Larry Lester

"Some say that Kansas City has the best black baseball, blues, and "Q" in the nation. It has been called the heart of America, a cultural melting pot, and the breadbasket of the Midwest. It was also home to the famous Kansas City Monarchs. Black baseball began in Kansas City with the Maroons in 1890. However, it wasn't until 1921, when the black Kansas City Monarchs triumphed over the white Kansas City Blues, that black players started receiving national...

"Chronicles the history of the Negro League in the Steel City from the Homestead Grays in the 1910s to the great Pittsburgh Crawfords teams of the 1930s and through the 1950s."--Back cover

"Andrew "Rube" Foster stands among the best African American pitchers of the 1900s, he made his name as the founder and president of the Negro National League, the first all-black league to survive a full season. This biography combines period editorials and correspondence with insightful narrative to provide a comprehensive portrait of this innovative Hall of Famer"--Provided by publisher.

"Focusing on the post-Civil War period through the 1950s, this richly illustrated history of New York's prominent black baseball clubs--some covered in detail for the first time--examines their social and economic impact on the national pastime. Roughly 300 photos include rare images of players"--

"For more than half a century, Black baseball players, barred from the Major Leagues by systemic racism, competed in leagues of their own. This book re-interprets the history of race in baseball from the ground up, telling the story of how the Major Leagues became the 'Caucasian Leagues,' and naming the person most responsible for their segregation; showing how Major League owners and executives tried to delay and even prevent integration; and proving,...