Share

Buy New

$44.99

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

Sold by Lucky's Book and Fulfilled by Amazon.

This item ships to France. Want it Tuesday, May 21? Order within and choose AmazonGlobal Priority Shipping at checkout. Learn more

Deliver to France

Buy Used

$26.95

Deliver to France

Used: Very Good | Details

Sold by Denis Goods and Services

Fulfilled by Amazon

Added to

Unable to add item to List. Please try again.

Sell yours for a Gift Card
We'll buy it for up to $1.32
Learn More
Trade in now

Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 2 images

Follow the Authors

Elston and Me: The Story of the First Black Yankee (Sports and American Culture) Hardcover – November 20, 2001

by Arlene Howard (Author), Ralph Wimbish (Author), Yogi Berra (Foreword),

13 customer reviews

See all 3 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

"Please retry"

$29.95

—

Hardcover, November 20, 2001

$44.99

Hardcover
$44.99 30 Used from $4.99 4 New from $44.99 1 Collectible from $34.99

Of all the great ballplayers to wear Yankee pinstripes, Elston Howard was among the proudest. Remarkable temperament and courage made him the Jackie Robinson of baseball's most storied franchise. No Yankee carried himself with more dignity. No Yankee had greater respect for his teammates or love for his wife and family. And no one loved being a Yankee more than Elston Howard.

In Elston and Me, Howard's widow, Arlene, and coauthor Ralph Wimbish recall the life of the first black to play baseball for the New York Yankees. Howard, who played fourteen major-league seasons, was signed by the Yankees in 1950, but the reluctance of the Yankee organization to break the color barrier held Howard back from the major leagues until 1955 when he was twenty-six years old.

By 1961, the year he batted .348 for the Yankees, Elston had become the everyday catcher. Voted the American League's Most Valuable Player in 1963, Howard was a three-time Gold Glove winner, and his fielding average of the same year remains one of the highest among catchers in major-league history.

In 1967, with the Yankee dynasty in decay, Elston was traded to the Boston Red Sox, although Yankee management had promised him that he would finish his career in pinstripes. After contemplating retirement, he moved to Boston late that season and helped the Red Sox win the "Impossible Dream" pennant. After one more season with the Red Sox, he returned to the Yankees as the first black coach in the American League. Howard died at the age of fifty-one without fulfilling his dream of becoming baseball's first black manager.

Beginning with Howard's early years as a St. Louis teenager, the book relates his encounters with racism and his love of baseball. He began his professional career for the legendary Negro League team the Kansas City Monarchs. His three decades with the New York Yankees include numerous anecdotes about fellow Yankee legends such as Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, and Yogi Berra. With countless personal moments and never-before- published photographs and clippings from family albums, Elston and Me is the touching story of one of baseball's great players.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Arlene Howard, Elston Howard's widow, details her husband's life from his St. Louis childhood through his untimely death. The book successfully conveys both the respect that Howard commanded from his teammates and his struggles in being the first black member of the Yankees, one of the last teams to integrate because their general manager at the time, George Weiss, "saw no need to integrate a ball club strongly supported by white, upscale fans." Often compared to Jackie Robinson, Howard faced criticism both from racists and from blacks who believed he did not speak out strongly enough against discrimination. The book makes clear that Howard was accepted by his teammates (most notably Yogi Berra), who were apparently not bigoted like Weiss and others in the organization. Surprisingly, and disappointingly, the author focuses primarily on baseball matters and does not really lend much insight into Elston's life off the field. Describing Howard's 1956 "so-so season," she recalls that he was hospitalized "after he broke out in welts. The doctors said they were the result of nerves," but she gives no further explanation. Most of the portraits of Elston as a man come secondhand from players and coaches rather than directly from his wife. The one exception concerns Howard's quest to become the first black manager in the majors; his private thoughts in this endeavor are clearly conveyed. Still, despite its shortcomings, the book is engaging, and Howard's life is interesting enough that it should do well among both Yankee fans and baseball history buffs. 30 b&w photos.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Elston Howard was one of the great Yankee players of the last half-century, a figure whom many fans believe belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He first exhibited his talents for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues, but he was disappointed when his hometown team, the St. Louis Cardinals, failed to sign him for professional ball. He was signed instead by the Yankees in 1950, but they used him in a subordinate role for many years. Howard eventually thrived as their starting catcher in the latter half of his career. His wife ably captures here the seesaw drama of his professional career, with many telling anecdotes about his well-known colleagues, and she writes sensitively of the life they built together. Ultimately, Howard became the first African American coach in the American League, but his dream of making manager was never fulfilled. Arlene Howard believes that the racism and intolerance of our society contributed to her husband's early death at 51. This thoughtful, well-told story belongs in most New York-area libraries and libraries with strong sports collections. Paul Kaplan, Lake Villa District Lib., IL
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product details

Series: Sports and American Culture (Book 1)
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: University of Missouri (November 20, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0826213588
ISBN-13: 978-0826213587
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 13 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,377,406 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2136 in Baseball Biographies (Books)
- #5972 in Baseball (Books)
- #6483 in African-American & Black Biographies

Would you like to tell us about a lower price?
If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?

