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Larry Doby in Black and White: The Story of a Baseball Pioneer
When people think of baseball trailblazers, their minds immediately go to Jackie Robinson. He was the man who broke the color barrier, appearing in 1947 for the Brooklyn Dodgers, and would go on to a Hall of Fame career. His number 42 is retired throughout baseball, and every year MLB holds "Jackie Robinson Day" across the league.
But he was far from the only trailblazer. That same year, a twenty-three-year-old Larry Doby appeared in a game for the Cleveland Indians. He is essentially known as the second African American to break the color barrier, and was the first to appear in the American League (as the Dodgers are in the National League).
While Robinson is always the one to be spoken about, Doby was just as good in the field and at the plate. In fact, he was a 9x All-Star, a World Series champion (being the first African American, along with teammate Satchel Paige, to win a World Series), home run and batting champ, and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998 after an incredible 13-year MLB career. He is, and will always be, one of the greatest players in baseball history.
Beginning his professional baseball career at the tender age of eighteen, he would play five years for the Newark Eagles of the Negro Leagues. In between, he spent two years out of baseball, defending his country in World War II as a member of the US Navy.
While Robinson had instant success with the Dodgers, Doby struggled off the bat. Having to endure immense racism (from fans, other ballplayers, and even teammates), disrespect, and threats on his life (and that of his family), it did not take until the following year, 1948, before he truly emerged as one of the best players in the game.
Written by esteemed author Jerry Izenberg--who saw Doby play with the Eagles as a youngster and would build a lifelong friendship with the ballplayer--Larry Doby is the real, raw story of perseverance and determination in the face of immense hatred.
Including in-depth research, to go along with personal accounts and numerous one-on-one interviews, Izenberg delivers an incredible tale that gives Doby his due as one of the all-time greats, while also sharing the struggles, trials, and tribulations of being a black man in a white country.
With Major League Baseball finally incorporating the records and stats of those in the Negro Leagues, Doby's story is one that is long-overdo, shedding light on what it was like playing baseball and being black in the 1940s and '50s, and how hard work and determination was key to rising above all the hate and becoming one of the greatest to ever play the game.
But he was far from the only trailblazer. That same year, a twenty-three-year-old Larry Doby appeared in a game for the Cleveland Indians. He is essentially known as the second African American to break the color barrier, and was the first to appear in the American League (as the Dodgers are in the National League).
While Robinson is always the one to be spoken about, Doby was just as good in the field and at the plate. In fact, he was a 9x All-Star, a World Series champion (being the first African American, along with teammate Satchel Paige, to win a World Series), home run and batting champ, and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998 after an incredible 13-year MLB career. He is, and will always be, one of the greatest players in baseball history.
Beginning his professional baseball career at the tender age of eighteen, he would play five years for the Newark Eagles of the Negro Leagues. In between, he spent two years out of baseball, defending his country in World War II as a member of the US Navy.
While Robinson had instant success with the Dodgers, Doby struggled off the bat. Having to endure immense racism (from fans, other ballplayers, and even teammates), disrespect, and threats on his life (and that of his family), it did not take until the following year, 1948, before he truly emerged as one of the best players in the game.
Written by esteemed author Jerry Izenberg--who saw Doby play with the Eagles as a youngster and would build a lifelong friendship with the ballplayer--Larry Doby is the real, raw story of perseverance and determination in the face of immense hatred.
Including in-depth research, to go along with personal accounts and numerous one-on-one interviews, Izenberg delivers an incredible tale that gives Doby his due as one of the all-time greats, while also sharing the struggles, trials, and tribulations of being a black man in a white country.
With Major League Baseball finally incorporating the records and stats of those in the Negro Leagues, Doby's story is one that is long-overdo, shedding light on what it was like playing baseball and being black in the 1940s and '50s, and how hard work and determination was key to rising above all the hate and becoming one of the greatest to ever play the game.
238 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 14, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 6, 2024
I have a ton of respect for Doby and I grew up reading Izenberg in the Ledger. And had he written this when he was 70 and not 92 it would probably have been a better book. Parts of it sparkled; Izenberg’s personal reminiscences of Doby and Yogi and Ted Williams and the contributions of Larry Doby Jr. and Michael Veeck. But the edition itself wasn’t great, with typos and such. And the bio was a little too episodic, giving more time to Doby’s HOF inauguration than to the last ten years of Doby’s playing career. I could have read another hundred pages about Doby dealing with Jim Crow and his relationships with his teammates and everything else. Doby had a remarkable, consequential life, but Izenberg was not at the height of his powers in relaying it.
October 31, 2024
READ THIS BOOK!
An extraordinary book , by an extraordinary writer and chronicler , about an extraordinary life , that managed to touch baseball and all our lives. Larry Doby deserves more than us baseball fans have shown him. This book explains who the man was and why his story is so important and compelling. Even if you are not a baseball fan, you should read this book. It's about our Country and the legacy we can still create .
An extraordinary book , by an extraordinary writer and chronicler , about an extraordinary life , that managed to touch baseball and all our lives. Larry Doby deserves more than us baseball fans have shown him. This book explains who the man was and why his story is so important and compelling. Even if you are not a baseball fan, you should read this book. It's about our Country and the legacy we can still create .
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews