Review of "After Jackie"

It's not often that I complete books on two consecutive days, but with rainy weather in my area and re-discovering audio books, it's possible to get more books completed now.  This book caught my interest when it was a special on Audible, so I picked it up.  Here is my review of "After Jackie." 

Title/Author:

“After Jackie: Fifteen Pioneers Who Helped Change the Face of Baseball” by Jeffrey S. Copeland, narrated by Virtual Voice

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

While the story of Jackie Robinson is well-known, even by people who are not baseball fans, he was not the only Black baseball player who faced challenges in the early days of the integration of the sport. Many fans, managers, fellow players and even teams were resistant to the inevitable change, but by 1959, all 16 major league teams had at least one Black player. Aside from Robinson, this book by Jeffrey S. Copeland introduces the reader to the first Black player for each of the other 15 teams.

The format for each chapter, one for each player, is the same and explained in the preface. The chapter starts with the name of the player and the team with which he entered the major leagues.  Then a description of him in a team picture or with teammates, an interesting story about him, a brief summary of his career, and his major league stats.  It starts with Larry Doby, who signed with the Cleveland Indians later in the 1947 season and ends with Pumpsie Green, who signed with the Boston Red Sox in 1959 to become the final club to integrate.

What made the book enjoyable as a leisurely read was that the stories were not strictly about baseball, social justice or even about the player’s life.  While there was some of these types of stories, they were mostly one snippet of either their time on the field with the major league team or interactions in places like the team hotel or at meals.  One of the better stories was actually one that was well-known.  The story on Sam Jethroe, the first Black player signed by the then-Boston Braves in 1950, was mostly about his tryout with the Red Sox in 1945 – a story well known because Jackie Robinson was also in that tryout.  As it is known, the Red Sox had no intention of signing those players.  It was their loss and the gains for the Dodgers and Braves.

While overall this book is very good, if a reader is interested in it, I highly recommend avoiding the audio version and picking either the physical or electronic copy.  The biggest reason is so that the captions of the pictures make sense since the reader can see those photos.  The other main reason is that the virtual voice narration reads the player statistics in a manner that is not done by baseball fans and broadcaster.  For example, if the player’s batting average is .275, instead of “two seventy-five”, the narration says the batting average is “point two seven five.”  Otherwise, the narration is okay, but it still was strange to hear this.

Link: After Jackie: Fifteen Pioneers Who Helped Change the Face of Baseball: Copeland, Jeffrey S.: 9781557789488: Amazon.com: Books

Review of “Joe Black: More than a Dodger”

I belong to the baseball book club on Goodreads and each season after the World Series ends, we choose a book on the winning team as a group read. This book was our selection after the Dodgers won this year’s fall classic. Here is my review of “Joe Black.”

Title: “Joe Black: More Than a Dodger” by Martha Jo Black and Chuck Schnoffner

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: 

Say the name Joe Black today to most baseball fans and the response you most likely will get is “Who’s that?” But that wouldn’t be the case back in 1952 when as a rookie he almost single-handedly pitched the Brooklyn Dodgers to the 1952 National League pennant. This book by Black’s daughter Martha Jo and Chuck Schoffner tells of that special season and why it meant so much to the young pitcher.

The book as a whole is pretty standard fare as a biography for a Black baseball player in the early 1950’s. The color barrier had just been broken by Jackie Robison and by 1952, enough Black players were playing in Major League Baseball that the talent level and interest in the Negro Leagues was waning. Having gotten his crack at professional baseball in the Negro Leagues, Black was able to overcome the significant barriers he and his fellow Black players encountered to eventually pitch in the Major Leagues. Unfortunately, he never regained the magic of his 1952 season, gradually getting worse, and was eventually released by the Dodgers in 1957. He did sign with the Washington Senators for 1958 but pitched very poorly for them as that was his last season.

While reading about his baseball career was okay, I liked the chapters on his life outside of baseball better, especially his success first as a teacher and then as an executive for Greyhound Bus. He followed his mother’s advice and made sure to complete his education which paid off for him as it was unusual for baseball players in that era to have a college degree. It also contributed to another chapter in his post-pitching career that I enjoyed reading about. 

Black was hired by MLB to guide players to be successful after baseball, but he grew increasingly frustrated by the lack of attention to this and caring about the history of the game for Black players. This was profoundly illustrated when it was written that future white Hall of Fame players like Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux wanted to talk to Black about topics like the Negro Leagues while a Black player like Vince Coleman had no idea who Jackie Robinson was. Frankly, that is very sad. 

