Indian Summer: The Tragic Story of Louis Francis Sockalexis, the First Native American in Major League Baseball [Hardcover]

Brian McDonald (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ohio | Publication Date: March 19, 2003

The Indian wars were over, and the Indians had lost. But on the green fields of our national pastime, this Indian stood tall ...

America, as always, was in the throes of change. Segregation was becoming law down South with the passage of Jim Crow. West of the Mississippi, the slaughters at Little Bighorn and Wounded Knee still stung recent memory. At the same time, in 1897, the name Sockalexis resounded in barrooms and backrooms, in the lurid headlines of the popular press, and in the bleachers of the legendary ballparks in Baltimore and Boston, Chicago and Cincinnati, New York and St. Louis.

More than a century ago, on a remote reservation in the wilds of Maine, a "natural" athletic talent was born who would change the face of baseball-- literally. The Indian, as he was labeled by friend and foe alike, caused a commotion in city after city as rowdy fans, hard-drinking players, and corrupt team owners all wanted a piece of the first Native American to play in the Majors. For one sensational season he was the toast of Cleveland and the National League, his appeal so strong that there's little doubt he inspired the name his old club carries today.

This is the story of Louis Francis Sockalexis, grandson of a Penobscot chief, who endured a firestorm of publicity while blazing a trail for such sports heroes as Jim Thorpe and Jackie Robinson. Unfortunately, Sockalexis also followed the well-traveled path of stars before and since who have sealed their own fate with alcohol and other temptations. And yet, as rendered by Brian McDonald, the forgotten story of Sockalexis reveals a most memorable figure from baseball's-- and America's-- storied past.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A monumental and valuable piece of previously untold baseball history. A must for any student of the game."--Bill Madden, baseball columnist for the New York Daily News and co-author of Zim: A Baseball Life

"Through the years I had heard of the East Coast Indian who was a great athlete, but I didn't know his name, his sport or tribe, or when he was active. Sockalexis was a baseball star when my father was an impressionable teenager, and must have been a role model.... I would like to see this book in every tribal school and library."--Grace Thorpe, Native American activist and daughter of Jim Thorpe

From the Inside Flap

The Indian wars were over, and the Indians had lost. But on the green fields of our national pastime, this Indian stood tall ...

America, as always, was in the throes of change. Segregation was becoming law down South with the passage of Jim Crow. West of the Mississippi, the slaughters at Little Bighorn and Wounded Knee still stung recent memory. At the same time, in 1897, the name Sockalexis resounded in barrooms and backrooms, in the lurid headlines of the popular press, and in the bleachers of the legendary ballparks in Baltimore and Boston, Chicago and Cincinnati, New York and St. Louis.

More than a century ago, on a remote reservation in the wilds of Maine, a "natural" athletic talent was born who would change the face of baseball-- literally. The Indian, as he was labeled by friend and foe alike, caused a commotion in city after city as rowdy fans, hard-drinking players, and corrupt team owners all wanted a piece of the first Native American to play in the Majors. For one sensational season he was the toast of Cleveland and the National League, his appeal so strong that there's little doubt he inspired the name his old club carries today.

This is the story of Louis Francis Sockalexis, grandson of a Penobscot chief, who endured a firestorm of publicity while blazing a trail for such sports heroes as Jim Thorpe and Jackie Robinson. Unfortunately, Sockalexis also followed the well-traveled path of stars before and since who have sealed their own fate with alcohol and other temptations. And yet, as rendered by Brian McDonald, the forgotten story of Sockalexis reveals a most memorable figure from baseball's-- and America's-- storied past.

