J.G. Taylor Spink
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John George Taylor Spink (November 6, 1888 – December 7, 1962) was the publisher of ''
The Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
'' from 1914 until his death in 1962. He inherited the weekly American baseball newspaper from his father Charles Spink, younger brother of its founder Alfred H. Spink. In 1962, the
Baseball Writers' Association of America The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) is a professional association for journalists writing about Major League Baseball for daily newspapers, magazines and qualifying websites. The organization was founded in 1908, and is known ...
established an annual
J. G. Taylor Spink Award The BBWAA Career Excellence Award, formerly the J. G. Taylor Spink Award, is the highest award given by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). It is given "for meritorious contributions to baseball writing" and voted on annually by ...
and named him the first recipient; Spink's name was removed from the award in February 2021 due to his history of supporting segregated baseball.


Biography

Spink was born on November 6, 1888 in
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
, the son of Charles and Marie (née Taylor) Spink. Charles had acquired ''The Sporting News'' from its founder, his brother Alfred H. Spink. In an interview with ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...
'', Gerald Holland described Spink's mother as "a great character in her own right". In 1913, Spink was an
official scorer In the game of baseball, the official scorer is a person appointed by the league to record the events on the field, and to send the official scoring record of the game back to the league offices. In addition to recording the events on the field ...
for the
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
between the Philadelphia Athletics and the New York Giants. Taylor Spink inherited ''The Sporting News'' when his father died in 1914; he would run ''The Sporting News'' for nearly a half-century, until his own death. Author Richard Peterson credits his leadership as a reason why the paper became "the Bible of baseball". During his tenure, ''The Sporting News'' published its first '' Baseball Register'' in 1940. Spink was known for ruling the paper with "an iron will and an iron fist", working every day of the week and making phone calls at any time of day, often so loudly that "he really didn't need a telephone." On the issue of racial integration in baseball, Spink wrote an editorial titled "No Good From Raising Race Issue", published in August 1942, which read in part: ""There is no law against Negroes playing with white teams, or whites with colored clubs, but neither has invited the other for the obvious reason they prefer to draw their talent from their own ranks, and because the leaders of both groups know their crowd psychology and do not care to run the risk of damaging their own game." In 1947, Spink published his biography of
Kenesaw Mountain Landis Kenesaw Mountain Landis (; November 20, 1866 – November 25, 1944) was an American jurist who served as a United States federal judge from 1905 to 1922 and the first Commissioner of Baseball from 1920 until his death. He is remembered for his ...
, the first
Commissioner of Baseball The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive officer of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the associated Minor League Baseball (MiLB) – a constellation of leagues and clubs known as "organized baseball". Under the direction of the Commiss ...
, titled ''Judge Landis and 25 Years of Baseball''. Spink died on December 7, 1962, at his home in Clayton, Missouri, and is buried in a mausoleum at
Bellefontaine Cemetery Bellefontaine Cemetery is a nonprofit, non-denominational cemetery and arboretum in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1849 as a rural cemetery, Bellefontaine is home to a number of architecturally significant monuments and mausoleums such as t ...
. Upon his death, ''The Sporting News'' passed to his son, C. C. Johnson Spink.


Legacy

In 1962, the
Baseball Writers' Association of America The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) is a professional association for journalists writing about Major League Baseball for daily newspapers, magazines and qualifying websites. The organization was founded in 1908, and is known ...
(BBWAA) inaugurated an annual award "for meritorious contributions to baseball writing"; the BBWAA named it the
J. G. Taylor Spink Award The BBWAA Career Excellence Award, formerly the J. G. Taylor Spink Award, is the highest award given by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). It is given "for meritorious contributions to baseball writing" and voted on annually by ...
and honored Spink as the first recipient. Recipients of the award are recognized at annual National Baseball Hall of Fame ceremonies. In February 2021, the BBWAA voted to remove his name from the award, "due to Spink’s troubled history in supporting segregated baseball." In 1969, Spink was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame. As of 1970, the
Topps Minor League Player of the Year Award The Topps Minor League Player of the Year Award was presented by Topps, The Topps Company in conjunction with Minor League Baseball to a minor-league player deemed to have had the most outstanding season. It was awarded annually beginning in 1960, ...
was also named in honor of Spink. Circa 1974, Spink's son published a collection of stories about his father, titled ''Taylor Spink... The Legend and The Man''. A third award bearing Spink's name, dating to at least the early 1960s, recognizes a player as "St. Louis baseball man of the year"; winners have included
Willie McGee Willie Dean McGee (born November 2, 1958) is an American professional baseball coach and former outfielder who is an assistant coach for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for four teams, over 18 seasons. H ...
for the 1985 season, and Jack Flaherty for the 2019 season.


Notes


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Spink, J.G. Taylor 1888 births 1962 deaths People from St. Louis American newspaper publishers (people) American sportswriters BBWAA Career Excellence Award recipients Burials at Bellefontaine Cemetery