While the book didn’t have much of a “wow” factor for me as far as the baseball goes, it was nonetheless very interesting to read about Black’s life away from the diamond and it makes the title to be a very apt one for describing the man’s life. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Joe-Black-More-than-Dodger/dp/0897337530/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3L0E3FQZ7OA61&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.k1EqE-mL-VZaiODe_OB0mtguH9sHtm5jfVj5pMhoxkaSVjWtiuKTlFgTbGcBpbS4u4I_-byDlLNeyt_FWzS9q_c0y-qW2lKSstBmvN_ygZHWsmWB3s7JNuvk-5oDxOIVLMueYb8MoCVpqxsc6xqrxo8bVJUGQz7LTGP47CypGgmDjAgNHWw8eXpC6N9vagtFWFUDAmpPIZrppyASOsqhBh-vxo4U0NUBdXSdVD9DPN8.OeIw0BRfO41-LBAKK26a9ZDyDYXEUxsnw9NjLVO1Uh4&dib_tag=se&keywords=Joe+black+more&qid=1731114034&sprefix=joe+black+more+%2Caps%2C120&sr=8-1 

Review of "Pretend the Ball Is Named Jim Crow"

I rarely read poetry books, but the title of this one caught my attention and when I read the description, I had to give it a try.  It is NOT your typical collection of poems - it is one that is powerful and worth the short time to read. Here is my review.

Title/Author:

“Pretend the Ball Is Named Jim Crow: The Story of Josh Gibson” by Dorian Hairston

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:  

Josh Gibson is undoubtedly one of the best players who toiled in the Negro Leagues before Black players were integrated into Major League baseball. There have been books and other publications illustrating Gibson’s life and career, but none of them do so as eloquently as this book by Dorian Hairston.

Instead of writing in regular text, Hairston tells Gibson’s story through poetry and it is powerful.  There are several people who are telling the story.  Gibson himself is of course the primary character, but his wife Helen (who sadly died while giving birth to their twin children Josh Jr and Helen) and the man credited with discovering Gibson, Hooks Tinker, are also voices heard in the book.

It is also a book about much more than baseball.  That is why I used the word “voices” as while Gibson’s baseball career is described, this collection of poems will tell the reader about the struggles of Black people, both on the diamond and elsewhere.  The introduction by Hairston is also powerful in its description of not only the struggles of Blacks in society but also the role baseball’s color barrier played in this period. This is one of the best collections of poetry I have ever read and is one that whether one is interested in baseball, the history of racial relations in the United States, or poetry, it is one to add to a reader’s library.

I wish to thank University Press of Kentucky for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Link: Amazon.com: Pretend the Ball Is Named Jim Crow: The Story of Josh Gibson: 9780813198880: Hairston, Dorian: Books

Review of "Comeback Season"

The premise of this book sounded fascinating so it was one I decided to pick up as it is always great to learn more about the Negro Leagues, especially now that they are finally recognized as Major League.  This book about a teenager striking up friendships with many former Negro League players that turned into something bigger for everyone is a GREAT book that I recommend for all.  Here is my review of "Comeback Season"

Title/Author:

“Comeback Season: My Unlikely Story of Friendship with the Greatest Living Negro League Baseball Players” by Cam Perron

Tags:

Baseball, professional, memoir, Negro Leagues, History

Publish date:

March 30, 2021

Length:

272 pages

Rating:

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

Cam Perron, a white teenager from the Boston area, started his most successful project by doing what many teenage boys do – collect items such as baseball cards.  This hobby became something bigger when Cam received cards for players from the Negro Leagues.  Intrigued by their history, he started searching for these men to connect to get their autographs. These requests for autographs turned into regular correspondence with some of them.  As Cam talked and wrote to them, some of the stories these players shared ended with wishes to connect with old friends and teammates. Cam obliged as well as he could and eventually he and these players became like one big family, culminating in the creation of a Negro Leagues museum in Birmingham, Alabama.  Cam’s story is an engrossing and wonderful story that is a joy to read. 

At the beginning of Cam’s interest in connecting with these players was met with some skepticism as many of these men, having endured years of racism when playing the game they loved, did not respond.  Those that did, however, ended up being overjoyed to see someone recognize them and wishing to listen to their stories.  While Cam writes about his connections at this time with joy, it is clear, as he describes later, that he wanted to do more than just have friendships with these players. He teams up with a Negro Leagues researcher, Dr. Layton Revel, in order to find documentation to prove that these players did play long enough to collect a pension from Major League Baseball.  Cam and Dr. Revel were successful in doing this for several players.

