“We are the ship; all else the sea.”-Rube Foster, founder of the
Negro National League The story of Negro League baseball is the
story of gifted athletes and determined owners; of racial
discrimination and international sportsmanship; of fortunes won
and lost; of triumphs and defeats on and off the field. It is a
perfect mirror for the social and political history of Black
America in the first half of the twentieth century. But most of
all, the story of the Negro Leagues is about hundreds of unsung
heroes who overcame segregation, hatred, terrible conditions,
and low pay to do the one thing they loved more than anything
else in the world: play ball. Using an “Everyman” player as his
narrator, Kadir Nelson tells the story of Negro League baseball
from its beginnings in the 1920s through its decline after
Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in 1947. The voice is
so authentic, you will feel as if you are sitting on dusty
bleachers listening intently to the memories of a man who has
known the great ballpla