Black Lakers players barred from white hotel, January 17, 1959

The Times reports that detention facilities for juvenile girls is badly overcrowded but doesn't really address the reason, merely saying that the rapid increase in Southern California's population and lack of room at state facilities are to blame. But why were they suddenly locking up so many girls? I hope we find out in the days ahead. --lrh

I've been looking for references to the Lakers to see when The Times started reporting on their eventual move from Minneapolis to Los Angeles. This story caught my attention for all the obvious reasons. Elgin Baylor sat out a game during his rookie season with the Lakers after he was denied a room at a Charleston, W.Va., hotel. According to the short wire story published by The Times, "The entire Minneapolis team walked out of a midtown hotel after Baylor and two other Negro members of the Lakers were denied rooms." "They told us there we couldn't even get in a halfway decent restaurant and we had to buy some things from the grocery store and make sandwiches for dinner," Baylor said. The Lakers lost to Cincinnati, 95-91. Baylor watched the game on the bench in street clothes. A story the following day said Baylor would not be disciplined. "I know his failure to play cost us the game but he was under great emotional strain because of his attitude toward segregation," owner Bob Short said. --Keith Thursby Sinatra and Nelson Riddle at the Sands! UCLA over USC 57-53 at the Pan-Pacific!