Their efforts gained the attention of the media and even more former Negro League players, which made Cam and Dr. Revel even more determined to not only gain pensions for those who earned them, but also to have a reunion of these players while they were still alive at the museum dedicated to them.  It should be noted that this is separate from the Negro Leagues Museum in Kansas City – this is a different museum, where the main attraction is a large case of baseball, each one signed by a player from the later era of the Negro Leagues.

This is one aspect of both Cam’s project and the book that is quite different from other books and research on the Negro Leagues.  Many of the players highlighted in the book played in the Negro Leagues after the integration of the Major Leagues.  Because of the unwritten quotas for Black players set by teams and also the view that the Negro Leagues were prime developing grounds for future Major League players, the players of this era may not be as recognizable to the regular fan, but make no mistake, these players were excellent at the game, they loved playing, and their stories are just as entertaining and enlightening as those of the more famous Negro League stars.

One of the players whose story is featured in the book is James “Cowboy” Atterbury who played in for the Philadelphia Stars in 1962 and 1963.  While his story is one that is uplifting because he got that chance to play professionally with the Stars, it is also one that sadly displays the racism and the discrimination he and other Negro League players, even as late as the 1960s.  Cam lets the players tell their stories themselves frequently in the book which is a great decision on his part.  It made the book a fantastic account of not only the players and the Negro Leagues after integration of the Major Leagues, but also an uplifting book of friendships that go well beyond baseball.  One doesn’t have to be a baseball fan to enjoy this book.

I wish to thank Gallery Books for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)                                                                                                                                

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Comeback-Season-Unlikely-Friendship-Greatest/dp/1982153601/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr
 

Review of "J.L. Wilkinson and the Kansas City Monarchs"

 As we approach the holiday season and the end of 2020, like many others, I have been interested in learning even more about the Negro Leagues after they obtained major league status.  This book is a good read on one of the most successful teams of that time, the Kansas City Monarchs.  Here is my review of "J.L. Wilkinson and the Kansas City Monarchs." 

Title/Author:

“J.L Wilkinson and the Kansas City Monarchs: Trailblazers in Black Baseball" by William A. Young

Tags:

Baseball, professional, Monarchs, Negro Leagues, history

Publish date:

November 2, 2016

Length:

240 pages

Rating:

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

The Kansas City Monarchs were one of the most successful franchises in the Negro Leagues for nearly the entire time those organizations existed.  They wouldn't have lasted long into their first decade had it not been for the resources and progressive actions of the team's first owner who was a white man, J.L. Wilkinson.  The story of Wilkinson and the Monarchs is captured in this quick, easy read by William Young.  

At times, especially in the beginning of the book when the topic is mainly Wilkinson and his interest in owning a baseball franchise, seems to be TOO easy a read and is more of a long conversation instead of a story. Because of this, at times a reader may become lost with all of the names of people, players and others involved in the Monarchs or Negro Leagues. Those are the only aspects of the book that is otherwise a very good source of information on not only the Monarchs franchise but also for the development of the Negro Leagues.

Reading about how Rube Foster's dream of creating a professional league for Black players who were not allowed to play major league baseball is probably the best part of the book.  However, that doesn't diminish the colorful history of the Monarchs team, whose history and players make for great stories and are shared in this book.  Through it all, the most common theme, however, is Wilkinson's acceptance by everyone involved with the team.  This is because not only did he treat his players and employees fairly, he compensated them well (in line with what white players earned in the major leagues) and provided them with the best equipment, uniforms and facilities possible.  It is also notable that despite having to rent the ballpark in which the Monarchs played, he did not follow the standards of the day and opened all parts of the park to all fans, regardless of race.

This is a book that readers who are interested in the team or the Negro Leagues, especially with the increased attention those leagues have received after obtaining the long overdue major league status, should pick up and learn the story of one of the most storied franchises.

I wish to thank McFarland for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

E-book (PDF)

Buying Links:

https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/jl-wilkinson-and-the-kansas-city-monarchs/

https://www.amazon.com/J-L-Wilkinson-Kansas-City-Monarchs-ebook/dp/B01N66LXZC/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=  

Review of "24: Life Stories and Lessons from the Say Hey Kid"

The old saying that patience is a virtue does pay off at times.  This was a book that I was not able to obtain as an advance copy and I had to wait for several months for a library version to become available - but it was worth the wait.  Here is my review of this excellent book on the "Say Hey Kid", Willie Mays. 

