The story of Willie Mays's rookie year with the Negro American League's Birmingham Black Barons, the Last Negro World Series, and the making of a baseball legend
Baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays is one of baseball's endearing greats, a tremendously talented and charismatic center fielder who hit 660 career homeruns, collected 3,283 hits, knocked in 1,903 runs, won 12 Gold Glove Awards and appeared in 24 All-Star games. But before Mays was the "Say Hey Kid", he was just a boy. Willie's Boys is the story of his remarkable 1948 rookie season with the Negro American League's Birmingham Black Barons, who took a risk on a raw but gifted 16-year-old and gave him the experience, confidence, and connections to escape Birmingham's segregation, navigate baseball's institutional racism, and sign with the New York Giants. Willie's Boys offers a character-rich narrative of the apprenticeship Mays had at the hands of a diverse group of savvy veterans who taught him the ways of the game and the world.
Packed with stories and insights, Willie's Boys takes you inside an important part of baseball history and the development of one of the all-time greats ever to play the game.
Show moreThe story of Willie Mays's rookie year with the Negro American League's Birmingham Black Barons, the Last Negro World Series, and the making of a baseball legend
Baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays is one of baseball's endearing greats, a tremendously talented and charismatic center fielder who hit 660 career homeruns, collected 3,283 hits, knocked in 1,903 runs, won 12 Gold Glove Awards and appeared in 24 All-Star games. But before Mays was the "Say Hey Kid", he was just a boy. Willie's Boys is the story of his remarkable 1948 rookie season with the Negro American League's Birmingham Black Barons, who took a risk on a raw but gifted 16-year-old and gave him the experience, confidence, and connections to escape Birmingham's segregation, navigate baseball's institutional racism, and sign with the New York Giants. Willie's Boys offers a character-rich narrative of the apprenticeship Mays had at the hands of a diverse group of savvy veterans who taught him the ways of the game and the world.
Packed with stories and insights, Willie's Boys takes you inside an important part of baseball history and the development of one of the all-time greats ever to play the game.
Show moreJohn Klima, an award-winning baseball writer, has written for the "New York Times, " Yahoo! Sports, and "Los Angeles Times." His story "Deal of the Century" was selected by David Maraniss to be included in the 2007 edition of "Best American Sports Writing." In 2007, he was honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing. He is a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America and the Society for American Baseball Research. Visit his Web sites at www.klimaink.com. and www.baseballbeginnings.com.
"Willie's Boys adds to baseball lore by recounting Willie Mays's
service with the 1948 Birmingham Black Barons, which led to the
Black Barons' participation in black baseball's final World Series.
Baseball writer Klima (Pitched Battle: 35 of Baseball's Greatest
Duels from the Mound) repeatedly delivers quotes from Black Barons,
their adversaries, scouts, and other baseball figures regarding
Mays's preternatural skills, particularly in the field and on the
base paths. The hitting prowess, for both average and distance,
came a bit later, but the raw talent and the drive were immediately
present. Mays's personality, somewhat surprisingly, does not come
through as clearly, unlike that of the other star of Klima's story,
Willie's teammate, mentor, and first professional manager, Piper
Davis. Even more than Mays's story, those of Davis and players such
as the great third baseman Ray Dandridge demonstrate the strengths
and weaknesses of black baseball, along with the hurdles even
brilliant players had to overcome to enter organized baseball.
Klima refutes long-standing notions regarding the supposed refusal
of teams like the Yankees and Red Sox to sign black players, as
both sought to sign Mays. Verdict: Recommended for all interested
readers."
-Robert C. Cottrell, California State Univ., Chico (Library
Journal, December 2009)"I was a Willie Mays fan. When he was on the
field, nobody could get at him. You couldn't take your eyes off
him. He was like a kid playing out in the street. He did everything
with flair. John has done some digging. It's hard to find those
interesting stories."
--Joe Torre, New York Times bestselling author of The Yankee Years
and manager, Los Angeles Dodgers"John Klima has a delightful way of
digging deep into a forgotten pocket of sports history and coming
out with an unforgettable story. He does all lovers of Willie Mays
and of baseball a great service with this fine book. I really,
really enjoyed it. Well done!"
--David Maraniss, New York Times bestselling author of Clemente and
Rome 1960"Willie Mays was a dazzling ballplayer, but the story of
his early career is much bigger than baseball. In Willie's Boys,
John Klima puts us in the front row for one of the most fascinating
periods in the game's history, as the Negro Leagues died and the
Major Leagues struggled with integration. Mays is the perfect
protagonist. The drama is real, the stakes are high, and Klima
captures it with shimmering prose and hard-nosed reporting. I loved
this book."
--Jonathan Eig, author of Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou
Gehrig and Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First
Season"In Willie's Boys John Klima's studious research and careful
writing create a dramatic, important, and human story out of a line
of agate--Willie Mays's rookie year with the Birmingham Black
Barons of the Negro American League. As Mays himself told Klima,
'You know more about this than I do.' So will the close reader of
this fine book."
--Glenn Stout, author and Series Editor of The Best American Sports
Writing
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