Baseball Bosses Vote Affirmative

Major league baseball has accepted the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s demand that teams increase the number of minorities in management positions, but National Football League Commissioner Pete Rozelle said Wednesday there’s little he can do until the teams themselves take the first step.

Said Rozelle, speaking at the Associated Press Sports Editors’ convention in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., “I’m certain we’ll have a black head coach when an owner thinks that coach can help him win. Until that time, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth made his announcement about baseball’s affirmative action program at a Philadelphia press conference with Jackson, who earlier had met with baseball owners at their summer meetings.

“Every team in major league baseball will have a strong and positive affirmative action program in place within the next 30 days,” Ueberroth said.

Last month, Jackson gave baseball until June 29 to devise an affirmative-action plan or face boycotts by civil-rights activists.