From Library Journal
There were many players in the late 1940s and 1950s who were genuine stars but somehow fell short of enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of Fame. This Side of Cooperstown sports some fine interviews with such luminaries as Carl Erskine, Del Crandell, Vic Powers, and others who provide insight into the game and the period. Some of the true heroes of the time were, of course, black Major Leaguers who often endured abuse and ill will. Crossing the Line, which is organized like a reference book, offers profiles of black players of the period. Although both titles appeal to a limited audience?diehard fans of the 1950s and baseball researchers?comprehensive collections should consider.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"The more you read the more you shake your head. The minority players of that era are truly inspirational."—Frank Thomas, player for the Oakland A’s
(Frank Thomas )
"Whether for loot or for love of the game, these players bridged the distance between racial segregation and racial integration in America''s standard pastime."—Russell Adams, chair of the African American studies department, Howard University
(Russell Adams )
"It takes up where Robert Peterson''s important Only the Ball Was White leaves off. . . . Moffi and Kronstadt demonstrate precisely and eloquently how the crossing of the color line was not a quick one-time event but, rather, a slow decade-long process of various courageous moves matched by even more cowardly moves by both players and owners."—Ed Folsom, editor of Walt Whitman Quarterly Review
(Ed Folsom )
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
