![]() ![]() Most take for granted that had Troy been given a chance in the major leagues, he would have not only played better than a journeyman like Selkirk but “could have … surpassed even the likes of Jackie Robinson or Babe Ruth” (Shannon 97). ![]() ![]() While Troy’s criticism of Robinson causes some to recoil-noting that Troy seems partly motivated by “jealousy” (Saunders 49) toward “Robinson, and other baseball players who now have opportunities he was denied” (Bogumil 39)-they still yield to his overall claim, citing contemporary Negro Leaguers who also disparaged Robinson and concluding that Robinson achieved his historical position as much because he was a “model citizen” (Koprince 351) as because of any baseball ability, making him “the right man for the job in spite of not being the most gifted player the Negro Leagues had to offer” (Saunders 47). 432 with thirty-seven home runs, never played for the majors while white Selkirk … played right field for the Yankees” (Birdwell 89), despite Selkirk’s “paltry” hitting (Koprince 352). Almost unanimously, critics have joined Troy in being “angry that he, a great player who hit. After all, it fits nicely into the standard take on Fences, in which Troy’s tragedy represents that of a lost generation of great black baseball players, mute inglorious Babe Ruths denied fame and glory by the institutional racism of their time. The play’s critics, however, appear to have taken even this provocative attack at close to face value. ![]()
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