Shades of Glory: The Negro Leagues & the Story of African-American Baseball

by Lawrence D. Hogan, Jules Tygiel

Celebrating African America's contribution to our great national pastime, this comprehensive, lively history combines vivid narrative, visual impact, and a unique statistical component, to recreate the excitement and passion of the Negro Leagues. Packed with stories, biographical essays, scores of archival photographs and other evocative artifacts, it is an important contribution to sports history and a wonderful tribute to the players and teams who wrote a unique chapter in the annals of baseball and American culture.


National Geographic is proud to present this compelling volume, compiled by a who's who of authorities on the subject. Drawing on years of research, Shades of Glory traces the history of black baseball from the 19th century to the first great teams, such as the Cuban Giants, and on to the era of the vibrant barnstorming teams from the East Coast, Chicago, and Cuba. The unparalleled Rube Foster started the first Negro League in 1920, with such dominant teams as the Chicago American Giants and the Kansas City Monarchs. Pittsburgh soon produced two of the greatest teams of all time, the Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords, featuring such stars as Satchel Paige, John Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, and many more. Their superb brand of baseball rivaled the best of the major leagues until the historic signing of Jackie Robinson by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Shades of Glory chronicles a bygone era of black baseball and the stars who were shadowed by racial prejudice, but now shine forth in all their sparkling brilliance.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction, History

448 pages, Hardcover

First published January 31, 2006

Reviews

[Yasmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and informative book. Of course not every player was able to mentioned in here. But the ones that were make for great reading. Very much recommended. Mind you if you don't know much about baseball terms, like me, I do advise having at most a Dummy's guide to baseball so that you are able to follow with exactly what's going on and the great things these men did.

[Gabriel Ramos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily the best book I have read on the subject.

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this is a comprehensive volume on the birth and growth of Negro (Black) Baseball, it is not a dry reference book. It is a narrative about Negro Baseball from the late-1800s and its growth into leagues to its death knoll in the early-1960s. Included are a chronicle of the leagues, teams, star players, owners, leaders, and writers. These early pioneers come alive in this book. The author also focuses on individual players and competition between the best players. He also includes games of interest and milestones throughout the book. One will glean much knowledge about these men and the challenges they overcame to develop Black Baseball.

Seminal to this were trailblazers, 'test pilots,' and brave leaders who grappled with Jim Crow laws and racism. Among these were the 19th century ballplayers: Sol White, Moses Fleetwood Walker, John W. 'Bud' Fowler, Bob Higgins, Frank Grant, and Grant Johnson. We are led through the infancy of organized baseball after the Civil war. The early-formed teams of the Cuban Giants, Chicago Unions, and the New York City Gorhams along with the barn-storming teams, operated independently and later in the first independent leagues. In time the rise of Prairie Baseball and the segregation that took place at the end of the 19th century stunted the growth of black baseball. The unionization of baseball and white semipro baseball organizations also proved a challenge. This new reality compelled the white baseball entrepreneurs to put pressure on the Black teams, owners and players to stay away from the major league. This period of belligerent segregation began a dark period for black baseball is handled with depth and truth by the authors. By focusing on this era of black baseball, Lawrence D. Hogan points out the future of baseball was seen and delayed by fear and racism. the 'status quo' of the 1890s was rejected and a hard and calculated push-back ensued. He wrote with a hope for the future.

By the 1900s, black baseball was separate and highly successful but the sport was now segregated and would remain so until the mid-point of the 20th century. The new stars were John Henry 'Pop' Lloyd, Pete Hill, Pete Booker, Bruce Petway, Andrew 'Jap' Payne, Rube Foster, Spotswood Poles, and Joe Williams while the Cuban Giants, Cuban X Giants, Leland Giants, Philadelphia Giants, Chicago American Giants, and Chicago Union Giants teams dominated. In 1907, the National Association of Colored Baseball Clubs (NACBC)) existed as a 13-club professional league. With the flow of Cuban players, the league flourished and often played against MLB clubs in competitive contests. unfortunately, internal player raids, scheduling challenges, and competition from the International League of Colored Baseball Clubs in America and Cuba (ILBCAC) spelled doom. Several teams failed, resulting in the NACBC to collapse in 1912. Amazingly, the spirit of Black baseball rebounded. As new partnerships were formed and creative methods like Rube Foster taking a barn-storming team to the West Coast from 1912-15 breathed new life into the growing enterprise.

