Toilet Racism Mixed With A Perfect Game

Jul 14, 2011 by winjaw

The Sons, The Dress and I watched a movie last night – The Perfect Game.

Based on a true story, the movie is about a group of young boys from Mexico who came to America to play in the Little League World Series. It was 1957.

Ah yes, the 50s. Rock-n-Roll, fast cars, waitresses on roller skates and racism.

Rampant racism.

In one scene, the Mexican kids, along with their coach and priest, are eating at a diner. Another Little League team – white – are eating there as well. Turns out the white team has a black player, who is sitting by himself at a faraway table. The Mexican kids watch the black kid, and then go over and sit with him. And the black kid teaches the Mexican kids a few English words, and vice versa, because the Mexican kids don’t speak English.

The look on the face of the white coach was simply priceless.

The Mexican kids also don’t read English.

In another scene the team is at a gas station and a couple of the boys need to use the bathroom. When asked to use the bathroom, the white attendant informs the team’s coach there is one about a half-mile down the road.

Meanwhile the kids are trying to get into the bathroom at the gas station, but it’s locked. And there’s a sign on it.

As I said, the kids can’t read English. So the priest reads it to them.

“It’s for white people only,” he says.

“How does the toilet know?” one of the kids asked.

Exactly.

The kicker to all this?

This rag-tag team ends up winning the World Series, the first non-U.S. team to do so. To add a kicker to the kicker, in the last game, the Mexican pitcher throws a perfect game – the first by anyone of any color. That feat has yet to be duplicated in the Little League World Series.

It seems toilets – and baseballs – don’t see color.