better protected from UV rays. This means that a dark skinned population will thrive better in a sunny climate than a light skinned one. The benefit is to the population as a whole _over time_, not to the performance of any given individual at a specific task. Given current maigratory theory in pre-history ( humans moving from warm climates to cold ones ), white skin is the evolved charactistic, to better process vitamin D from the sun, IIRC. It still dosen’t mean squat when talking about individuals and sporting events. IMHO, an understandable mistake, and not something that merits the racist accusation on its own. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-hispanics-can-take-the-heat-better-racist-foolishness-or-common-sense/187010/24 "2003-07-09T02:07:54Z")
I wouldn’t go so far to call Dusty’s remarks “ignorant”, but they were definitely careless. He should know that in todays ultra-PC climate, ANY claim that makes the very slightest _hint_ of any difference between people of different races, will be taken as the most vile and hateful “racism” possible. However, to call his remarks “racist nonesense” (as **John Mace** intimated) only furthers that blatant IGNORANCE which today’s ultra-PC climate fosters. Campanis was different because he made the implication that non-whites _were_ mentally inferior to whites. Now _that_ is racist. And that John Rocker bigot didn’t even bother to imply – he said it overtly. But all Dusty said was that whites are better at one thing, and blacks are better at another. He was incorrect, of course (in this particular instance) but that doesn’t make him racist in the least. ---
**Author:** ![JonBodner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@JonBodner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JonBodner)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-hispanics-can-take-the-heat-better-racist-foolishness-or-common-sense/187010/25 "2003-07-09T02:33:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by you with the face \* > \*\*by **JonBodner** : > Cool your jets, dude. He didn’t call whites weak Which is fine, except that the situation where he claims that white people are better is one that pretty much doesn’t exist during the season for the Cubs. Now, if he was the Bears’ coach, that would be different. But no baseball manager says “find me a guy who plays well in the cold!” And remember, he was specifically criticizing one of his white players when he made these remarks. Do you find that acceptable? > [@](#): > > I guess I’m just wondering what you want to see happen to Dusty Baker. Do you want him canned because you think his belief jeopardizes the integrity of the baseball league? Do you want him canned because you think a white guy would get canned saying the same thing? Do you think he shouldn’t get canned? What do want to see happen? What do I want to see happen to Dusty? Nothing. He’s one of the best managers in the game. Consistently, Dusty has managed to get more from his players than you’d expect (his Giants consistently outperformed their expected wins, based on runs scored and runs allowed). I don’t think he’d pick players solely on the basis of skin color, or he wouldn’t be as successful as he’s been. But there are going to be questions about Dusty from now on, especially when people look back on the Barry Bonds/Jeff Kent circus last season. ---
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-hispanics-can-take-the-heat-better-racist-foolishness-or-common-sense/187010/26 "2003-07-09T02:54:10Z")
A white manager suggesting that his black players couldn’t handle the cold would crystallize the issue for a number of people. **KGS** > [@](#): > > And that John Rocker bigot didn’t even bother to imply – he said it overtly. Baker’s comments directly link race to better performance in the heat. Rocker, OTOH, was trash talking. His comments were like 1970s humor, Don Ricklesesque. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-hispanics-can-take-the-heat-better-racist-foolishness-or-common-sense/187010/27 "2003-07-09T03:31:12Z")
by **JonBodner** > [@](#): > > And remember, he was specifically criticizing one of his white players when he made these remarks. Do you find that acceptable? No, I don’t. It was wrong to say that. I can even say the remark was racist. But just because a comment is racist doesn’t make it comparable to _all_ racist comments, as you were trying to imply. ---
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-hispanics-can-take-the-heat-better-racist-foolishness-or-common-sense/187010/28 "2003-07-09T03:37:39Z")