By 1913, Foster now owner of the Chicago franchise was the leader of black Baseball. With men such as 1Bman/Manager, Dick Redding; C.L. Taylor, owner of Indianapolis franchise; players Oscar Charleston and Bingo DeMoss; J.L. Wilkinson, owner of the new KS franchise; and Charles Mills, owner of the St. Louis franchise, Black Baseball flourished over the next 30 years. The emergence of the Kansas City Monarchs along with the Pittsburgh Crawfords, Pittsburgh Homestead Grays, Indianapolis ABCs, Cuban Stars East, Chicago American Giants, and the Hilldale Giants would form the nucleus of Negro baseball for the coming decades. Interestingly, the author shone a light on the new league's creative marketing, using the print media, promoting rivalries, stage exhibition games against white teams, and constantly scouted of new talent. All these methods would later be adapted by the MLB.

Hogan points out that during the 1920s and 1930s witnessed the development of new powerhouse team, the Hilldale Daises whose star player, Louis Santop was a magnet for other players. Jose Mendez, a Cuban fireball pitcher was recruited by Cuban entrepreneur, Alex Pompez for his Cuban Stars team. other stars like Cristobal Torriente and Luis Padron followed him into the league. The inclusion of Latinos added an international appeal and publicity for the league. The league also had national appeal with Midwestern and Southern teams playing throughout the country. The 1920s proved to be the breakout decade for Negro Baseball in spite of the Southern League closing up with only two teams staying afloat. As the black community grew and developed into an economic power, Negro Baseball followed its path. Baseball expanded, repackaged itself and more players came into the spotlight. Raleigh 'Biz' Mackey burst into the baseball scene and was considered a great catcher. MLB stars soon began to acknowledge that these players had talent. At the forefront of the league was Rube Foster whose playing days were coming to an end. By 1924, the midwestern Negro National League (NNL) and the Eastern Colored League (ECL) formed the new Negro League were formed and operating well. The immediate future would see growth and the first Negro Baseball World Series. The little team that could, the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants would challenge Hilldale, Kansas City, and the Baltimore Black Sox to fuel the love of baseball. Although Mackey left to play in Japan, other stars like Wilbur 'Bullet' Rogan, James "Cool Papa" Bell, Webster MacDonald, Joe Harris, Oscar "Four No hitters" Owens, Martin Dihigo, Norman "Turkey" Stearnes, Dick "King Richard" Lundy, William Julius "Judy" Johnson. and Oscar Charleston shined and carried the league into the 1930s. In spite of the growth and success, the teams struggled financially, with the 'independent' Pittsburgh Homestead Grays being the only team to be in the 'black' as the Great depression loomed because of their owner, Cumbebrland 'Cum' Posey, Jr. and their financial backers. The teams in the East Colored League (ECL) struggled while the Negro National League stayed steady. Semi-pro black teams were easy fodder for teams like the Grays who fattened up on the gate money. By 1929, a new league, the American Negro League replaced failed ECL. Pittsburgh was one of the six teams in the new league which would challenge the NNL. As the 1920s ended, both William Julius "Judy" Johnson. and Oscar Charleston signing with Posey's Grays. Posey's father was a stockholder of the Pittsburgh Courier so the Grays got great press. This model would be emulated by the MLB soon after. The Grays also played year round which improved their level of play. More teams started to play during the winter soon after. Black-owned newspapers like Pittsburgh Courier, the Defender of the windy City (Chicago), and the Kansas City Call all fueled the national coverage of Negro Baseball in the late-1920s and 1930s. A new era and baseball enterprise was looming for the NNL.

