Full Description
For more than half a century, Black baseball players, barred from the Major Leagues by systemic racism, competed in leagues of their own. This book re-interprets the history of race in baseball from the ground up. It tells the story of how the Major Leagues became the "Caucasian Leagues," and names the person most responsible for their segregation; showing how Major League owners and executives tried to delay and even prevent integration; and proving, using a broad range of methods, that Negro League players were every inch the equals of their Major League counterparts. Cherished records held by white players since the days of segregation are shown to belong rightfully to Negro League superstars. This book takes a fresh look at a subject that's both straight from today's headlines and as old as baseball itself.
Contents
Table of Contents
A Note on Abbreviations
Foreword by Larry Lester
Introduction: Statistical Justice
Part I. Arguments
1. "Disgraceful Baseball"
2. What Constitutes a Major League?
3. The Dam Trickles Open
4. Statistical Variance Across Leagues and Eras
5. Mr. James's 23 Tests
6. Arguments Against Statistical Integration
7. Re-Writing the Record Books
8. Josh Gibson vs. Ruthsrecord
9. Monte Irvin: Half in One World, Half in Another
10. Willard Brown: The Chance That Wasn't a Chance
11. Roy Campanella: The Fallacy of Equivalency
12. Luke Easter: The Toughest Case to Prove
13. Larry Doby: Five-Tool Superstar
14. The Greatest
15. My Inner Circle: The Top 73 Players in American Baseball History
16. Two Down, One to Go
17. Wrapup: What's Fair Is Fair
A Personal Postscript
Part II. Reference
18. Negro Leaguers in the Hall of Fame
19. Negro Leagues All-Time Teams
20. The Negro Leagues All-Star Register
21. A Proposed Major Leagues Organizational Chart
22. A Proposed Negro Leagues Team Roster
23. Negro League and Early MLB Team Failures
24. Negro Leaguers Who Played in the Majors
25. Short Notes on Diverse Subjects
26. A Long Note: Major League Baseball vs. the Truth
Acknowledgments
An Open Letter to Atlanta's Ownership and Management
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
