Lawrence W. Whiteside (September 19, 1937 – June 15, 2007), nicknamed "Sides",[1] was an American journalist known for his newspaper coverage of baseball, most notably of the Boston Red Sox for The Boston Globe.
In 1971, Whiteside started The Black List to help sports editors find qualified black journalists to hire. Initially The Black List only had nine names, but by 1983 it had expanded to more than 90.[4]
Boston
Whiteside moved to Boston in 1973, where he worked for The Boston Globe through the end of his career.[3] At the time, he was the only black journalist covering Major League Baseball on a daily basis for a major paper.[4]
Whiteside developed Parkinson's disease early in the 21st century, which led to the end of his reporting career in 2004.[3] In September 2003, the Red Sox had Whiteside throw out a ceremonial first pitch at Fenway Park.[5] Whiteside died in Boston in June 2007, survived by his wife and one son.[3] The day that Whiteside died, the Red Sox observed a moment of silence in his honor prior to their home game against the San Francisco Giants.[3]
Legacy
In July 2007, Whiteside was selected by a Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) committee as one of three finalists for the J. G. Taylor Spink Award,[6] and he was announced as the winner on December 5 following a vote by the BBWAA membership; he was honored in July 2008.[7] Whiteside became the first African-American beat writer to receive the Spink Award.[8]