As 1930 began, Andrew "Rube' Foster, the "Father of Black Baseball" died. Under the new leadership of attorney, William Hueston, the NNL instituted new budget restraints as the Great Depression raged on through the 1930s. The author was quick t point out that the NNL became a leaner business enterprise dedicated to ensuring that the teams had success and growth in support. New players like power-hitting John Beckwith, a catcher with Hilldale and Willie "El Diablo" Wells, a talented SS who came up through Mexico would play for the St, Louis Stars would impress and thrill fans. Wells' flashy style of play (and later mentor future stars like Robinson, Newcombe, Banks, Bill Gibson, etc) instilled more thrills. The black sportswriters like A.D. Williams, John Holway played critical roles in making players national heroes. In spite of careful management, the Great Depression Years doomed teams like the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants and the Cuban Stars while Pittsburgh Homestead Grays and the Lincoln Giants flourished in 1930s. The failed attempt by Cum Posey to form a new league were thwarted but he knew expansion was needed. He formed the East-West League in 1932 with the Grays and Crawfords being the two best teams. Because of this imbalance and opposition the EWL lasted only one season. Negro Baseball was in peril for the lack of black owners, small playing venues, the economic state of the country, and weaker clubs bleeding money, many players leaving to 'barn-storm,' a form of profit-sharing staved off closure for several years. The mid-1930s saw the mergence of new stars: Buck Leonard, Ray Dandridge, Bill Wright, Leon Day, Raymond Brown, Satchel Paige, and Josh Gibson. In Kansas City, the Monarchs played night baseball and reaped the benefits of bigger crowds. By the late-1930s, new white owners replaced the one-dimensional white owners. One result of this was the creation of Negro American League in 1937 which featured two geographically balanced leagues. The NAL intiially had teams in Kansas City, Chicago, Cincinnati, Memphis, Detroit, Birmingham, Indianapolis and St. Louis in its first season. Cleveland was added in 1939 when Birmingham closed up that same year.

The 'New Age' of Negro Baseball began with a rejuvenation in the late-1930s. It was led by 'Cum' Posey and a quartet of exciting superstars (Buck Leonard, Cool Papa Bell, Josh Gibson, and Satchel Paige). The result was an explosion of fan attendance of games, and a growing support for NNL players to be allowed into the major leagues. The author includes many quotes from some major leaguers and writers who felt it was time to let these talented men into baseball. While still in the minority, the sentiment was swinging steadily. During this period, baseball competition went forward and the Grays and Crawfords dominated the sport as the 1930s ended. These two teams embraced a love for the game and eyed each other's players. The Crawfords were led by owner, Gus Greenlee and manager/captain Harold Tinker and the Grays were led by owner/manager, Posey & Vic Harris who became manager in 1936. These two teams battled each other and stood toe-to toe most of the 1930s. However, from 1937 to 1948, the Grays went on unprecedented run finishing first place in the league in ten of twelve seasons while competing in organized playoff baseball in six of those seasons (which they won three). One crucial aspect of the Crawfords and Grays was the impact of Gibson who switched teams several times during his 17-yer career (1930-46). During that time, Gibson was a Gray (1930-31), a Crawford (1932-33), Gray/Crawford (1934), a Crawford (1935-36), and a Grays (1937-46). Joining Gibson in 1937 was the power-hitting, Buck Leonard. The Grays and Crawfords powered the NNL in its resurrection from 1933 to 1948. Satchel Paige played a role in the competition between the Crawfords (1931-34, and 1936) and the Monarchs (1935, 1940,-41, (142-43, and 1944-47). The Kansas City Monarchs had been an upcoming power in the late-1930s that they would realize in the 1940s and 1950s. The final diamond of this period of rebirth was the East-West Classic (all-star game) that started in 1933. Interestingly, the author emphasized that Negro Baseball unified the black community and became an economic engine in most communities. Toward the end of the Depression in 1939 a new arena opened up for the black baseball player - playing in the tropics. In 1939, President Rafael Trujillo of the Dominican Republic formed a 'super team' to help him get 're-elected'. The team included Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell, Leroy Matlock, Sam Bankhead, Harry Williams, Herman Andrews, and Josh Gibson, the best hitter in the NNL along with the best player from the two santo Domingo baseball teams. The 'Trujillo All-Stars" dominated Caribbean baseball in 1937. Facing a ban from the NNL for having played for Trujillo, the players barn-stormed for the rest of 1937. For the remainder of the 1930s and into the early-1940s, black players would be lured to play in the Caribbean and Mexico for more money. Latin America was not segregated and the black players were welcomed. Still, the NNL flourished as more new players broke into the league. Ray Brown, Jud Wilson, Wilmer Fields, Frank Duncan, and Hilton Smith became stars in the pre-WWII years.

