The Best Pitcher in Baseball: The Life of Rube Foster, Negro League Giant - Hardcover

Cottrell, Robert Charles

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0814716148 ISBN 13: 9780814716144

Publisher: NYU Press, 2001

Synopsis

When Rube Foster was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981, his rightful place alongside baseball's greatest black heroes was at last firmly established. A world-class pitcher, a formidable manager, and a brilliant administrator, Rube Foster was arguably more influential in breaking down the color barrier in major league baseball than the venerable Jackie Robinson.
Born in 1879, Rube Foster pitched for the legendary black baseball teamsthe Cuban X-Giants and the Philadelphia Giants before becoming player-manager of the Leland Giants and the Chicago American Giants. Long a central figure in black baseball, he founded baseball's first black leaguethe Negro National League in 1920. From its inception, the Negro League served as a vehicle through which many of the finest black players could showcase their considerable talents. Challenging racial discrimination and stereotypes, it ultimately set the stage for future efforts to contest Jim Crow.
Despite the long-standing success of the Negro National League as an influential black institution, Rube Foster was deeply embittered by organized baseball's unmitigated refusal to lift the color barrier. He died a broken man in 1930.
The Best Pitcher in Baseball is the story of a man of unparalleled vision and organizational acumen whose passion for justice changed the face of baseball forever. It is a moving tribute to a man and his dream.

About this title

About the Author

Robert Charles Cottrell is Professor of History and American Studies at California State University-Chico. His books include include Izzy: A Biography of I.F. Stone and Roger Nash Baldwin and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Reviews

Andrew (Rube) Foster was a star pitcher, winning manager, and founder of the Negro National League. But was he better than Cy Young, Walter Johnson, or any other hurler? Cottrell (1920: The Black Sox, Blackball, and the Babe) so contends in this admiring view. He covers Foster's successes and disappointments, his fight for equality, and his belated election to the Hall of Fame in 1981. Sadly, Foster died in 1930, too soon to see the game's integration. The photos and other illustrations add luster to this black baseball-era tribute. A worthy addition to most sports history shelves. [Cottrell is also an LJ reviewer. Ed.] Morey Berger, St. Joseph's Hosp. Lib., Tucso.
- Morey Berger, St. Joseph's Hosp. Lib., Tucson
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: NYU Press
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0814716148
• ISBN 13: 9780814716144
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 231