Des Moines, Iowa — Former manager Whitey Herzog said a speech he made was misinterpreted, and he was not suggesting that major league baseball is sometimes guilty of reverse racism.
Herzog's remarks to the annual Iowa Cubs FanFest luncheon Friday were reported in The Des Moines Register.
"But I do think today, the people that are really getting it stuck to them are guys like this guy over here because he isn't a minority," Herzog was quoted as saying.
The reference was to Iowa Cubs manager Bruce Kimm, who is white.
Herzog, who led the St. Louis Cardinals to the 1982 World Series championship, said he hopes Kimm someday can manage a big league team.
On Sunday, Herzog told the Associated Press his intention was to simply say good things about Kimm and point out that Kimm is a major league management prospect.
"That's all I was really trying to say, that I hope he gets a chance to manage in the big leagues," Herzog said. "I think there are a lot of people like Bruce who don't get opportunities today to be interviewed. I'm not talking about racism, I'm talking about opportunity."
Herzog said he didn't mean the remarks to be interpreted as a statement on reverse racism in hiring for management jobs in major league baseball.
"Everybody that knows me knows I'm not a racist," he said. "If I've offended any minorities, I certainly didn't mean to do that."
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