The Baltimore Elite Giants; Sport and Society in the Age of Negro League Baseball
Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Format is approximately 6.25 inches by 8 inches. [10], 192, [6] pages. Illustrations. Appendix A: A Brief History of Black Baseball in Baltimore before the Elite Giants. Appendix B: Baltimore Elite Giants Baseball Club Operating Statement. Appendix C. Baltimore Elite Giants Standings, 1938-1951. Notes. Suggested Reading. Index. Bob Luke is the author of four books, including The Most Famous Woman in Baseball: Effa Manley and the Negro Leagues; The Baltimore Elite Giants: Sport and Society in the Age of Negro League Baseball and numerous articles on the history of baseball and the Negro Leagues. The Elite Giants of Baltimore featured some of the outstanding African American players of the day. Luke narrates the untold story of the team and its interaction with the city and its people during the years of segregation. Luke relives the standout performances of individual players, and discusses key decisions made by management. He introduces the team’s eventual major league stars: Roy Campanella, who went on to a ten-year Hall of Fame career; Joe Black, the first African American pitcher to win a World Series game; and James "Junior" Gilliam, a player and coach for twenty-five years. Luke describes the contentious relationship between the team and major league baseball before, during, and after the integration of the major leagues. The Elite Giants broke the color barrier in the major leagues, giving hope to an African American community still oppressed by Jim Crow. Luke reveals how the team, its personalities, and its fans raised public awareness of the larger issues faced by blacks in segregation-era Baltimore. The Baltimore Elite Giants recounts a barrier-breaking team’s successes, failures, and eventual demise. Condition: Very good / Very good.
Keywords: Major League Baseball, Baltimore Elite Giants, Segregation, Racism, Negro League, Roy Campanella, Joe Black, Junior Gilliam, Bugle Field, Pee Wee Butts, Daddy Byrd, Josh Gibson, Homestead Grays, Henry Kimbro, Effa Manley, Felton Snow, Smiling Tom Wil
ISBN: 9780801891168
[Book #77544]
Price: $45.00