{"product_id":"9781943816552","title":"Bittersweet Goodbye: The Black Barons, the Grays, and the 1948 Negro League World Series","description":"This book was inspired by the last Negro League World Series ever played and presents biographies of the players on the two contending teams in 1948 - the Birmingham Black Barons and the Homestead Grays - as well as the managers, the owners, and articles on the ballparks the teams called home. \u003cp\u003eAlso included are articles that recap the season's two East-West All-Star Games, the Negro National League and Negro American League playoff series, and the World Series itself. Additional context is provided in essays about the effects of Organized Baseball's integration on the Negro Leagues, the exodus of Negro League players to Canada, and the signing away of top Negro League players, specifically Willie Mays. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe lack of detailed press coverage of the Negro Leagues, the fact that not every player was a star with a lengthy career, and gaps in public records of the era (especially in regard to African Americans) present a situation in which it is not possible to detail the life of every single player as fully as in other SABR publications. In the face of such challenges, the SABR researchers who have contributed player biographies and feature articles to this book have done utmost diligence to uncover every possible nugget of information that is currently available and, in many instances, new discoveries have been made. Many of the players' lives and careers have been presented to a much greater extent than previously. This book represents the collaborative efforts of 49 authors and editors from the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eContents:\u003cbr\u003eWillie Mays Letter to Jim Zapp\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTHE BIRMINGHAM BLACK BARONS\u003cbr\u003eLloyd Pepper Bassett, Frederick C. Bush\u003cbr\u003eHerman Bell, Margaret M. Gripshover\u003cbr\u003eJohn Britton, Bill Nowlin\u003cbr\u003eLorenzo \"Piper\" Davis (player\/manager) Jeb Stewart\u003cbr\u003eBill Greason, Frederick C. Bush\u003cbr\u003eWiley Griggs, William Dahlberg\u003cbr\u003eJay (Jehosie) Heard, J. W. Stewart\u003cbr\u003eWillie Mays, John Saccoman\u003cbr\u003eJimmie Newberry, Jeb Stewart\u003cbr\u003eAlonzo Perry, Dennis D. Degenhardt\u003cbr\u003eNat Pollard, Jay Hurd\u003cbr\u003eBill Powell, Mark Panuthos \u0026amp; Frederick C. Bush\u003cbr\u003eNorman (Bobby) Robinson, Bob LeMoine\u003cbr\u003eJoe Scot,t Charles F. Faber\u003cbr\u003eEd Steele, Will Osgood\u003cbr\u003eBob Veale, Joseph Gerard\u003cbr\u003eSamuel Williams, Bob LeMoine\u003cbr\u003eArtie Wilson, Rob Neyer\u003cbr\u003eJim Zapp, Bill Nowlin\u003cbr\u003eTom Hayes (Owner) James Forr\u003cbr\u003eAbe Saperstein (Co-Owner, 1939-45) Norm King\u003cbr\u003eRickwood Field, Clarence Watkins\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTHE HOMESTEAD GRAYS \u003cbr\u003eTed Alexander, Rob Neyer\u003cbr\u003eSam Bankhead, Dave Wilkie\u003cbr\u003eLefty Bell, Frederick C. Bush\u003cbr\u003eGarnett Blair, Bill Nowlin\u003cbr\u003eBob Boston, Bill Johnson\u003cbr\u003eClarence Bruce, Frederick C. Bush\u003cbr\u003eLuther Clifford, Richard Bogovich\u003cbr\u003eLuke Easter, Justin Murphy\u003cbr\u003eClarence Evans, Dennis D. Degenhardt\u003cbr\u003eWilmer Fields, Frederick C. Bush\u003cbr\u003eErvin Fowlkes, Dave Forrester\u003cbr\u003eCharles Gary, Chris Rainey\u003cbr\u003eRobert Gaston, Chris Rainey\u003cbr\u003eCecil Kaiser, Brian Baughan\u003cbr\u003eLarry Kimbrough, Chris Rainey\u003cbr\u003eBuck Leonard, Ralph Berger\u003cbr\u003eLuis Márquez, Amy Essington\u003cbr\u003eEudie Napier, Tom Hawthorn\u003cbr\u003eTom Parker, Bill Johnson\u003cbr\u003eWillie (Bill) Pope, Skip Nipper\u003cbr\u003eWillie D. Smith, Alan Cohen\u003cbr\u003eFrank Thompson, Michael Mattsey\u003cbr\u003eBob Thurman, Rick Swaine\u003cbr\u003eBob Trice, Jack Morris\u003cbr\u003eR. T. Walker, Irv Goldfarb\u003cbr\u003eJohn Wright, Niall Adler\u003cbr\u003eVic Harris (manager) Charlie Fouche\u003cbr\u003eCum Posey (Owner to 1946 d.) Brian McKenna\u003cbr\u003eEthel Posey (Co-Owner) Leslie Heaphy\u003cbr\u003eRufus \"Sonny Man\" Jackson (Co-Owner) Ralph Carhart\u003cbr\u003eForbes Field, Curt Smith\u003cbr\u003eGriffith Stadium, John Schleppi\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFEATURES\u003cbr\u003ePlayers Omitted from the Rosters, Frederick C. Bush\u003cbr\u003eThe 1948 East-West All-Star Games, Thomas E. Kern\u003cbr\u003eThe 1948 Negro American League Playoff Series (Birmingham v. Kansas City Monarchs) Japheth Knopp\u003cbr\u003eThe 1948 Negro National League Playoff Series (Homestead v. Baltimore Elite Giants) Steve West\u003cbr\u003eThe 1948 Negro Leagues World Series, Richard J. Puerzer\u003cbr\u003eBaseball's Integration Spells the End of the Negro Leagues, Japheth Knopp\u003cbr\u003eThe Signing of Willie Mays, John Klima\u003cbr\u003eFrom the Negro Leagues to the Quebec Provincial League, Jack Anderson\u003cbr\u003eEpilogue: Birmingham, Pittsburgh, and the Negro Leagues Since 1948, Frederick C. Bush\u003cbr\u003eBibliography for Further Research\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Society for American Baseball Research","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47040548405488,"sku":"9781943816552","price":21.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781943816552_p0.jpg?v=1763791794","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781943816552","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}