Brian McDonald's first book, My Father's Gun, received critical acclaim as a "lucid" (The New Yorker) memoir of three generations of Irish-American police officers. It served as the basis of a two-hour docu-movie that aired on the History Channel in 2002. McDonald graduated from the Columbia School of Journalism and has written for the New York Times, Reader's Digest, and Gourmet magazine, among other publications. He lives in New York City.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (March 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579545874
• ISBN-13: 978-1579545871
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,266,562 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An All Too Familiar Story, September 2, 2003

By 

C. W. Emblom "Bill Emblom" (Ishpeming, Michigan USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Indian Summer: The Tragic Story of Louis Francis Sockalexis, the First Native American in Major League Baseball (Hardcover)

I had heard of Louis Sockalexis and knew he was from Old Town, Maine, but that was all. Author Brian McDonald has researched the baseball life of this Penobscot Indian, and provided us with a neglected subject in baseball's history. Sockalexis was on his way to having a superior season with the Cleveland National League team in 1897 while enduring the derisive taunts from fans throughout the league because he was an Indian. Sockalexis turned those taunts to cheers with his batting and fielding skills, while others attended games just to see this much heralded Indian play ball. It certainly wasn't known at the time, but the apex of Sockalexis's career was on the team's first visit to New York's Polo Grounds when he hit a home run onto 8th Avenue off the "Hoosier Thunderbolt" Amos Rusie.
As has been the case with numerous athletes throughout history, the love of alcohol and the night life brought this budding star's career to an abrupt end. While jumping out of a second story brothel window Louis suffered a broken ankle and his running ability was never the same. He managed to hang on through the seasons of 1898-1899, but was only a shadow of his former self. He had vowed to give up his drinking and take his baseball seriously, but it was not to be. The Cleveland team was known as the Spiders, and was changed during this time to Indians. Whether it was because Sockalexis was on the team in open to conjecture. In 1900 the National League dropped its four weakest franchises, Cleveland among them, which finished the 1899 season with the worst record of any team in baseball history, 20 wins and 134 losses. Sockalexis died from heart failure on Christmas Eve of 1913. We are also introduced to Indians' owner Frank Robison and manager Patsy Tebeau who endured the tribulations of managing his alcoholic star.
Interesting stories are also told of the St. Louis Browns' colorful owner Chris Von der Ahe who ended up selling his team to Cleveland owner Frank Robison at a sheriff's auction. Owning two teams was known as "syndicate baseball."
The author begins each chapter with interesting tidbits that were taking place in America during the years of 1897-1899. One was the two day postponement of the execution of a Choctaw Indian who was to be shot by firing squad so he could be in the lineup of the governor's favorite team.
The book is a worthy addition to a baseball library. His story, however, is an all too familiar one of wasted talent.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read-McDonald hits a GRAND SLAM!, July 7, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Indian Summer: The Tragic Story of Louis Francis Sockalexis, the First Native American in Major League Baseball (Hardcover)

This book is a must read for baseball fans and history fans alike.
McDonald tells the story of this unsung hero while interweaving facts about the struggles of Native Americans in general during the 1890's in this country. The author does both Sockalexis and baseball fans a great service by telling the story of this phenomenal talent. Sockalexis performed head a shoulders above the others players while facing adversity at every turn. It is difficult to believe that a player of Sockalexis' caliber is not touted along with Babe Ruth, and the like- such a disservice to the game.One can't help but wonder what type of impact Sockalexis would have had on the game if he had played baseball during a different time period in this country.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, sad story, July 31, 2004

By 

just a reader (Baltimore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Indian Summer: The Tragic Story of Louis Francis Sockalexis, the First Native American in Major League Baseball (Hardcover)

This book is more than a baseball story; it's a bit of insight into American culture at the turn of the last century as well. It is also an extremely fast read. The story flows smoothly and doesn't drag. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the career of Louis Sockalexis. Blessed with tremendous athletic ability, this Native American rises quickly to the top of the game, only to fall more rapidly. Here is a guy who by most accounts could have been one of the all-time greats of the game, but was used by owners, friends and hangers-on, until he was all-used up and cast aside. Certainly, much of his demise was his own doing; but some of it was the time period, the structure of the baseball business, the racism of the day. Regardless, it's a tale worth reading, as one can draw certain parallels to today's athlete - coddled, manipulated and directionless.