Former Red Sox president John Harrington is doubling down on his plea to the city and ownership to keep the name Yawkey Way, saying he’s backed by the Fenway faithful who have responded to a three-page letter he wrote defending the team’s history.
“I was worried people might not read it, but I’ve received tons of feedback,” he told the Herald last night. “People are apparently hearing the other side of the Jackie Robinson story.”
Harrington said former team owner Tom Yawkey — blasted for running the last team in baseball to integrate — wasn’t in Boston when Robinson tried out at Fenway Park in April 1945 and, therefore, couldn’t have yelled a racial slur at him and two other Negro League players who were there for a tryout.