Title/Author:
“Ruling Over Monarchs, Giants, and Stars: True Tales of
Breaking Barriers, Umpiring Baseball Legends, and Wild Adventures in the Negro
Leagues” by Bob Motley, Byron Motley and Larry Lester
Genre/topics:
Baseball,
Negro Leagues, umpire, memoir
Published:
December
27, 2011
Length:
240 pages
Rating:
5 of 5
stars (outstanding)
Review:
Bob Motley
was an umpire for the Negro Leagues starting in the late 1940’s for over a
decade. He considers himself fortunate to be able to have called games
involving some of the best players in baseball history and he shares some
wonderful stories about those years in this entertaining and humorous memoir. Along
with his son Byron and author Larry Lester, Motley recalls his time as an
arbiter with reverence and entertains the reader with stories of life in the
Negro Leagues and his views on the quality of baseball played in those leagues.
Motley
grew up in Alabama during the era when racism ran rampant in the Southern part
of the United States. He also was one of the first African-Americans to enlist
in the Marines and serve in World War II. Despite the struggles of his
childhood, he never comes across as bitter or angry about that time in the
country’s history. Of course, he believes that it was not fair to people of
color but instead of writing about the bad times, he concentrates on the good
times he had in that era. This is evident throughout the book as he tells his
stories in a manner that will make a reader smile and laugh, whether it is
about his high school dance, calling balls and strikes for a game in which Satchel
Paige is pitching, or just thinking about his family.
Speaking
of Paige, that is the player for whom Motley has the most respect. He devotes an entire chapter to the legendary
pitcher, even claiming that he might have been even faster than modern fireball
pitchers like Randy Johnson. Even his tale about making sure his “STRIIIIKKKEEE”
call on the first pitch he saw Paige throw was told in reverence.
While
stories about other players don’t have quite the same bravado, Motley does
speak fondly of other legendary players who played in the Negro Leagues such as
Hank Aaron and Ernie Banks. Motley comes across as a person who loved baseball
and the history of the game. Not just with his stories of players, but also with
his tales about ball parks. He recalls his first time at Comiskey Park when he “rolled
around on the grass like a little kid making snow angels.” I couldn’t help but smile to read a book
written by a man who simply loved the game this much.
Much like
the attitudes of many of the Negro League players who were just happy to have
the chance to play the game, Motley does the same with this book. He loves
talking about his umpiring career and how the Negro Leagues produced some very
competitive and entertaining baseball. This
book is a winner that should be read by all baseball fans.
Did I skim?
No – this was
a wonderfully entertaining book and I wanted to enjoy every story.
Pace of the book:
Excellent
– Motley never drones on too long during any one story and because he tells the
stories in a very cheerful manner, the reader will be moving quickly through
each chapter.
Do I recommend?
Anyone who
is interested in baseball history, Negro Leagues history or just a good
collection of interesting and funny tales will enjoy this book.
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