For the uneducated and emotionally distressed.
A brief history of Chief Wahoo and The Cleveland Indians
In 1947, Cleveland Indians owner Bill Veeck hired seventeen-year-old draftsman Walter Goldbach. Tasked with creating a mascot for the Cleveland Indians that "would convey a spirit of pure joy and unbridled enthusiasm", he created a smiling face with yellow skin and a prominent nose. The name "Indians" and "Chief Wahoo" were meant to honor Louis Sockalexis, an outfielder for the Indians' predecessors the Cleveland Spiders and one of the FIRST Native Americans to play Major League Baseball. Another Native American baseball player, Allie Reynolds, pitched for the Indians for five years beginning in 1942, mostly as a starter. He was later traded to the New York Yankees. On October 6, 1950, the Plain Dealer, under the title of “Chief Wahoo Whizzing”, stated “Allie (Chief Wahoo) Reynolds, the copper-skinned Creek” lost to Philadelphia, but “in the clutches, though, the Chief was a standup gent—tougher than Sitting Bull.” In subsequent articles, Reynolds was again called “Chief Wahoo”, “old Wahoo”, and just plain “Wahoo”.
The name Big Chief Wahoo is said to have originated from a 1937 newspaper comic strip called Big Chief Wahoo. Wahoo was a short Native American in a ten-gallon hat who was played for laughs but showed courage, loyalty, and common sense. It was whites who were often the targets of the jokes (Wahoo: "Paleface full of prunes!"), and of vigorous defenses of Native Americans.
It's sad to see such a positive Mascot of Baseball History be destroyed by the uneducated and overly emotional people of this Great Nation. Big Chief Wahoo and other Native American Indians will now be erased from the pages of history and be forgotten with each passing generation.
Rest In Peace Louis Sockalexis
Rest In Peace Allie Reynolds
Rest In Peace Walter Goldbach
Rest In Peace Chief Wahoo