Title/Author:

“24: Life Stories and Lessons from the Say Hey Kid" by Willie Mays and John Shea

Tags:

Baseball, history, Giants, Mets, Negro Leagues, professional

Publish date:

March 5, 2020

Length:

352 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

No matter how one looks at his career – traditional statistics, analytics and advanced statistics or for those who saw him, the eye test – Willie Mays is certainly one of the greatest baseball players of all time.  In this book co-authored with John Shea, Mays shares thoughts on a wide range of baseball topics with personal passages mingled in with Shea's writing during each chapter.

It's no coincidence that the book has 24 chapters to match the uniform number he wore for his two major league teams, the New York/San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets. The title may lead a reader to believe that there isn't much baseball in the book and instead is advice and lessons – that is not the case at all.  Mays uses his baseball experiences to provide the lessons that he espouses at the end of each chapter.  It isn't just about his exploits on the field as many of the stories are told after his playing days ended and some of the better chapters are during this section of the book, such as how happy he was when the Giants won three World Series championships in five years during the 2010's.

One chapter that stood out for me in the latter parts of the book was the chapter they wrote about Barry Bonds.  Of course, being that Mays is the godfather of Barry and was very friendly with his father Bobby, one might expect this chapter to be less critical than many other writings have been of the polarizing Barry Bonds.  What I found particularly interesting is how he has done what he could for Barry out of respect for his friend.  When Bobby was near death, that was his request to Mays – to take care of Barry and Mays has kept that promise.

Since Mays played in the Negro Leagues before joining the Giants organization, there is a section on his time there and like many other writings about that league, it is filled with interesting stories and at the same time paints a disturbing picture of the racism faced by these players.  That continues into his time in the major leagues, but in typical Willie Mays fashion, he exudes class and grace when talking about this time.

The same can be said for any other time one might believe that Mays might be upset.  This would include the loss to the Yankees in the 1962 World Series and the suspension from baseball he and Mickey Mantle were given by Bowie Kuhn when the two of them were working for Bally's in Atlantic City.  Also, speaking of Mantle, he is included in another chapter that alone makes the book a must-read: the debate that took New York City by storm in the 1950's – who was the better center fielder, Willie, Mickey or the Duke (Snider).

Any reader, no matter their level of interest in baseball, who knows about Willie Mays, should pick up this book as it is wonderful collection of stories written in an unconventional style about a one-of-a-kind baseball legend.

Book Format Read:

E-Book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/24-Life-Stories-Lessons-Say-ebook/dp/B07PDJF3XH/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Review of "The Bona Fide Legend of Cool Papa Bell"

Any book on the Negro Leagues is bound to have very entertaining stories and this wonderful biography of James "Cool Papa" Bell is no exception.  The only downfall of his story, and those of his teammates that are told as well, is that they did not get the chance to showcase their skills in the major leagues.  Here is my review of this biography. 

Title/Author:

“The Bona Fide Legend of Cool Papa Bell: Speed, Grace and the Negro Leagues" by Lonnie Wheeler

Tags:

Baseball, professional, biography, history, Negro Leagues

Publish date:

February 9, 2021

Length:

352 pages

Rating: to

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

Most baseball fans have heard of the story that James "Cool Papa" Bell was supposedly so fast that he could turn out the lights and be in bed before the room was dark. The actual story behind that myth is just one of the many wonderful passages about this Hall of Fame outfielder in this book by the late Lonnie Wheeler.

Baseball was Bell's ticket out of a working life in the slaughterhouses in St. Louis, where his family relocated from Mississippi when James was a boy.  He started as a pitcher and was a good one, but his coaches wanted to utilize his speed more fully and, in the outfield, he became one of the most legendary figures in the Negro Leagues.  Because of the nomadic nature of the Negro League teams and their usual travel to wherever they could find a decent paying audience to cover the bills and earn a little extra money, there are many teams for which Bell plied his trade.

On those teams, Bell became a teammate with some of the other great players in Negro League history such as Oscar Charleston, Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Turkey Stearns.  Whether it was the Pittsburgh Crawfords, the Homestead Grays or even playing in Mexico and the Dominican Republic, Bell always played hard and usually was one of the best players on the field.  His legend only grew wherever he played.

