Press Box Red: The Story of Lester Rodney, the Communist Who Helped Break the Color Line in American Sports [Paperback]

Irwin Silber (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2003

Long before Branch Rickey signed Jackie Robinson to a Brooklyn Dodger contract in 1945, Lester Rodney, the newly hired and first sports editor of the "Communist Daily Worker", launched the campaign that proved decisive in eventually breaking baseball's color line. But in the hostile anti-Communist climate of those years and for many years after, Rodney's story remained largely unknown. It therefore came as a surprise to many when Arnold Rampersad, in his authoritative 1997 biography of Jackie Robinson, wrote: "In the campaign to end Jim Crow in baseball, the most vigorous efforts came from the Communist press, most notably from Lester Rodney". Now "Press Box Red" tells the story of that remarkable 11-year campaign and of Rodney's unique career covering sports for the "Daily Worker" until he left the Communist Party in 1958. "Press Box Red" is packed with first-hand accounts of Rodney's challenges to the high muck-a-mucks of professional and collegiate sports, and contains frank and frequently humorous encounters with owners, managers, and coaches like Branch Rickey, Larry MacPhail, Bill Veeck, Leo Durocher, Casey Stengel, Nat Holman, Clair Bee and numerous athletes including Robinson, Roy Campanella, Joe DiMaggio, Satchel Paige, Peewee Reese, Joe Louis, Henry Armstrong, and many others. It's a story every fan will love. Author note: Irwin Silber is a self-employed writer who lives in the Bay Area of northern California. He is the author or editor of eight previous books, including "Socialism: What Went Wrong" and "The Vietnam Song Book" (with Barbara Dane).

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is a crisp reminder that the golden age of baseball and pro-sports in America in general was not nearly as simple as many would like to believe. Perhaps, more importantly, this book is a testimony that sport has always been a matter of deep social significance and that the never-ending battle for social justice can be successfully waged from the most unexpected of spaces." Left History "[Rodney and Silber] dispense wisdom coupled with wit, salient information paired with keen insight. In the process, they confer a human face on an ideological construct: American communism; Rodney's odyssey from a Republican household to CP affiliation to disaffected radical makes for fascinating reading, which the book captures, to borrow a Gershwin phrase, in fascinatin' rhythm." American Communist History "important ...a work that should be read and reread" Nine "This lively book is a welcome addition to the saga of 20th-Century American sports and sportswriting, especially in its telling of the little-known tale of Lester Rodney's role in the integration of baseball." - Robert Lipsyte "Lester Rodney was a Communist. Whether because of that or in spite of that, he was also one of the most independent and courageous sportswriters of his day. Press Box Red is a timely, much-needed reminder of the pivotal role he played in integrating baseball, and, therefore, in the history of this country." - David Margolick "Anyone interested in the New York sports scene in the era of Joe Louis and Joe DiMaggio is likely to derive much pleasure from these pages." - Choice "While the book is first and foremost a history of Rodney's efforts, parts of this book are of particular interest to revolutionary socialists...Press Box Red sheds light on this hidden history." - The Socialist Worker "This book is required reading for anyone who's interested in sports and politics and how the two can intersect." - The International Socialist Review "Besides its engaging account of an engaging man, the book offers a look into one of the odd corners of baseball history - the not-so-remote byway where baseball crossed paths with communism." - Elysian Fields Quarterly "The beauty of Press Box Red is not only the surprising (and surprisingly unknown) story of Lester Rodney, but also the ease with which Irwin Silber meshes his own historical notes and commentary with the voice of Rodney himself. Most of the book appears in the form of oral reminiscences from Rodney, who is every bit as elegant with the spoken word as the written one. It is always tempting for a biographer to place himself and his prose above the subject, but Silber never submits to this temptation, while remaining steadfast in his obvious admiration for the iconoclastic Rodney. Still, Silber offers important structure and background to Rodney's life story." Love My Team "Hearing Lester Rodney speak for himself and viewing facsimiles of the same pages he's discussing is the real strength of the book since these methods allow Silber's readers to reconstruct the consciousness of the Depression and World War II era." American Journalism

From the Publisher

How a journalist gave the Daily Worker its first sports column, and broke the color barrier in sports in the process

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Temple Univ Pr (August 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566399742
• ISBN-13: 978-1566399746
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,850,673 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really good, December 10, 2006

By 

John Green (Hayward CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Press Box Red: The Story of Lester Rodney, the Communist Who Helped Break the Color Line in American Sports (Paperback)

Irwin Silber's biography of Lester Rodney is an excellent book about sports, particularly baseball. And though I'm hardly a baseball fan, the style and subject are snappy and engaging. More importantly, Press Box Red explains the activist campaign mounted to desegregate baseball and the far-reaching affects of breaking the color line in "America's pastime". Rodney's anecdotal story-telling and vignettes of great ballplayers--Black and white--reads more like a sports column than a history book. This is also a wonderful insight into a little explored dynamic of Communist Party, though a bit more background on the Party could have been provided for the reader unfamiliar.