Voices from the Negro Leagues: Conversations with 52 Baseball Standouts of the Period 1924-1960

By Brent Kelley

Book Overview

Baseball lore is replete with the tales of such legendary Negro League stars as Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell, Josh Gibson and a few others. But the stories of the many other African Americans, both stars and journeymen, have largely been forgotten. These were the men who barnstormed the country, playing in loosely organized leagues and eking out a living doing what they did best, playing baseball. In this work, 52 players reminisce about what it was like to play in the Negro Leagues, from the great teams and players to the terrible Jim Crow conditions they faced in the South. Now in their sixties, seventies and eighties, these men reflect on their careers with humor, bluntness, and poignancy, providing a rich record of a part of the game that is quickly being lost to history.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786422793
• ISBN13: 9780786422791
• Release Date: March 2005
• Publisher: McFarland & Company
• Length: 334 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.1" x 10.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

History From Those Who Were Part Of It All

Negro Leagues Baseball is a triumphant story in stadiums large and small where the only individual not allowed on the diamond or in the stands went by the name of Jim Crow. And while there are names forever linked with the grand history of NLB, there are hundreds of other players who proudly wore the uniforms of the various clubs, but are small footnotes in the big picture of the game. Author Brent P. Kelley presents an oral history that is split into two parts - before and after Jackie Robinson began playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers of Major League Baseball - that brings to life the players in those box scores. John "Mule" Miles - who played for the Chicago Elite Giants from 1946-1949 - typifies the player who had great moments that had been lost in time. In 1947, Miles hit 11 homers in 11 games, but it was a game versus Memphis which earned him his nickname. In that contest, Miles smacked two homers - with the latter being the game-winner - which had manager Jim Taylor commenting that he hits the ball like a mule kicks. There are great stories from Cowan "Bubba" Hyde, Bill Cash, Willie Grace, Bill Beverly and Dennis Biddle which truly captures the real life & times of NLB players. These voices should never be forgotten and every player chronicled is not only a hero of the game, but a champion on the field of life.

Great Book about great players!

I read this book in one sitting. I just couldn't put it down! You will learn what it was like for these great athletes back then from the players themselfs. If you want to learn about the Negro Leagues this is the book!

An accurate and heartfelt account of life in the League

I found this book to be an accurate and heartfelt account of life in the Negro League. Mr. Brent intervied my father, Henry Kimbro, and I was pleased with experiences he got out of my dad. It was wonderful reading.