"Legend" is a good word to use for much of the information known on Bell and the Negro Leagues because, as noted in the book, the recordkeeping was questionable at best.  That would be whenever there were statistics kept or recorded.  The black newspaper in Pittsburgh was the closest to anything official, but it could only publish what it was provided.  Therefore, as noted by the author, much of the information on Bell was obtained through sources that were anecdotal and were not able to be verified.  One humorous example is one season when it was decided to see just how many bases Bell had stolen.  The official stats say 5, which seems awfully low given his legend.  However, if we are to believe Cool Papa's own running tally, he amassed 312. This illustrates the challenge one can face when trying to gather cumulative statistics on the Negro Leagues.

Some of the best chapters are those in which Bell is playing outside the United States, as mentioned earlier.  This is mainly due to Satchel Paige wandering to wherever he wanted to play, even when he was supposed to be part of another team.  He also had the charm to convince other stars to join him, including Bell.  How he was able to do that in the Dominican Republic and play for the campaign of a ruthless dictator was quite interesting, both in a chapter in this book and in more detail in a separate book on Paige's time in this country.

Through the stories of the players, it was also clear how they felt much more welcome and relaxed in foreign nations, especially Mexico, because of the segregation of not only the game but also the racism in the United States in general.  What made this quite interesting is the interaction of the Negro League stars with their white Major League counterparts.  Many of the latter felt that these men were just as good or better than their fellow MLB players.  The eventual integration of baseball is covered in the book – sadly, too late for players like Bell to be able to play.

Even Bell's life after baseball is good reading, especially when he was giving baseball advice to up and coming players through the St. Louis Cardinals' system as Bell lived with his wife Clara in that city after his playing days were over.  One of those players to whom he gave baserunning advice was a young Lou Brock.

Covering much more than just Cool Papa Bell's life, this book would be a wonderful addition to any reader who wants to learn more about the Negro Leagues and some of the legendary players who made the stories rich and entertaining.

I wish to thank Abrams Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Bona-Fide-Legend-Cool-Papa/dp/1419750488/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

 

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-bona-fide-legend-of-cool-papa-bell-lonnie-wheeler/1137070668?ean=9781647001117

Review of "Oscar Charleston"

Having only heard very little about Oscar Charleston aside from him being one of the best players in the history of the Negro Leagues, I was very interested in learning more about the man in this book.  It delivered - it is probably to date the best source of information about him.  Here is my review of "Oscar Charleston."

Title/Author:

“Oscar Charleston: The Life and Legend of Baseball's Greatest Forgotten Player” by Jeremy Beer

Tags:

Baseball, biography, history, Negro Leagues

Publish date:

November 1, 2019

Length:

456 pages

Rating: to

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

Ask most baseball fans or historians to name the best players in the history of the Negro Leagues and the immediate answers are usually Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige and Cool Papa Bell. However, if one takes a closer look at both the statistics available and the excellence of his play for a long period of time, the answer must be Oscar Charleston. Charleston's life and legacy are told in this excellent book by Jeremy Beer.

Whether one is researching Charleston's early life, his lengthy baseball career that took him to several teams' rosters or his personal life, it can be difficult to find official records and documents for him.  Beer did painstaking research to paint a complex picture of a man who was not only an excellent baseball player but also held other jobs within baseball with mostly successful results. He was a player-manager for a significant portion of his playing career and his rise in this profession makes for great reading, especially the 1932 season when he was the manager of the Pittsburgh Crawfords, considered to be the best team in the history of the Negro Leagues. Of note, he also was a scout for Branch Rickey and the Dodgers in the 1940's, becoming the first black man to be hired for such a position.

Reading the book gives the reader not only a good picture of Charleston the baseball player and employee, but also of Charleston the man.  He was portrayed by peers often as someone who was a trouble maker, especially with his penchant to never walk away from a fight.  Beer puts that reputation to the test with other testimony to show the respect he earned from competitors, including major league stars against whom he played in barnstorming or exhibition games.

Interwoven with modern statistics calculated from the available box scores and other sources of information, one cannot help to wonder how Charleston would have fared in the major leagues had he been allowed to play.  Even so, Beer paints a picture of a man who should be considered one of the greatest players ever to pick up a bat and glove.  Readers who want to get an informed introduction to Oscar Charleston should pick up this book.

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.      

                                                    

Book Format Read:

E-book (PDF)

Buying Links:

https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/university-of-nebraska-press/9781496217110/