Black Baseball in Pittsburgh (PA) (Black America) [Paperback]

Larry Lester (Author), Sammy J. Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 19, 2001

When the Negro National League was formed in Kansas City in 1920, a new chapter in America's sports history had begun. Black Baseball in Pittsburgh chronicles the history of the Negro League in the Steel City from the Homestead Grays in the 1910s to the great Pittsburgh Crawfords teams of the 1930s and through the 1950s. Here, you will meet legends such as "Smokey" Joe Williams, the famed "Thunder Twins," Josh Gibson, the Steel City's Slugger Supreme, and Buck Leonard, the King of Negro League first basemen.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Larry Lester and Sammy J. Miller, two noted historians of Negro League baseball, have teamed up to bring us the fascinating story of black baseball in Pittsburgh with nearly 200 historical photographs. Whether or not you are a baseball fan, you will be intrigued by the images of these black stars that shone on green diamonds.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (March 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738505315
• ISBN-13: 978-0738505312
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,504,806 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Picturing Pittsburgh's Rich Baseball Heritage, August 9, 2005

By 

Theo Logos (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Baseball in Pittsburgh (PA) (Black America) (Paperback)

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has had a rich baseball tradition for more than a century. The Pittsburgh Pirates were in the first World Series in 1903, and have won five since then, and have produced such Hall of Fame greats as Honus Wagner, Paul & Lloyd Waner, Pie Trayner, Ralph Kiner, Bill Mazeroski, Roberto Clemente, and Willie Stargell.
Yet the Pirates are only part of the story of great baseball in Pittsburgh. In the years before Jackie Robinson broke baseball's infamous color line, two of the greatest teams to ever take the field, the Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords of the Negro Leagues played their exciting brand of baseball in the Steel City. Some of the most outstanding players ever to swing a bat or throw a ball played on those teams, including many Hall of Famers. Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell, Judy Johnson, Smokey Joe Williams, Willie Wells, and Buck Leonard are among the greats who played on these amazing teams. These men and their teams rivaled any of the great major league players and teams of their era, and they should never be forgotten.
Black Baseball In Pittsburgh tells the story of these teams through pictures. It combines a brief introduction with nearly 200 pictures, each having extensive captions. Many of these photos were taken by the legendary "One Shot" Teenie Harris, a renowned photographer for the Pittsburgh Courier. Even though the book has very little text, it is a most attractive product, and a fitting remembrance for the legendary Black teams of Pittsburgh.

Theo Logos

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Loud And Proud History Captured In Pictures, February 26, 2007

By 

Bicycle Day - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Black Baseball in Pittsburgh (PA) (Black America) (Paperback)

Renowned NLB researchers Larry Lester & Sammy J. Miller provide a unique perspective on the rich tradition of the Homestead Grays & Pittsburgh Crawfords through nearly 200 photographs covering nearly as many pages.

Baseball is a game where the camera lense can capture so much and the editors do a magnificent job in utilizing the archives from the Pittsburgh Courier and supplementing the photos with in-depth cutlines. Of particular interest is the 1935 Crawfords, one of the greatest professional teams ever, which featured Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, Oscar Charleston, Judy Johnson, Cool Papa Bell & Sam Bankhead.

It is also a celebration of a legendary newspaper during an era when the print media was king. This is truly a history book that not only tells the story of NLB in Pittsburgh, but is a loud & proud message of black power when facing institutionalized racism.