“Yawkey was lauded for his charitable work”, Stout continues. which documents amounted to approximately $ 100, 000 annually….the major beneficiaries being Yale University, the Jimmy Fund, and the Tara Hall School for Boys in South Carolina, where TY maintained a home for many years (some called it a plantation)….But the Red Sox, who won two pennants, had a record barely over .500 in his years as an owner.”
“The eulogies only told half the story,” he continues. “Despite his 43 years in the spotlight, few people, apart from his wife, knew him….in many ways Yawkey had remained a cipher, his true motivation a virtual secret.”
Stout sums up his opinion, which I share, by writing “Behind the myth, TY usually did things for TY. What was often seen and understood as altruism was at the same time a kind of venal self-indulgence.” He closes with “Yawkey remained primarily concerned with his own narrow self-interest…time and time again Yawkey took care of Yawkey first and followed the party line.”
Thomas Austin Yawkey had many chances to advance the course of major league baseball. But self-interest and conservatism won out.”
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