Bittersweet Goodbye

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.

Also 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.

The 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).

Contents:

Willie Mays Letter to Jim Zapp

THE BIRMINGHAM BLACK BARONS

Lloyd Pepper Bassett, Frederick C. Bush

Herman Bell, Margaret M. Gripshover

John Britton, Bill Nowlin

Lorenzo "Piper" Davis (player/manager) Jeb Stewart

Bill Greason, Frederick C. Bush

Wiley Griggs, William Dahlberg

Jay (Jehosie) Heard, J. W. Stewart

Willie Mays, John Saccoman

Jimmie Newberry, Jeb Stewart

Alonzo Perry, Dennis D. Degenhardt

Nat Pollard, Jay Hurd

Bill Powell, Mark Panuthos & Frederick C. Bush

Norman (Bobby) Robinson, Bob LeMoine

Joe Scot, t Charles F. Faber

Ed Steele, Will Osgood

Bob Veale, Joseph Gerard

Samuel Williams, Bob LeMoine

Artie Wilson, Rob Neyer

Jim Zapp, Bill Nowlin

Tom Hayes (Owner) James Forr

Abe Saperstein (Co-Owner, 1939-45) Norm King

Rickwood Field, Clarence Watkins

THE HOMESTEAD GRAYS

Ted Alexander, Rob Neyer

Sam Bankhead, Dave Wilkie

Lefty Bell, Frederick C. Bush

Garnett Blair, Bill Nowlin

Bob Boston, Bill Johnson

Clarence Bruce, Frederick C. Bush

Luther Clifford, Richard Bogovich

Luke Easter, Justin Murphy

Clarence Evans, Dennis D. Degenhardt

Wilmer Fields, Frederick C. Bush

Ervin Fowlkes, Dave Forrester

Charles Gary, Chris Rainey

Robert Gaston, Chris Rainey

Cecil Kaiser, Brian Baughan

Larry Kimbrough, Chris Rainey

Buck Leonard, Ralph Berger

Luis M rquez, Amy Essington

Eudie Napier, Tom Hawthorn

Tom Parker, Bill Johnson

Willie (Bill) Pope, Skip Nipper

Willie D. Smith, Alan Cohen

Frank Thompson, Michael Mattsey

Bob Thurman, Rick Swaine

Bob Trice, Jack Morris

R. T. Walker, Irv Goldfarb

John Wright, Niall Adler

Vic Harris (manager) Charlie Fouche

Cum Posey (Owner to 1946 d.) Brian McKenna

Ethel Posey (Co-Owner) Leslie Heaphy

Rufus "Sonny Man" Jackson (Co-Owner) Ralph Carhart

Forbes Field, Curt Smith

Griffith Stadium, John Schleppi

FEATURES

Players Omitted, Frederick C. Bush

The 1948 East-West All-Star Games, Thomas E. Kern

The 1948 Negro American League Playoff Series (Birmingham v. Kansas City Monarchs) Japheth Knopp