Rube Foster in His Time
On the Field and in the Papers with Black Baseball's Greatest Visionary
Published on 14. September 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
264 pages
978-0-7864-3927-0 (ISBN)
Description
Although Andrew "Rube" Foster (1879-1930) stands among the best African American pitchers of the 1900s, this baseball pioneer made his name as the founder and president of the Negro National League, the first all-black league to survive a full season. In addition to founding this groundbreaking black-owned and -operated business, Foster also founded and managed the Chicago American Giants, one of the most successful black baseball teams of the pre-integration era. This definitive biography combines period editorials and correspondence with insightful narrative to provide a comprehensive portrait of this innovative Hall of Famer. From the unstructured early days of black baseball, when Foster gained glory as a hard-throwing pitcher, through his struggles to establish the NNL and the Giants, to his tragic death from complications of syphilis, this work pays overdue tribute to an authentic American baseball icon.
Reviews / Votes
"This definitive biography combines period editorials and correspondence with insightful narrative to provide a comprehensive portrait of this innovative Hall of Famer...pays overdue tribute to an authentic American baseball icon"-The Courier; "in this work, Larry Lester goes beyond what many researchers could expect to find in gleaning the information necessary for this exceptionally well-documented look at the black game's early years...while Lester tells the story well, it is the research accompanying the narrative that stands out...outstanding...fascinating...recommend"-SABR Deadball Committee Newsletter.More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Jefferson, NC
United States
Target group
Interest Age: From 18 years
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
83 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Dimensions
Height: 254 mm
Width: 178 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
507 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7864-3927-0 (9780786439270)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Noted Negro League historian Larry Lester is the author of eight books and contributor to more then 175 books, theses, and articles on black sports history. He is a Negro Leagues Baseball Museum co-founder and has long served as chairman of the SABR Negro Leagues Committee. Since 1998, he has organized the annual Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference, the only scholarly gathering devoted to the history of black baseball. Lester was a 2016 recipient of SABR's Henry Chadwick Award, honoring baseball's greatest researchers, and a year later received the Bob Davids Award, SABR's highest honor. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri.
Content
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Foreword by former commissioner Fay Vincent
Preface
Introduction
1st Inning. The Early Pro Days, 1903-1906
2nd Inning. A New Beginning: The Leland Giants, 1907-1909
3rd Inning. Legalities and Realities: Now There Are Two Lelands in Town??1909-1910
4th Inning. Strive to Survive: The American Giants, 1911-1914
5th Inning. Family Feud: The ABC's and the American Giants, 1915-1916
6th Inning. The Pitfalls of Black Baseball, 1917-1919
7th Inning. The Navigator: We Are the Ship, All Else the Sea, 1920-1921
8th Inning. Black and White Arbitration in the new Colored Leagues, 1922-1925
9th Inning. The Vision Fades, 1926-1930
Extra Innings. Obituaries, Honors, Landmarks and Tributes, 1930
APPENDICES
A: -No--Hitters by Rube Foster
B: Team Depth Charts, 1902 to 1918
C: Foster's Daily Pitching and Batting Records
D: Foster as Manager
E: Foster's Teammates in the Hall of Fame
F: Foster Baseball Collectibles
G: Death Certi?cate and Medical Analysis
H: Draft Card and 1880 Census
I: Court Documents from the Leland Lawsuit
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
Foreword by former commissioner Fay Vincent
Preface
Introduction
1st Inning. The Early Pro Days, 1903-1906
2nd Inning. A New Beginning: The Leland Giants, 1907-1909
3rd Inning. Legalities and Realities: Now There Are Two Lelands in Town??1909-1910
4th Inning. Strive to Survive: The American Giants, 1911-1914
5th Inning. Family Feud: The ABC's and the American Giants, 1915-1916
6th Inning. The Pitfalls of Black Baseball, 1917-1919
7th Inning. The Navigator: We Are the Ship, All Else the Sea, 1920-1921
8th Inning. Black and White Arbitration in the new Colored Leagues, 1922-1925
9th Inning. The Vision Fades, 1926-1930
Extra Innings. Obituaries, Honors, Landmarks and Tributes, 1930
APPENDICES
A: -No--Hitters by Rube Foster
B: Team Depth Charts, 1902 to 1918
C: Foster's Daily Pitching and Batting Records
D: Foster as Manager
E: Foster's Teammates in the Hall of Fame
F: Foster Baseball Collectibles
G: Death Certi?cate and Medical Analysis
H: Draft Card and 1880 Census
I: Court Documents from the Leland Lawsuit
Notes
Bibliography
Index