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Greatness in the Shadows: Larry Doby and the Integration of the American League
Just weeks after Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, Larry Doby joined Robinson in breaking the color barrier in the major leagues when he became the first Black player to integrate the American League, signing with the Cleveland Indians in July 1947. Doby went on to be a seven-time All-Star center fielder who led the Indians to two pennants. In many respects Robinson and Doby were equals in their baseball talent and experiences and had remarkably similar playing both were well-educated, World War II veterans and both had played spectacularly, albeit briefly, in the Negro Leagues. Like Robinson, Doby suffered brickbats, knock-down pitches, spit in his face, and other forms of abuse and discrimination. Doby was also a pioneering manager, becoming the second black manager after Frank Robinson.
Well into the 1950s Doby was the only Black All-Star in the American League during a period in which fifteen black players became National League All-Stars. Why is Doby largely forgotten as a central figure in baseball’s integration? Why has he not been accorded his rightful place in baseball history? Greatness in the Shadows attempts to answer these questions, bringing Doby’s story to life and sharing his achievements and firsts with a new generation.
Well into the 1950s Doby was the only Black All-Star in the American League during a period in which fifteen black players became National League All-Stars. Why is Doby largely forgotten as a central figure in baseball’s integration? Why has he not been accorded his rightful place in baseball history? Greatness in the Shadows attempts to answer these questions, bringing Doby’s story to life and sharing his achievements and firsts with a new generation.
336 pages, Hardcover
Published April 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 10, 2016
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Even as a huge baseball fan, I had no idea that Larry Doby was the first black baseball player in the American League, starting a mere 11 weeks after Jackie Robinson. When I saw this book available for review, I jumped on it. With all the publicity Jackie Robinson received, including the entire MLB retiring his jersey, I couldn't believe that Larry Doby didn't receive even a fraction of the attention. This author explains that this book is less a Doby biography than a sociological explanation for the reasons behind the difference.
Overall, I loved all the great information about Doby, including many chapters about Branch Rickey and Bill Veeck, the two men ultimately responsible for bringing Robinson and Doby to MLB. Unfortunately it quickly becomes a matter of absorbing what amounts to a brain dump. Section are repetitive, often re-explaining concepts from just a few paragraphs above. It has a lot of potential but needs a really great editor to come in and clean up.
5 stars for breadth of information, 2 stars for organization and flow.
Even as a huge baseball fan, I had no idea that Larry Doby was the first black baseball player in the American League, starting a mere 11 weeks after Jackie Robinson. When I saw this book available for review, I jumped on it. With all the publicity Jackie Robinson received, including the entire MLB retiring his jersey, I couldn't believe that Larry Doby didn't receive even a fraction of the attention. This author explains that this book is less a Doby biography than a sociological explanation for the reasons behind the difference.
Overall, I loved all the great information about Doby, including many chapters about Branch Rickey and Bill Veeck, the two men ultimately responsible for bringing Robinson and Doby to MLB. Unfortunately it quickly becomes a matter of absorbing what amounts to a brain dump. Section are repetitive, often re-explaining concepts from just a few paragraphs above. It has a lot of potential but needs a really great editor to come in and clean up.
5 stars for breadth of information, 2 stars for organization and flow.
September 10, 2022
It's not that this book is bad. It's just that I expect my non fiction books to not have glaring errors in them. When the author refers to noted racist Cap Anson as a black baseball player, I lose much of my trust in the book. That he does so in a section that outlines why baseball was segregated - spoiler, Anson played a large role in that - it becomes simply comically bad. It doesn't allow me to enjoy the rest of the book, because facts claimed that I don't know for certain I have to take into question as I'm reading.
Beyond that, the author also makes serveral avoidable mistakes, annoying any baseball fan who is reading the book. And, I must assume, the target audience for this book is baseball fans. As two such examples, the author provides the incorrect first name for Eddie Gaedel, and then when comparing seasons for Doby and Jackie Robinson, refers to the players' OBS, rather than their OPS.
In non baseball detriment, the author claims to want to set historical president around things, and then goes with "for sure reason" when talking about laws that popped up after Grant left office. Hmmm. Did he forget the end of Reconstruction? Is he just lazy?
It's a shame . The parts that focus on Doby himself are quite good.
And Larry Doby deserves better. As the author correctly points out, Doby isn't given his proper credit and never was.
Perhaps, then, the author has simply gone Meta with his decisions, offering up a lackluster book about Doby, echoing his lackluster spotlight and treatment in baseball history?
Beyond that, the author also makes serveral avoidable mistakes, annoying any baseball fan who is reading the book. And, I must assume, the target audience for this book is baseball fans. As two such examples, the author provides the incorrect first name for Eddie Gaedel, and then when comparing seasons for Doby and Jackie Robinson, refers to the players' OBS, rather than their OPS.