The 1940s were the years of the Grays versus the Monarchs. The Monarchs boasted a team that included Paige, Frank Duncan, Newt Allen, and Hilton Smith. In 1942, the world changed as WWII raged. The 1942 Negro World Series featured the storied meeting of Gibson & Leonard of the Grays and Paige of the Monarchs. The 'WWII Years were not devoid of excitement: Gibson had a 'Ruthian' year in 1943; the continued clashes between Paige and Gibson; the Grays played several home games in Washington, DC (their future home) and Pittsburgh proper; and many NNL players were drafted. Time and wear & tear had taken their toll on both Gibson and Paige in 1945. In 1945, the aged Grays were beaten soundly by the younger Cleveland Buckeyes. The Grays' 'Golden Age" was at an end. This transitional period section of the book features colorful narratives worthy of classic baseball folklore and epitaths to an age of great baseball.

The Post-WWII period would begin the downward path of the Negro leagues as Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers signed Jackie R. Robinson, a WWII veteran and Kansas City Monarch to a contract. The Monarch's owner, Tom Baird led teh protest against Rickey who he labeled a thief for 'stealing' away Robinson. Baseball was on the verge of integration with Robinson being the first black player to play in the majors since 1884. The NNL also suffered the loss of Cum Posey who died at the age of 53 in 1946. The 1946 Negro World Series also saw the last game of Josh Gibson who led the Grays against the Monarchs led by Buck Leonard and Satchel Paige. Gibson's death from a stroke in January 1947 was offset by the Negro World Series' triumph of the perennial bridesmaid, the New York Cubans led by Lorenzo Cabrera, Claro Duany, Orestes "Minnie" Minos, Silvio Garcia, David Barnhill, Luis Tiant, and Rafael Noble over he Cleveland Buckeyes. 1947 was the last 'glory season' for Negro Baseball. Robinson's debut with the Dodgers was a triumph but a death knoll for Negro Baseball.

Sportswriters, Wendell Smith and Sam lacy wrote about desegregation during the WWII years and now wrote of the gates opening for blacks to play in the majors. This section of the book is uplifting with a bow to the talent that now left to play in the majors. Although the "Homestead" Grays won the Negro World Series in 1948, the exodus of talent began. Larry Doby, Hank Thompson, Willard Brown, Dan Bankhead, Roy Campanella, Satchel Paige, Minnie Minoso, Don Newcombe, Monte Irvin, and Luke Easter debuting in the majors from 1948 to 1950. The Newark Eagles and the New York Black Yankees were the first teams to fold in 1948. Other teams like the Monarchs began to sell off its players to the majors to reduce costs. 1949 proved to be a watershed year as the talent drain continued. Sensing the end, Negro baseball team owners petitioned the major leagues to allow them to join the minor leagues. They were denied and continued to lose player but to now to Canada and Mexico. Attendance dipped ore in 1950 and teams took to barn-storming to make money. In 1951, the Homestead Grays and Chicago American Giants folded. One team, the Indianapolis Clowns became a top team in 1951 and 1952 with a young phenom, Hank Aaron leading the way but were out-classed by the Kansas City Monarchs. The end was coming with four more teams folding over the next two years. From 1958 to 1962, talented black players like Hank Aaron, Joe Black, Sam Jethroe, Jim Gilliam, Ernie Banks, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Billy Williams, and Frank Robinson left for the majors. By 1960, the majors were being dominated by black ballplayers and forever changing the game. The Negro Baseball Age ended and baseball was now better for inclusion of so many talented ballplayers. The last season was in 1963 and the few surviving teams were reduced to barn-storming.

The author includes the statistic of the better players but because statistics were not kept for all the games played, they are incomplete. Still, this a good reference for the baseball fan.

Overall, I rate this book as very entertaining and comprehensive. I would recommend folks to read books about the individual players and teams to get more details.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars. This book collects most of the need-to-know Negro League info and packs it in with a bunch of other stuff that may only be of interest to scholars. What’s frustrating is (a) how it hints at some things but doesn’t go into them and (b) how it bounces around a little time-wise to the detriment of the reader’s comprehension.


“Research has discovered 33 black players between 1878 and 1899 on the rosters of clubs in organized white baseball, not counting the wholesale importation of black teams to represent cities in otherwise white leagues.” (53)

Interracial ballgame crowds were predominantly white.

