Bill White: The National League's New Boss; Baseball Selects the First Black to Head a Major-League Sports Organization

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Bill White The National League's New Boss

Baseball selects the first Black to head a major-league sports organization

WHEN Bill White made his major-league baseball debut on May 7, 1956, he did it in very dramatic fashion. Incredibly, in his first at-bat, he hit a home run and joined a very small group of players who have entered the big leagues with such a bang.

Today, 33 years later, White's association with baseball is still one of distinction. The former first baseman for the New York/San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies is the first Black to be named president of the National League, making him the first Black to head a big-time sports league.

"It's certainly an honor and a culmination of a career that began when [former league president] Chub Feeney signed me to my first major-league contract," says White, whose four-year term began in April. "I hope to bring …