In non baseball detriment, the author claims to want to set historical president around things, and then goes with "for sure reason" when talking about laws that popped up after Grant left office. Hmmm. Did he forget the end of Reconstruction? Is he just lazy?
It's a shame . The parts that focus on Doby himself are quite good.
And Larry Doby deserves better. As the author correctly points out, Doby isn't given his proper credit and never was.
Perhaps, then, the author has simply gone Meta with his decisions, offering up a lackluster book about Doby, echoing his lackluster spotlight and treatment in baseball history?
September 10, 2022
One of the most overlooked baseball players of all time is Larry Doby who broke the color barrier in the American League just a few weeks after Jackie Robinson did so in the National League. This book tells the story of Larry Doby, but also explains why he has remained in the shadows of Jackie Robinson for decades. The book is also a story of the integration of the major leagues with interesting sketches of Branch Rickey, Bill Veeck, Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, Mickey Mantle, and Willie Mays.
For those who grew up in the Cleveland area, the book is particularly interesting because it relives Cleveland's baseball team post World War II.
The author is not shy in providing opinions about players and management. He is, however, repetitive. He will retell certain stories and facts two or three times throughout the book
For those who grew up in the Cleveland area, the book is particularly interesting because it relives Cleveland's baseball team post World War II.
The author is not shy in providing opinions about players and management. He is, however, repetitive. He will retell certain stories and facts two or three times throughout the book
November 1, 2017
Enjoyed reading the story of Larry Doby and mostly forgotten man because he was the second man to integrate baseball. However, the author repeats himself during the book and there are also several errors with baseball players' names.
May 3, 2025
Many of the same arguments are used in different chapters, making the book repetitive and tiresome at times. I felt the author could’ve done a better job with the subject matter and I look forward to more publications about Doby’s impact.
February 25, 2024
The integration of the American League was not easy for Larry even after Jackie Robison. The author points this out.
March 6, 2017
I received a digital copy of this book for free in exchange for a review.
Parts of this book were fantastic, and parts of it really needed an editor. When Branson would focus on Larry Doby and his years, the writing was much smoother, and there was very little drag. Even when Branson would add historical details and explain about other players who overshadowed Doby, it went pretty smoothly. The problem is when he tried to connect all of this into his main thesis, that Doby was overshadowed by a great deal through his career. I don't disagree, but I feel like these parts of the book were the least clear and the most bogged down. I truly did feel like I learned a lot about Doby and his times, but there were many, many, many instances of repetition throughout the book, which made it a little difficult to get through. I also felt that there were times the author was trying to demonstrate how much research he did, instead of picking out the most salient parts of Mickey Mantle's career, or Willie Mays' career, or so on. His focus would sometimes wander, like he had found all this information and he was bound and determined to get it into the book.
Overall, I felt like it was a strong book, but it really needs some strong editing.
Parts of this book were fantastic, and parts of it really needed an editor. When Branson would focus on Larry Doby and his years, the writing was much smoother, and there was very little drag. Even when Branson would add historical details and explain about other players who overshadowed Doby, it went pretty smoothly. The problem is when he tried to connect all of this into his main thesis, that Doby was overshadowed by a great deal through his career. I don't disagree, but I feel like these parts of the book were the least clear and the most bogged down. I truly did feel like I learned a lot about Doby and his times, but there were many, many, many instances of repetition throughout the book, which made it a little difficult to get through. I also felt that there were times the author was trying to demonstrate how much research he did, instead of picking out the most salient parts of Mickey Mantle's career, or Willie Mays' career, or so on. His focus would sometimes wander, like he had found all this information and he was bound and determined to get it into the book.
Overall, I felt like it was a strong book, but it really needs some strong editing.
February 20, 2016
The story of Larry Doby is one that not many people remember because even though he was the first black baseball player in the American League, he wasn’t the first one to play Major League Baseball. While Jackie Robinson’s story is quite well known, author Douglas Branson tells the story of Doby as well, which isn’t much different than Robinson’s for what he had to endure, but under a different set of ballparks and with a different integration pioneer.
Branson makes the case that Doby is just as important a figure as Robinson in the integration of baseball along several fronts. He does take away some of the luster of Robinson’s baseball prowess – not by dismissing what he accomplished – but by comparing the statistics of both men and showing that Doby was Robinson’s equal on the field. Also, he calls into question the motives of Branch Rickey (while again respecting the work Rickey did) by noting how many of Rickey’s transactions resulted in a net profit to him. Branson gives a lot of credit to Bill Veeck, the owner of the Cleveland Indians, for integrating baseball as well by bringing Doby to the Indians just weeks after Robinson made his debut with the Dodgers.