> [@](#): > > “It’s easier for most Latin guys and it’s easier for most minority people because most of us come from heat,” Baker said. “You don’t find too many brothers in New Hampshire and Maine and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. … We were brought over here for the heat, right? Isn’t that history? Weren’t we brought over because we could take the heat?” I’d like to share some of my personal experiences, since they relate to the situation at hand. I’m a white, Finnish kid who grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. A couple of years ago, I worked for the Forest Service as a firefighter in Arizona. The heat sucked at first, but after a little bit, I could handle it just as well as anyone from Arizona. If I can adapt to fighting fires in 120? heat, I’m sure anyone can adapt to playing baseball during the day. I also think it’s a mistake to point to various geographical areas to show what people are adapted for. Minneapolis and Detroit both get plenty cold during the winter, and both have sizeable minority populations. I don’t think population distribution in northern areas has anything to do with what races/nationalities can “take the cold.” To use the U.P. for an example, the area was settled primarily by miners and associated tradesmen. During this time, there were large waves of immigration from Eastern & Southern Europe and Finland. That’s who settled and worked in the mines. Now, you don’t really find a whole lot of anybody in the U.P. St. Urho ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-hispanics-can-take-the-heat-better-racist-foolishness-or-common-sense/187010/29 "2003-07-09T03:57:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by you with the face \* > \*\*by **JonBodner** : > > Sure his perceptions haven’t been scientifically verified, but it’s not as if he is claiming black supremacy, unless we ignore the part where he says whites do better in the cold. Does this belief make him a racist? Maybe technically. But that doesn’t mean its equivalent to saying blacks and latinos have insufficient funds in the brains department. > \*\* Baseball is a summer sport, and (ignoring this year) more games will be played in the heat than the cold. Saying that one race excels under the normal conditions of the game and another race only excels under freak conditions _is_ claiming supremacy for one race. If someone said: “Sure black people are smarter than white people, when they’re on Mars!” you’d notice that, well, that concession doesn’t mean anything. Baker’s comments really were similar. To paraphrase: “White people can’t handle the heat. We play day games so white people can’t handle that.” Ooh, but they can sure play the hell outta the ball during a blizzard! (With not-so-fond recollections of the '97 series.) Julie ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-hispanics-can-take-the-heat-better-racist-foolishness-or-common-sense/187010/30 "2003-07-09T04:02:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by you with the face \* > \*\*by **JonBodner** : > > Sure his perceptions haven’t been scientifically verified, but it’s not as if he is claiming black supremacy, unless we ignore the part where he says whites do better in the cold. Does this belief make him a racist? Maybe technically. But that doesn’t mean its equivalent to saying blacks and latinos have insufficient funds in the brains department. > \*\* Baseball is a summer sport, and (ignoring this year) more games will be played in the heat than the cold. Saying that one race excels under the normal conditions of the game and another race only excels under freak conditions _is_ claiming supremacy for one race. If someone said: “Sure black people are smarter than white people, when they’re on Mars!” you’d notice that, well, that concession doesn’t mean anything. Baker’s comments really were similar. To paraphrase: “White people can’t handle the heat. We play day games so white people can’t handle that.” Ooh, but they can sure play the hell outta the ball during a blizzard! (With not-so-fond recollections of the '97 series.) Julie ---
**Author:** ![GoHeels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@GoHeels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoHeels)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-hispanics-can-take-the-heat-better-racist-foolishness-or-common-sense/187010/31 "2003-07-09T05:01:24Z")
**monstro:** > [@](#): > > Does everyone remember Reggie White? He didn’t get a pass for his racist and homophobic remarks. True, but Reggie was an avowed and quite vocal religious conservative before he made the remarks. He was aligned with the likes of Ralph Reed and James Dobson. He was the one, remember, who said that “God commanded him to play football again” after he retired. He was on the record as saying that homosexuality was a choice. He led the movement for public prayers on the field before games. He stated that he would consider