Review of "Shadow Ball: The History of the Negro Leagues," by Geoffrey C. Ward, Ken Burns and Jim O’Connor

 Review of

Shadow Ball: The History of the Negro Leagues, by Geoffrey C. Ward, Ken Burns and Jim O’Connor ISBN 067986749x

Five out of five stars

A brief synopsis of the black in baseball

 This is more than the history of the Negro leagues, for it begins in the early years of organized baseball, when a few blacks were able to play. The concerted efforts of several of the main players in the early game to freeze blacks out of white-dominated baseball are then reported. From this, the rise of the Negro leagues is explained. The reality that much of the refusal to allow blacks to play in the majors was due to the fact that they were better is also mentioned.

 Given the rich and extensive history of the Negro baseball leagues, this book is too short to do anything more than give a synopsis. Yet, there is enough here to highlight some of the greatest players in the segregated league, few of which were able to get a chance to play in the majors. Ted Williams was one of the white players that praised the skills of the black players and advocated for their inclusion in the baseball Hall of Fame.