It is here where Branson starts to question if the reason that Doby and Veeck were not given enough credit for integration because of several factors. Veeck was not popular with his fellow owners, Doby did not play in New York, which was going through its “golden age” of baseball and therefore did not get the same recognition as a great player as Robinson, Willie Mays, or Mickey Mantle. Of the latter, Branson wrote much about he seemed to be made larger than life by an adoring press and fans. Like with Robinson, Branson never diminishes what Mays or Mantle accomplished, but did question why they received a lot of fanfare while Doby did not.
Branson also notes that the National League became integrated as a whole and with more teams employing more black players faster than the American League and as a result of that, Doby may not get the attention for what he did as much as Robinson. He also describes the racial hatred and taunting that Doby received as well. He wants the reader to realize that while Robinson had to endure a lot, so did Doby and he did not have the advantage of preparing for it the previous season in the minor leagues like Robinson did. Doby was given a baptism by fire.
If this review sounds like it keeps hitting on the same points over and over, this book did the same thing and that made it a difficult read at times. It seemed that Branson was repeating points he was trying to make or certain facts and events over and over. He would repeatedly refer back to an earlier reference by noting the chapter or stating that the point he was making would also be explained in an upcoming chapter. That was a shame because it kept the book from having a good flow and making Doby’s story even more compelling.
Nonetheless, I felt it was a very good source of information for learning more about the first black player in the American League and the case he makes that Doby is underappreciated for what he did for the game of baseball is strong. It just didn’t read as easily as I hoped. I give the book five stars for the information and three for the writing to make it a four-star book. I do recommend this book for readers who are interested in learning more about Doby or the integration of Major League Baseball.
I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing an advance review copy of the book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Branson makes the case that Doby is just as important a figure as Robinson in the integration of baseball along several fronts. He does take away some of the luster of Robinson’s baseball prowess – not by dismissing what he accomplished – but by comparing the statistics of both men and showing that Doby was Robinson’s equal on the field. Also, he calls into question the motives of Branch Rickey (while again respecting the work Rickey did) by noting how many of Rickey’s transactions resulted in a net profit to him. Branson gives a lot of credit to Bill Veeck, the owner of the Cleveland Indians, for integrating baseball as well by bringing Doby to the Indians just weeks after Robinson made his debut with the Dodgers.
It is here where Branson starts to question if the reason that Doby and Veeck were not given enough credit for integration because of several factors. Veeck was not popular with his fellow owners, Doby did not play in New York, which was going through its “golden age” of baseball and therefore did not get the same recognition as a great player as Robinson, Willie Mays, or Mickey Mantle. Of the latter, Branson wrote much about he seemed to be made larger than life by an adoring press and fans. Like with Robinson, Branson never diminishes what Mays or Mantle accomplished, but did question why they received a lot of fanfare while Doby did not.
Branson also notes that the National League became integrated as a whole and with more teams employing more black players faster than the American League and as a result of that, Doby may not get the attention for what he did as much as Robinson. He also describes the racial hatred and taunting that Doby received as well. He wants the reader to realize that while Robinson had to endure a lot, so did Doby and he did not have the advantage of preparing for it the previous season in the minor leagues like Robinson did. Doby was given a baptism by fire.
If this review sounds like it keeps hitting on the same points over and over, this book did the same thing and that made it a difficult read at times. It seemed that Branson was repeating points he was trying to make or certain facts and events over and over. He would repeatedly refer back to an earlier reference by noting the chapter or stating that the point he was making would also be explained in an upcoming chapter. That was a shame because it kept the book from having a good flow and making Doby’s story even more compelling.
Nonetheless, I felt it was a very good source of information for learning more about the first black player in the American League and the case he makes that Doby is underappreciated for what he did for the game of baseball is strong. It just didn’t read as easily as I hoped. I give the book five stars for the information and three for the writing to make it a four-star book. I do recommend this book for readers who are interested in learning more about Doby or the integration of Major League Baseball.