going to Green Bay from Philadelphia if he felt “God calling him there.” Simply and bluntly put, he was an easy target to pounce upon. His beliefs - and the shit he spouted that he justified based on said beliefs -“trumped” his race in this case, IMHO. I don’t think the Reggie White example refutes the double standard theory. **I Love Me, Vol. I** > [@](#): > > Dusty’s right. And his statement was not racist. He told it like it is. Wish we could all be so honest. Dusty did not come close to telling it like it is. He did not explain how various socio-economic forces drive those lowest on the economic totem pole to excel in the field most visibly open to them. Were Dusty’s comments malicious and mean? No, just misguided and incomplete. **you with the face:** > [@](#): > > I hear a lot about this double-standard, but has its existence been factual substantiated? Everytime I ask someone to provide examples of whites catching heat for something that would have been excused coming out of a black guy’s mouth, the evidence never really pans out. I don’t think the case with Baker, for instance, is comparable at all to the bullshits of Rocker, Zeller, or Campanis, and yet people are quick to point to those guys as proof of a double-standard. > > I’m wondering if it possible that this double-standard is based more on perception than fact? It’s probably impossible to factually substantiate it, but I do think it exists. I just got through watching a CNN report on the Dusty comments, and Harry Edwards, a Cal-Berkeley professor of sociology who is probably the pre-eminent authority on most issues relating to sports and race, admitted that had a white manager said what Dusty said, he’d be out on his ass (Edwards was, IIRC, the guy who organized the 1968 boycott of the Olympics by black American athletes to protest race relations in the US at the time). Obviously, this doesn’t count for conclusive proof, but one example of the double standard is the Jamie Foxx comedy special on HBO. I think it was **monstro** in another thread who described how disappointed she was to see a black comedian perform a whole routine that consisted of not much more that reinforcing ugly stereotypes about Arabs. I saw the Foxx performance myself and I’m reasonably confident that had it been a white comedian saying that stuff, he’d have been lambasted and not trumpeted on HBO. Like I said, as a white guy, the double standard is a mildly annoying fact of life in early 21st century America for us poor oppressed American white guys. :rolleyes: > [@](#): > > I agree. It doesn’t matter if the “offender” is white or black; people shouldn’t be so quick to brand them as bigotted racists. People also shouldn’t be quick to defend them if they truly said something foul. Consistency is the key. If Baker was white and the media was trying to brew up a controversy over his words, would the anti-PC police throw around accusations of hypersensitivity? Is so, for consistency’s sake, the anti-PC police should do the same for Baker as a black man. In reality, however, it looks as if all too often the anti-PC police abandons its stand against hypersensitivity and starts yelling racism as soon as the offender becomes black. A-fucking-men. Although unrelated to the topic at hand, I think the entire basis for the vitriol heaped upon Tim Robbins, the Dixie Chicks, Michael Moore, etc. was “revenge” for what conservatives felt was the oppressive nature of PC. By subjecting the aforementioned folks to the ideological opposite of political correctness - patriotic correctness - and enjoying the discomfort felt by these folks, many of my own ideological brethren were falling prey to the short term emotional satisfaction (_Schadenfreund_ perhaps?) of those folks’ discomfort at the price of betraying their own principles. Dissent, no matter if it’s coming from the right or the left, should be tolerated, nay, encouraged. I hope left-learning and right-leaning moderates unite to tell the squawkers on both sides to chill the fuck out - you’re not helping matters. Hypersentitivity is not the way to react to hypersensitivity. And also, you with the face, thanks for the compliment at the end of your post. ---
**Author:** ![SnoopyFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SnoopyFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnoopyFan)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-hispanics-can-take-the-heat-better-racist-foolishness-or-common-sense/187010/32 "2003-07-09T05:11:54Z")
Racist? Puhleze. Maybe the statement is true, maybe not. Can’t anyone point out ANY differences (whether they’re just perceived difference or flat out factual ones) between people groups without being accused as being racist? ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-hispanics-can-take-the-heat-better-racist-foolishness-or-common-sense/187010/33 "2003-07-09T14:04:58Z")
