Satch, Dizzy & Rapid Robert: The Wild Saga of Interracial Baseball Before Jackie Robinson - Hardcover

Gay, Timothy M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1416547983 ISBN 13: 9781416547983

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2010

Synopsis

Documents the contributions of three Hall of Fame pitchers and other African-American stars prior to Jackie Robinson's career, describing the barrier-breaking post-season exhibition games between the Major and Negro Leagues.

About this title

Review:

“ Tim Gay’s latest baseball book bubbles with fresh material, rollicking good

characters, and sociological insight. It is a wonder of research and a joy to read.”

—DAVID MARANISS, author of CLEMENTE and ROME 1960

“Read Tim Gay’s new book to learn how baseball’s color bar was being toppled

long before the world heard of Jackie Robinson or Branch Rickey. Read it to celebrate

three of the most dazzling pitchers on the planet. Read it because Gay is

a terrific reporter and writer and this is an irresistible read.”

—LARRY TYE, author of SATCHEL: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF AN AMERICAN LEGEND

“T im Gay takes us inside the world of interracial barnstorming at a time when

baseball, like the rest of America, was riven by race. This is an intriguing account

of larger-than-life ballplayers like Satchel Paige and Dizzy Dean, as well

as a revealing portrait of baseball at its worst, when Jim Crow ruled, and its

best, when it offered this nation a shared racial terrain. Well-researched and

fluidly told, this is baseball history worth reading.” —ROB RUCK, author of

THE TROPIC OF BASEBALL: BASEBALL IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

“T im Gay has put on his detective cap again as he did in his earlier book on Tris

Speaker. This time he trains his magnifying glass on a largely unknown corner

of baseball history—the world of barnstorming and the three heroes who left

their marks on it, a subject that has never been fully explored. . . . Gay successfully

separates fact from fiction, clearing a path for both future scholars and

today’s fans to follow and enjoy.” —JOHN HOLWAY, author of

THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BASEBALL’S NEGRO LEAGUES

“ Satch, Dizzy & Rapid Robert is a delightful look inside forgotten chapters of

baseball lore and legend. Thanks to Tim Gay, these classic barnstorming contests

finally get attention they so richly deserve.” —TIM WENDEL, author of

CASTRO’S CURVEBALL and HIGH HEAT: THE SECRET

HISTORY OF THE FASTBALL AND THE IMPROBABLE SEARCH FOR

THE FASTEST PITCHER OF ALL TIME

“Jackie Robinson integrated the major leagues in 1947, but off-season "barnstorming" games by pro players were integrated before World War II. The larger-than-life Satchel Paige and Dizzy Dean played, one black, one white, both possessed of unequaled skill, panache, and an innate sense of marketing. Imagine a country fighting economic upheaval and starved for heroes and entertainment. Add the precocious Bob Feller, whose fastball was measured at better than 104 miles per hour, and you have a new classic baseball book. Gay ("Tris Speaker") shows these men bringing integrated competition to baseball fans far from big league stadiums, from Cuba to the Pacific coast. With events that defy the imagination. Highly recommended.”

-- LIBRARY JOURNAL

" Tim Gay's latest baseball book bubbles with fresh material, rollicking good

characters, and sociological insight. It is a wonder of research and a joy to read."

--DAVID MARANISS, author of CLEMENTE and ROME 1960

"Read Tim Gay's new book to learn how baseball's color bar was being toppled

long before the world heard of Jackie Robinson or Branch Rickey. Read it to celebrate

three of the most dazzling pitchers on the planet. Read it because Gay is

a terrific reporter and writer and this is an irresistible read."

--LARRY TYE, author of SATCHEL: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF AN AMERICAN LEGEND

"T im Gay takes us inside the world of interracial barnstorming at a time when

baseball, like the rest of America, was riven by race. This is an intriguing account

of larger-than-life ballplayers like Satchel Paige and Dizzy Dean, as well

as a revealing portrait of baseball at its worst, when Jim Crow ruled, and its

best, when it offered this nation a shared racial terrain. Well-researched and

fluidly told, this is baseball history worth reading." --ROB RUCK, author of

THE TROPIC OF BASEBALL: BASEBALL IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

"T im Gay has put on his detective cap again as he did in his earlier book on Tris

Speaker. This time he trains his magnifying glass on a largely unknown corner

of baseball history--the world of barnstorming and the three heroes who left

their marks on it, a subject that has never been fully explored. . . . Gay successfully

separates fact from fiction, clearing a path for both future scholars and

today's fans to follow and enjoy." --JOHN HOLWAY, author of

THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BASEBALL'S NEGRO LEAGUES

About the Author:

Timothy M. Gay is the author of Tris Speaker: The Rough-and-Tumble Life of a Baseball Legend. It was a finalist for two of the baseball history community's most prestigious awards. His essays and articles have appeared in The Washington Post, TheBoston Globe, USA Today, and many other publications. Tim is a graduate of Georgetown University and lives in northern Virginia with his wife and three children.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1416547983
• ISBN 13: 9781416547983
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 349