I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing an advance review copy of the book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 4, 2016
Perhaps my major problem with this book was one of expectation; while the subtitle was "Larry Doby and the Integration of the American League" this book was neither a biography of Larry Doby nor a detailed study of the integration of the American League. The author acknowledges this early in the book, while he describes the imbalance of books about Jackie Robinson compared to Larry Doby, he states that this is not a biography about Doby and even recommends a recent book as a good biography of Doby. Neither is there a detailed account of Doby integrating the American league. Instead, this book is more of a series of essays about various baseball issues. The essays include Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and others as subjects and the essays just don't come together
This is not to say there is not interesting and provoking material. For example, Branson compares the preparation of Robinson for integrating the National League with Cleveland's lack of preparation. While Robinson was brought along slowly with advance notice of what was coming including extended time in the minor league Doby was essentially signed from a Negro league team and then thrust into the majors. There is some discussion of the harassment of Doby and the forced segregation during spring training and various road trips. It was heartbreaking to read that some of the Indian players refused to shake his hand when he first came into the clubhouse, it was heartwarming to read how Ted Williams, Dom Dimaggio and Yogi Berra went out of their way to make Doby feel welcome. There is also some interesting discussion as to why Doby was so little recognized especially compared to Robinson. Branson goes over Doby's stats, the fact that he was a good fielder, hit for power and average and ran for speed and deserved more attention for not just his courage in integrating the American league but also for his baseball skill.
This is not to say there is not interesting and provoking material. For example, Branson compares the preparation of Robinson for integrating the National League with Cleveland's lack of preparation. While Robinson was brought along slowly with advance notice of what was coming including extended time in the minor league Doby was essentially signed from a Negro league team and then thrust into the majors. There is some discussion of the harassment of Doby and the forced segregation during spring training and various road trips. It was heartbreaking to read that some of the Indian players refused to shake his hand when he first came into the clubhouse, it was heartwarming to read how Ted Williams, Dom Dimaggio and Yogi Berra went out of their way to make Doby feel welcome. There is also some interesting discussion as to why Doby was so little recognized especially compared to Robinson. Branson goes over Doby's stats, the fact that he was a good fielder, hit for power and average and ran for speed and deserved more attention for not just his courage in integrating the American league but also for his baseball skill.
September 28, 2018
This is a fantastic topic deserving of a book to recognize the accomplishments of Larry Doby and Bill Veeck. However, this publication is clearly the most poorly written and edited piece of prose I have ever read. Branson repeats himself constantly. He must have had a submission deadline that caused him to neglect proofreading. I found it very distracting to constantly be thinking, "you just said that last chapter" or "I remember that from the page before." And, I have only read 90 pages as I write this review.
Branson has done a great deal of research to support his thesis, of which I am in total agreement, but his writing prowess leaves much to be desired.
Branson has done a great deal of research to support his thesis, of which I am in total agreement, but his writing prowess leaves much to be desired.
August 26, 2016
I really like the idea behind this book as Larry Doby is truly both a great and a forgotten player. This book is lacking in many respects, with many points repeated multiple times. I would recommend Joseph Moore's biography instead.
January 7, 2024
Surprised at many of the errors I found throughout the book (e.g. Chicago Red Sox, several misspellings, and basic facts that can easily be verified).
April 20, 2017
This was a very interesting book. First even though I knew of the name Larry Doby I did not know that he entered the American League 11 weeks after Jackie Robinson. He was also for a number of years was the only African American playing in the American League, while the National League would continue to add players. Also he was the star of the 1948 World Series, first African American to hit a homerun in the World Series, first to play on a championship in both the Major league with the Cleveland Indians and also with the Newark in the Negro Leagues. First to win the Major League home run title (1952), and again in 1954. There are other stats as well, one is that he was also the second African American Manager in the big leagues, so not only the second player but also the second manager, and you know what he never complained once about any of it. He did not go to the minors for a year he went straight to the majors, and Bill Veeck tried do things to help him but not everything worked out. the bases of this book really is that the author is trying to say that while he played in Cleveland he did not get the press as did the players in the New York market, which is true for the most part. The author also goes into the press having favorites. That is also true just look at how the Press treated Maris as opposed to Mantle. If Mantle would have hit 61 it would have been totally different, but he got hurt and they lit into Maris. Doby playing for the Indians was hammered by the local press and the author goes into it. I did find out that there is a section in Yogi Berra museum all about Larry Doby. Their families were very good friends and Yogi made it part of the deal to have a museum that Larry Doby had to be included. I thought that was very interesting. There was a lot about Larry Doby I did not know about and though yes he was the second person he still was the first for the American League and for years was the only African American representing the American League not just because he was African American but because he had the numbers and for most of the 50’s he was the only one. The history between the two leagues is very interesting because Bill Veeck had a hand in integrating the Indians and then when he became owner of the White Sox he did the same with them. While National League teams would have three players some American League teams would have one or none until the late 50’s or early 60’s. Doby would be the last to retire from playing for the players who would come into the game between 47 and 50, but he did not get elected into the Hall of Fame until 1998, and the Indians did retire his #14 and have a statue in front of their stadium of Larry Doby. Overall a good book. I got this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 4 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com
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