“[Branch] Rickey’s tenure with the St. Louis Cardinals was distinguished by his creation of the modern farm system…” (333)

After it was reported that “the New York Cubans, Negro National League champions and winners of the Negro World Series, had lost $20,000 for the year, and that it was a ‘fair guess’ that the / league’s six teams had dropped a total of $100,000.” (352-353)

“By 1963 black players were common—and dominant—in the major leagues. The last club had been integrated four years earlier, and now fifteen percent of big leaguers were African American or black Latin Americans…Since Jackie Robinson joined the Dodgers in 1947, the National League’s Most Valuable Player award had gone to black players eleven times (Robinson himself, Roy Campanella three times, Willie Mays, Don Newcombe, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks twice, Frank Robinson, and Maury Willis). Jackie Robinson was the league’s Rookie of the Year in 1947, and he was followed as the National League’s top rookie by Don Newcombe (1949), Sam Jethroe (1950), Willie Mays (1951), Joe Black (1952), Jim Gilliam (1953), Frank Robinson (1956), Orlando Cepeda (1958), Willie McCovey (1959) and Billy Williams (1961). Four of the top five players in the National League in 1963 for batting average, runs batted in, and home runs were African Americans. All five league leaders for stolen bases were black.” (372)

[Russel Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a baseball fan with an eye to the past and you know nothing about black baseball before integration, you don't know the whole story. Shades of Glory is a fine survey of the Negro Leagues. Some of the players and some of the stories certainly deserve more than an inset box or a few paragraphs and some stories, particularly barnstorming in the years before and immediately after integration, are told in much greater depth elsewhere. But if you love baseball and the Negro Leagues are a gap in your knowledge, pick this up and start to remedy that.

[Chris H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to enjoy this book and learn about the history of baseball's negro leagues. But this books is too much of a chore - it's hundreds of pages of rote chronology; reading it reminded me of suffering through a mediocre middle school history book. "Then this team formed in this city and has these 9 players and played this many games. The this other team in this other city did the same thing. Then this other team did basically the same thing but slightly different in a different year and a different city." Ad nauseum

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a detailed and highly researched account of how Major league baseball came to be integrated giving a thorough account of a multitude of players, who they played for and when, the personalities of each, and phenomenal statistics from their respective performances sometimes spanning over a twenty year period.

[Jeremy Whiting · Rating 4 out of 5]

As many sports books are, this one can get dry and a bit stale in parts. However, it is a must read if you are into baseball, American urban history or black history, or sports history in general. The breadth of sources, amazing anecdotes, and amount of history discussed makes up for a sometimes academic tone.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an important read if you are a baseball fan or like segregation and civil rights history. The first 2/3 are a little dry, but the last third is when the negro leagues thrived during depression and WWII era leading up to breaking the color barrier into MLB. Interesting that MLB broke the color barrier before Brown v Board of Education

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written history that drags in spots, both with an influx of different writers and under the weight of a history which springs off in so many directions that it's hard to pin down. Not sure what the definitive history of baseball's Negro Leagues is... but still searching.

[Adam Foster · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of information, but it just doesn't gel at all.

[Jerry Nisenfeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little too much statistical information for my enjoyment.

[Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting history of the Negro Leagues. Can be a bit dry and repetitive at times but definitely time well spent for any baseball affectionat0.

[Jeremiah Avise-Rouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long read but great to know the history.

[Brandon Woosley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drier read than many of the other recent books I've read covering similar territory, but also covered some ground others didn't.