Another point to make is that “tropical” does not necessarily mean constant high heat - it merely denotes that temperatures tend to be very uniform across the seasons. Many of the Caribbean Islands (where almost all the Latino players are from) have milder summers than much of the continental United States. I think to a native of those areas, pitching in Phoenix or Arlington in July would beat anything they’ve ever had to handle back home. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-hispanics-can-take-the-heat-better-racist-foolishness-or-common-sense/187010/34 "2003-07-09T14:44:13Z")
by **jsgoddess** > [@](#): > > Baseball is a summer sport, and (ignoring this year) more games will be played in the heat than the cold. Saying that one race excels under the normal conditions of the game and another race only excels under freak conditions _is_ claiming supremacy for one race. I could see why his remarks would be insulting. Honestly. And for him to voice his opinion in response to a pitcher’s mediocre performance enhances the insensitivity of his comments. But I know lots of people out in the real world who have made the exact kind of observation; that whites seem to handle the cold better than blacks and blacks seem to handle the heat better. Some of these people have been white and some have been black. Are these people being racist? Would it be fair to brand them with that label? To me, it would not be fair to do that. Doing so is liable to get me branded as hypersensitive, which as **december** can testify, hurts everyone. by **GoHeels** : > [@](#): > > Hypersentitivity is not the way to react to hypersensitivity. Yup. I basically expressed the same sentiment in this[thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=195235) ---
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-hispanics-can-take-the-heat-better-racist-foolishness-or-common-sense/187010/35 "2003-07-09T17:32:45Z")
OK, I’ll make one limited argument for hypersensitivity in this case. As I already mentioned in the other thread, I’m against punishing people for being stupid in public. Dusty Baker is a baseball manager. If he believes that race plays a significant role in athletic performance, he’s no better than the white baseball managers back a century or so that suggested black players couldn’t handle the cold. What’s the difference? His opinion is moronic, by the way. If you actually live where serious heat is an issue, you know that acclimatization is everything. Hydration, attitude, hats, sunglasses, and wet towels have more to do with handling the heat than race. Most important, and people forget this one, is actually going out in the heat. In our climate-controlled world many people of every race don’t deal with seasonal temperature fluctuations, save walking from vehicles to buildings. Give me any overweight snow belt citizen–let’s face it, there are a few people that meet that description–place them outside in Florida right now. They will melt, faint and die irrespective of race. ---
**Author:** ![vivian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/3e96dc/32.png) [@vivian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivian)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-hispanics-can-take-the-heat-better-racist-foolishness-or-common-sense/187010/36 "2003-07-09T19:08:10Z")
this is all just ridiculous. i think that there is some truth to what he saying. But, because I don’t have the cite to back it up, i won’t even bother. please continue to argue over this life changing comment. ---
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-hispanics-can-take-the-heat-better-racist-foolishness-or-common-sense/187010/37 "2003-07-09T20:11:35Z")
> [@](#): > > I think the mistake Dusty made was a common one, that is ascribing adaptive strategys of populations to climatic conditions to individuals. Dark skinned people are better protected from UV rays. This means that a dark skinned population will thrive better in a sunny climate than a light skinned one. The benefit is to the population as a whole over time, not to the performance of any given individual at a specific task. Given current maigratory theory in pre-history ( humans moving from warm climates to cold ones ), white skin is the evolved charactistic, to better process vitamin D from the sun, IIRC. It still dosen’t mean squat when talking about individuals and sporting events. IMHO, an understandable mistake, and not something that merits the racist accusation on its own. It bears repeating. Why is it so unreasonable to think that heat tolerance is related more to heat exposure over time than race? Put me at 10,000 feet and I can’t find any air