The Hue and Cry at Darrell's Over the Nats

Each customer entering Darrell's barbershop this morning was asked the same question: "Did you get the call yet?" That's the only thing the barbers and the fellows getting haircuts wanted to know.

From Bobby T., who was clipping Fishbone's hair at the far end of the shop, to the entrance, where Darrell was trying to get a word in edgewise over trash-talking Jerome, the buzz was all about the mad scramble by the rich, white prospective owners of the Washington Nationals baseball team to recruit African American men into their investor groups. The word in Darrell's shop was that just about every black man in D.C. able to stand and draw breath in his body had been approached to add window dressing to one of the eight groups competing to own the team.

Jerome, settling into Darrell's chair for the duration of the morning, shouted over the sound of the electric clippers: "They asked me, but I said I was too busy."

"Too busy doing what?" challenged Fatmouth, the barber trainee, who was better at verbal jousting than cutting hair. His voice rising several octaves, Fatmouth declared: "Jerome, the last time I saw you busy, you were working on your jump shot."

"Busy?" Fatmouth asked again. "Jerome, the only reason you're in a two-income family is 'cause your wife has two jobs."

Darrell quickly intervened before things got out of hand.

"You know, this stampede to add blacks is really a sight to see."

"What d'ya mean?" asked Bobby T.

"Well, I can remember when Jackie Robinson played his first game for the Brooklyn Dodgers back in 1947. Before he was signed, major league baseball was lily white for decades," Darrell said.

"Even after Jackie broke into the game there were players, owners and fans who didn't want him on the field," he said. "Now look at where we are. We're not only in baseball uniforms, they now want us to be owners. We've come a long way with some strong helping hands," said Darrell.

Until then, Fast Frankie, who was now getting his hair cut by Bobby T., had been quiet. But he thought Darrell was giving the would-be buyers of the Nationals too much credit.

"Whoa, my man," Fast Frankie said, "Don't be so fast with those 'Good Guy' medals. "There's not a Branch Rickey among 'em." (Branch Rickey being the Brooklyn Dodgers president and the pioneer who broke the color bar by signing Robinson.) "Rickey didn't go after Jackie 'cause the league and Brooklyn politicians put pressure on him," he observed. "He did it because he wanted to win a pennant and he thought Jackie could help him do it," said Fast Frankie, adding, "I also read where Jackie's wife, Rachel, said Rickey had a great deal of integrity and was also committed to making integration work."