Jun 03 2016 02:49 PM
The SABR Bio Project lands the golden fleece of baseball bios.
| After the United States entered the war, Niss served as Brooklyn sports chairman in the drive to sell war bonds. His total of $100 million in sales was his proudest achievement. The effort included staging a number of benefit shows at Ebbets Field. One such show, on April 13, 1944, featured Frank Sinatra at the height of his early popularity as a singer. Niss later told his son Steve how it happened. An Eagle reporter saw Sinatra in a restaurant; the reporter called Niss and asked if he should approach the star about taking part. Lou was doubtful, but said to ask anyway. Sinatra replied that he had heard about the good work and that he would definitely be there. There was skepticism about whether “The Voice” would really show up, but he did – photos of the day show him wearing a Dodgers cap. It was the only time Niss met Sinatra, but his impressions were very positive. |
| Niss’s social consciousness was visible when the Dodgers signed Jackie Robinson for their farm team in Montreal in late October 1945. Soon thereafter, Michael Carter, a columnist for The Afro-American, observed that Niss “long ago recommended that colored players start in the minor leagues and work up. Any other technique would alienate white players who had to start that way. Today Lou seems to be justified.” Niss has received no mention in the many books that have been published about Robinson, Rickey, and “The Great Experiment.” Yet his son Steve states that, “Next to Rickey, Dad was one of the most important people in this endeavor. He worked very closely with Rickey to insure that when Robinson was brought to the majors, they had done everything possible to make the transition smooth and accepting.” To insure this, Niss spent many hours working with community and church leaders, as well as those within baseball. Without his efforts, it might not as been as successful as it was. |
| Niss emphasized team unity, regardless of skin color. When pitchers and catchers reported to spring training in February 1962, there were two African-Americans among them: Al Jackson and Choo-Choo Coleman. Milton Gross of the New York Post wrote, “They are the first Negro players in baseball history to be living and eating at the same hotel with their white teammates at a permanent training base in Florida.” In Gross’s account, they went for a walk after breakfast, and Niss introduced himself, encouraging them to join the rest of the club for the bus ride to the ballpark. Niss said, “We’re all here together. If anything bothers you, tell me. That’s my job. I’m getting paid to see that all the players are comfortable. |
Impressive legacy for a guy who you might have thought was just about making sure John Stearns got late-night room service.