Hi Rhett
Here's my recollection of the 1947 - 1948 American League events regarding Larry Doby and Satchell Paige. I was only 10 years old then,
but a very avid BB fan (Yankees), and with an unforgetable memory of those great times.
As you know, as you age, the memories of your youth can be surprisingly clear. But, you cannot recall yesterday's events
Anyhow, in 1948 Larry Doby was actually 3rd in the "favorability" column. He was sort of overshadowed by his new teammate, Satchell Paige.
Paige was everyone's favorite. Nonetheless, the two of them together were instrumental in Cleveland's American League Championship victory.
Paige....W-L 6-1 (including 2 Shutouts) and 2.48 ERA
Doby....BA= .301 (132 Hits), 14 HR's, 83 Runs, 66 RBI's
The general Sports media back then of course favored Jackie Robinson. However, the North Jersey sports media really gave Larry Doby a lot of
publicity since he lived in Paterson, NJ.
Larry was a really friendly guy to meet with and chat and get his autograph.
.
Incidentally, in the 1936 Summer Olympics, Jessie Owens certainly deserved all the publicity. Ironically, Mack Robinson (Jackie's older brother)
was also a tremendous athlete in this Olympics. But, how many people recall Mack Robinson's achievement's ?
TED Z
T206 Reference
.