The book was an exceptional portrayal of the obstacles that African-Americans had to overcome in order to play baseball. The story was told as a player that experienced the situation. The author did an outstanding job illustrating the book to depict the life and times of the players. The story begins with the 1st inning and takes you through the 9th inning with each inning adding something to the history of the Negro Baseball League which was the only means in which an African-American could play ball. The first inning is dedicated to the first players in the league and to Rube for his desire to continue allowing blacks to play even when they were not allowed to play professionally. He wanted his team to appear professionally and they were required to follow his rules in order to remain on his team. He initiated the first colored World Series which was held on October 11, 1924. The 2nd inning describes the type of play that was allowed in the Negro League the rules were quite different. Often there was no umpire and fights would often break out on the field. The 3rd inning describes the situation in which the players had to undergo. Often they could not find much to eat or places to stay. They had to sleep on the bus, this was all because many places did not allow blacks to stay or buy food. This was a hard time to keep teams going. Inning 4 describes how the Negro League survived the Great Depression. The league continued because Gus picked up where Rube left off even though some his money making schemes were a little shady. The first games with lights were played and many owners knew how to treat players while others did not. The 5th inning describes the first African-American all-star game. The conditions were not desirable for pitchers like Satchel Paige who pitched more than once per day. There were many great players of the time who received little credit. The 6th inning describes how African-Americans traveled to Latin America in the off season which was a big culture change but were treated as real player’s not second rate. This play had its good and bad points. The 7th inning is about how the Negro league had the opportunity to play against the white leagues. This was a great opportunity to exhibit the talent of the Negro league; however they underwent scrutiny by the fans and others and could not do anything about it. The 8th inning was a description of how WWII affected baseball; this was the time in which the Negro league took on a leading role. This was because most of the white league was overseas at war; African-Americans were not allowed to participate in combat therefore the games resumed back in the United States. The 9th inning describes the integration of blacks into the white major league. Jackie Robinson was the first to be called up and he withstood the challenges that came his way. The story of Jackie Robinson was a great obstacle that African-Americans finally overcame. The major point to remember is that throughout history many black men contributed to the cause and that without them black men of today would not have the opportunity to play. This book was excellent, it had great feeling and alive with the hopes of young men.
Picture Reference: http://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Ship-League-Baseball/dp/0786808322#
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