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shades of Glory tells the history of African American Baseball.[return]It's obvious that there was a tremendous amount of research that went into this book.[return]I believed I was pretty familiar with a lot of the players and stories of the Negro Leagues[return]but I learned a lot from this work. Sprinkled throughout the book are numerous sidebars about[return]many of the best players. There were many tales I had not heard about, such as the legend of[return]Cool Papa Bell, about whom it's said could turn off the lights and be in bed before they went off.[return]I was surprised to learn that this story is actually based on true events![return][return] The Negro Leagues were innovators in many ways. Did you know that the first night games were[return]played in the Negro Leagues?[return]Whereas most of the books I've read have dealt mostly with the players themselves and their[return]accomplishments, Shades of Glory details the history of the leagues themselves. How they came about,[return]the economic problems, how the various incarnations of leagues came and went. It details a lot of[return]the business side of the history that I knew nothing about. It's also quite enlightening as to just[return]how much baseball brought communities together in both the white communities and very much in the[return]black communities. There was a time in the past when baseball played a huge part of American life.[return]Towns and companies had teams and huge numbers of people followed their local teams.[return][return] Sadly, as much as Jackie Robinson and the integration of Major League Baseball did for our country,[return]there were also casualties. The Negro Leagues quickly died due to mostly economic reasons; the fans[return]started going to see the Major League teams with black players and not following the Negro League teams.[return]Black-owned hotels and other businesses lost a lot of business once the other businesses started opening[return]their doors. But most of the old negro players who missed out on playing in the majors don't express[return]a lot of regret. They are thankful for getting to play baseball![return][return] Shades of Glory goes much more into the business side of the history of the Negro Leagues than[return]it does the actual players and their statistics, but it's filled with some remarkable accounts and really[return]opens your eyes as to the struggles of the African American players in the early days of baseball.[return]I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in baseball history and some of the greatest players[return]who never made it to the major leagues.

[Tamgrade · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had only a vague notion of what the Negro Leagues were so I sought out this book. It really comes at the history of the Leagues from a pure baseball perspective -- this is not a sociology book. I appreciated learning the history but I think I would have personally preferred a book less focused on athletic feats and statistics, but I'm glad this book does exist to give these talented Black stars their due.

[Allan]

From the open fields of rural America to inner-city streets and sandlots, baseball and the boys of summer have been America s feel-good obsession. That this pastime was played out in parallel, necessitated by the segregationist policies of America in the 19th and 20th centuries, is still so hard to understand. [return][return]In his foreword to Shades of Glory: The Negro Leagues and the Story of African-American Baseball by Lawrence D. Hogan, baseball historian Jules Tygiel writes The realm of black baseball was a vibrant and colorful one. It offered a panorama of innovation and enterprise, entertainment and excitement, and unparalleled athletic achievement. [return][return]This book brings alive the history of black baseball, from slaves playing on plantations in the pre-Civil War South to the first organized games of the mid-19th century and the glory days of the Negro leagues in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. This book profiles the players, owners and fans that made baseball come alive for generations of African Americans.[return][return]All the heroes of Negro League baseball are here. Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell, Buck O'Neill, Josh Gibson up until the arrival of Jackie Robinson, Roy Campenella and Monte Irwin and how their breaking the color barrier effectively put an end to Negro League baseball.[return][return]There are stats of ball players and organizations at the back of the book, although they are missing in this pre-release edition. [return][return]The book is an important contribution to the history of baseball in America and a sensitive tribute to the players and teams that wrote a unique chapter in the story of baseball and American culture.

[Allan · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the open fields of rural America to inner-city streets and sandlots, baseball and the boys of summer have been America’s feel-good obsession. That this pastime was played out in parallel, necessitated by the segregationist policies of America in the 19th and 20th centuries, is still so hard to understand. [return][return]In his foreword to Shades of Glory: The Negro Leagues and the Story of African-American Baseball by Lawrence D. Hogan, baseball historian Jules Tygiel writes “The realm of black baseball was a vibrant and colorful one. It offered a panorama of innovation and enterprise, entertainment and excitement, and unparalleled athletic achievement.” [return][return]This book brings alive the history of black baseball, from slaves playing on plantations in the pre-Civil War South to the first organized games of the mid-19th century and the glory days of the Negro leagues in the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s. This book profiles the players, owners and fans that made baseball come alive for generations of African Americans.[return][return]All the heroes of Negro League baseball are here. Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell, Buck O'Neill, Josh Gibson up until the arrival of Jackie Robinson, Roy Campenella and Monte Irwin and how their breaking the color barrier effectively put an end to Negro League baseball.[return][return]There are stats of ball players and organizations at the back of the book, although they are missing in this pre-release edition. [return][return]The book is an important contribution to the history of baseball in America and a sensitive tribute to the players and teams that wrote a unique chapter in the story of baseball and American culture.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to stay with the baseball theme as the Giants were in the playoffs and then the World Series (guess that tells people what area of the country I live in). I would recommend this book about baseball's Negro League's to someone who is either more interested in a scholarly approach to the subject matter, or has done previous reading on the subject and is seeking to deepen their knowledge base. As a general overview, or for a novice in the area, I would say Robert Peterson's Only the Ball Was White is a better written book, but puts some of the subjects in a nicer light.

