Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 15, 1994 TAG: 9404150036
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
David V. Kahn, president of the AJC, welcomed Carlton's statement disavowing a number of statements attributed to the pitcher in Philadelphia Magazine, and said the organization no longer would oppose Carlton's induction into baseball's Hall of Fame.
"It is, of course, important to the millions of Americans who view major-league baseball as one of the most precious of our national institutions that those who are honored by entry in its Hall of Fame exhibit character and values in keeping with their acknowledged skill on the field," Kahn said in a statement issued Thursday.
"Steve Carlton was undoubtedly one of baseball's most outstanding pitchers. We are relieved to hear from him that he denies making remarks that could be interpreted as offensive to Jews and that he finds them as repugnant as we do. Just as baseball embodies our best American tradition, so does Mr. Carlton's rejection and repudiation of bigotry."
The group had reacted angrily to the article and asked that the pitcher be barred from enshrinement in Cooperstown, N.Y. Of particular concern were references to "The Elders of Zion" and "12 Jewish bankers" meeting in Switzerland and ruling the world.
Carlton, elected in January to the Hall of Fame and due for induction July 31, was quick to distance himself from the story.
The pitcher issued a statement in which he said, "I have just become aware of the request for an apology from the American Jewish Congress. I join with them in calling for an apology for the insensitive remarks attributed to me by Pat Jordan, the man who wrote the article in question.
"The article has almost no truth in it. I reject it completely. It is wrong about my baseball career, my personal beliefs, my family life and my new hometown [Durango, Colo.]. There are so many errors that it would be foolish to try to correct them individually.
"But let me say that I specifically deny saying anything that could be interpreted as offensive to Jewish people. I stand on my long record of treating all teammates and opponents with the same respect, be they Jewish, black or white."
Carlton went on to say former Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax, a Jew, was one of his role models and that he would be appearing at an event with Koufax in the near future.
Jordan, a minor-league pitcher before turning to writing, stood by his story, developed in a two-day visit to Carlton's 400-acre ranch near Durango.
"I went there and I wrote what he said, and I don't care what he says," Jordan said from his home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "I didn't invent this stuff."
by CNB