in the air. Everyone knows that this is acclimatization to altitude. Mountain climbers camp at altitude for months before ascending for this reason. Now, we’re talking about heat. I know a little about heat. Up until the clouds rolled in local conditions outside were 95 degrees, 70 percent humidity. The clouds have come in, it’s down to around 90, nice and cool. I can handle either temperature for hours, based on having done it my entire life. I don’t think Dusty Baker is a racist so much as stupid. I’ll never forget John Rocker having to discuss his comments with the media wearing a “Goldberg / WWF” (pre-lawsuit) T-shirt. That told me all I needed to know about his comments, wrestling-like trash talk under the media spotlight in New York. I’m generally sick of the media hype surrounding silly racial opinions. The only surprising thing is the support for the opinions. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-hispanics-can-take-the-heat-better-racist-foolishness-or-common-sense/187010/38 "2003-07-09T20:46:14Z")
How ironic that a white player with a last name that is synonymous to a type of frozen precipitation was at the height of his game by grabbing Dusty’s 3 year old kid (and keeping him away from inevitable injury) while crossing home plate in a world series game. I only wish that Dusty’s drivel was spoken last year before the incident… What was the temp during that ordeal? 60-65 degrees? Ah, forget about it; that’s no big thing…would have been more remarkable if the teperature was 100 degrees since he’s just a white player… ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-hispanics-can-take-the-heat-better-racist-foolishness-or-common-sense/187010/39 "2003-07-09T21:20:36Z")
Beagle, I’m a big time wrestling fan. I was pissed at Rocker not only for his comments, but also because he wore a _Goldberg_ T-shirt! He of all people should know that Goldberg’s no wrestler; just a ham looking for some bread to lay down in. As for Dusty’s comments, I beleive he meant to allude to the many Latino and Black players who play in the hea year round, not only in the US MLB, but also in the Winter Leagues in Venezuela, the Dominican and Puerto Rico. Those players should be more acclimated to the heat than any other group. Baker was one of those players. ---
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-hispanics-can-take-the-heat-better-racist-foolishness-or-common-sense/187010/40 "2003-07-09T21:48:24Z")
It’s been discussed so many times without reference to what he said I guess [Rocker](http://www.geocities.com/sassy3149/interview32.html) should be quoted: > [@](#): > > Rocker became a target of fan ire here when he told Sports Illustrated during the offseason that he would rather retire than play for a New York team. > > **"Imagine taking the 7 train … looking like you’re (in) Beirut next to some kid with purple hair, next to some queer with AIDS, right next to some dude who got out of jail for the fourth time, right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids," he said. "It’s depressing."** > > He added: **"The biggest thing I don’t like about New York are the foreigners. You can walk an entire block in Times Square and not hear anybody speaking English. … How the hell did they get in this country?"** He’s like the Archie Bunker of baseball. Relating back to the previous accusation of racism, I wouldn’t call him a racist necessarily. The comment about “a queer with AIDS” was quite insensitive, as were several others. Again, more like an idiot running his mouth than a Grand Wizard or something. A guy unaware of tourism in Times Square is in need of some time alone with reading materials unrelated to wrestling in any way. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by capacitor \* > \*\*Beagle, I’m a big time wrestling fan. I was pissed at Rocker not only for his comments, but also because he wore a _Goldberg_ T-shirt! He of all people should know that Goldberg’s no wrestler; just a ham looking for some bread to lay down in. > > As for Dusty’s comments, I beleive he meant to allude to the many Latino and Black players who play in the hea year round, not only in the US MLB, but also in the Winter Leagues in Venezuela, the Dominican and Puerto Rico. Those players should be more acclimated to the heat than any other group. Baker was one of those players. \*\* **capacitor** If what you say is true about Dusty just referring to hot weather players the coverage hasn’t really made it out to be that way, IMO. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-hispanics-can-take-the-heat-better-racist-foolishness-or-common-sense/187010.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-and-hispanics-can-take-the-heat-better-racist-foolishness-or-common-sense/187010.md?page=3)