I did wonder if SABR and the Hall of Fame combined multiple SABR articles for this book. The book does peel away some of the romance of the Negro Leagues. The owners treated the players as badly as white owners treated MLB players at the time, and many owners drew their primary source of funds from numbers running.

Peterson contributes to the last chapter which is arguably the best written. for myself, I still have issues with the argument some of the writers make that integration doomed many black businesses. They make a good argument, but it smacks of separate but equal to me.

[Josh Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shades of Glory is a fascinating book that talks about the struggle that African Americans had to go through in order to play with the professional league baseball players. This book has a lot of information that will really make you want to read more about it. The book has a lot of information that not a lot of people know. Although the book is great, it also has its downsides to it. It is a long lengthy book that is kind of dull and may be boring to some people. I would strongly recommend this book, unless you don’t like learning about history, you will learn a lot about this time in history and how average people joined baseball teams and how they came up with their own names of their own organizations and teams. I would also recommend this book because it really makes you think about the struggle that they went through in order to play. This book shows determination and perseverance that the AAs had and how the were not bothered by horrible insults and harsh comments towards them. This is a great book for high schoolers, especially if they want to learn more about history.

[Alger Smythe-Hopkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tried and was bored.

What I didn't know about the history of the Negro Leagues would fill a book roughly this size, and now that I have finished this volume... I don't know that I feel any better informed. As I expected after seeing the National Geographic imprint when I opened it to start reading, this is not a narrative history of the Negro Leagues, this is an encyclopedic reference to the key people and teams and events. It is not really written to be read from cover to cover, but is instead a collection of unconnected moments. As a result it repeats, and it presents us with dry facts, and leaves the reader without context. You have to know something, quite a bit actually, to get the best out of this book. And that is too bad.

The fault is with me, the reader, not the book.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't quite finish this, as I was reading it in the midst of several other books for school. But it contains a wealth of information from the origins of the game onward. Game recaps from the 1800s, conversations with the fading generation of NL ballplayers and lots of hidden stories unearthed. It's a story that needs to be told about inequality, about people finding a home for themselves and their talents when the mainstream would not make a place for them, and players that might have even been better than Babe Ruth had they been given the opportunity to compete against him.

There are plenty of books written on the subject; this is one of many worth reading.

[Adrian]

Bought at Cooperstown. This history extends from pre-civil war to the early 1960s. Never stable, leagues were in constant flux and players moved around at will, it was nevertheless lively and fun. Surprised to find how early on Cuban-born players played a role. Lots of tales about great stars like 'Double Duty' Radcliffe, 'Cool Papa' Bell and of course Satchel Paige. Amazing how long MLB kept its head in the sand about the talent available here. Remarkably the negro leagues lasted some 18 years after Jackie Robinson signed with the Dodgers.

[Eric Bauman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it a struggle to get through this book, especially the first 200 pages or so. It was like listening to a six-year-old who's been off the Ritalin for a while tell a story. Part of this, I think, is due to the chaotic nature of the first few decades of organized baseball of any sort, but the way the book jumped back and forth made it hard to follow any sort of cohesive storyline. It got better once the story got into the later 1930s, but I was forcing myself to finish by that point.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very enjoyable read about the negro leagues, baseball and integration. Starts around the mid 1800's and goes to just after jackie r broke the color line. the book picks up when the negro leagues get formed in the 1920's. before that i found the book is slow. Through this book I found a much better understanding about the negro leagues, their history and all of the great players.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to hear author Lawrence Hogan speak in Cooperstown in October 2008, he was entertaining, knowledgeable and passionate about the history of African-American Baseball.

I learned a great deal about baseball and the African-American experience within baseball from this book. The writing is a bit academic, but the story is a rich one and well worth reading.

[Maria Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great because it has the history of baseball and the struggle African Americans had to go through in order to play baseball. It gives so much detail and talks about the main people that were involved in order to have the baseball we know today.

[Cyndi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very detailed history of the Negro leagues. Rather scholarly and not for leisure reading.

[Jerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the history sub-stories. A great read for any baseball fan.