Be the first video

Your name here

Important information

Ingredients

Example Ingredients

Directions

Example Directions

13 customer reviews

Review this product

Write a customer review

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Biography of a True Champion

February 5, 2009

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

"Whatever they're paying him, it ain't enough." This quote from former Yankees manager Casey Stengel (p. 133) on Elston Howard's 1965 contract neatly sums up how valuable Howard was to the Yankees, and "Elston and Me," a biography by Howard's widow, Arlene, serves to do the same. As the first black Yankee player and coach, Howard left a lasting imprint as a fine gentleman and extremely valuable Yankee for nine AL championship teams. In 1955, the Yankees needed someone with quiet dignity to break the color barrier for them, and Howard filled the role. "Elston and Me" shows he was not as willing as some people think to roll with every punch, either. He did speak out against spring training discrimination against black players, for example. The refreshing thing is that people who know things about Elston can recognize that the praises given to him (not just the prose, but the many quotes about him) in this book are all true; it is not the sort of thing that could be contradicted by a scandal book.

Elston is portrayed as a religious and family man and an unselfish person, but also the consummate team player: Arlene and co-author Ralph Wimbish do a good job of telling the story of Elston the man, but also the fierce competitor. Baseball (mostly Yankee) fans will get their satisfaction from the retelling of baseball events, season by season.

The negative to this book is the fact checking. The text has Yogi Berra hitting 22 home runs in 1955 (was 27) and the Yanks winning the 1957 pennant with a 96-55 record (98-56). Hank Bauer is cited as winning the 1958 Sport Magazine World Series MVP award, but it was Bob Turley. The subject is not spared the mistakes: His RBI totals are incorrect for two different seasons and up to a certain point in one season. Frank Lary beat the Yanks 7 times in 1958, not 1957. There are many more smaller errors involving what inning, what date, who scored the run etc. that I will not bore you with except to comment that they can be pinpointed because of the existence of modern information (baseball) databases. One would hope these things would lessen rather than become greater with the passage of time, but unfortunately, they are a reality for too many publications nowadays.

One person found this helpful

Comment

voracious reader

A Nice Tribute for the Most Part

May 1, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

No, I'm NOT a Yankee fan, but I liked many of their players from my youth, Elston Howard among them. His widow, Arlene, has penned a good biog of her late husband. Only complaint was errors on when certain baseball events occured; proof-reading was definitely needed to check that out. Arlene Howard is NOT at fault for sloppy editing!

Comment

since I followed the yankees way back during elston's career ...

February 9, 2018

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

since I followed the yankees way back during elston's career I know most of the players from that era and it has made the big that more enjoyable.

Comment

March 31, 2018

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Interesting book on one of the Yankee greats.

Comment

September 21, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Good

Comment

Amazon Customer

... you were an Elston Howard fan this is a good book on his career

September 21, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

If you were an Elston Howard fan this is a good book on his career....however, by the end of the book the author's resentment and negativity kind of ruined it for me.

Comment

Finally - The Story of an Unsung Yankee Hero

February 24, 2010

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I grew up watching the Yankees of the early 60's and remember the brilliant career of Elston Howard. Howard could hit for average and with power. His ability to call pitches was unmatched. Unfortunately his great contributions to the Yankee dynasty of his time were overlooked at times, as his team also featured Maris, Mantle, Ford and Berra. It was great to see Howard finally acknowledged after all these years. His life was unfairly shortened and his family faced numerous difficulties through the years. His wife and friend have written a compelling biography and I am so thankful that I was finally able to know so much more about one of my favorite boyhood heroes. Thank you, Arlene. You made my year.

2 people found this helpful

Comment

lynn moffat wray

November 1, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Such an important person in baseball and American history is given his due here by his loving wife.

One person found this helpful

Comment

English $USD - U.S. Dollar United States

Conditions of Use
Privacy Notice
Interest-Based Ads
© 1996-2019, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates