For the first time, witness and read about New York's most prominent black teams, from post Civil War days through the late 1950s. Discover the greatness of teams like the Cuban Giants, Lincoln Stars/Giants, and Brooklyn's original Bums, the Royal Giants, the Brown Dodgers and the Eagles; and Manhattan's Black Yankees, the Cubans and the early integration days of Major League teams like the Dodgers, Yankees and Giants. Packed in 75 years of history are images of well known New York legends, such as Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Willie Mays, Don Newcombe, Joe Black, Monte Irvin and Elston Howard, et al. Also, once masked in anonymity and now exposed in this illustrated narration are rare, vintage images of legendary stars like Minnie Minoso, Ray Dandridge, Martin Dihigo, Satchel Paige, Willie Wells, Smokey Joe Williams, John Henry "Pop" Lloyd, Pete Hill, Spots Poles, Cannonball "Dick" Redding, Rap Dixon, George "Mule" Suttles, John Beckwith, and Jose Mendez, et al. There is no comparative work on New York's Sugar Hill teams and its socio-economic impact on the National Pastime. Become an eye-witness to roughly 300 images of sporting life in the Naked City.

Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Negro Leagues with updates and additions throughout! The Kansas City Monarchs, the Chicago American Giants, the St. Louis Stars, the Birmingham Black Barons, the Homestead Grays, and the Indianapolis Clowns; for over fifty years, they were the Yankees, Cardinals, and Red Sox of black baseball in America. And for over a decade beginning in the late 1940s, umpire Bob Motley called balls and strikes for many of their games, working alongside such legends as Satchel Paige, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, and Willie Mays. Today, Motley is the only living arbiter from the Negro Leagues. His personal account of the Negro Leagues is a revealing, humorous, and unforgettable memoir celebrating a long-lost league and a remarkable group of baseball players. In this brand new 100-year anniversary edition of Ruling Over Monarchs, Giants, and Stars, Motley and his son Byron share the characters, adventures, and challenges faced by these amazing men as they enthusiastically embraced America's pastime and made it their own. Filled with stories of talented heroes, small miracles, and downright fun, this unique memoir is a must-read for any baseball fan.

In 1924, after the Hilldale Giants captured the league crown in the new Eastern Colored League and the Kansas City Monarchs won out in the four-year-old Negro National League, the two teams met in what was to be a best-of-nine series for the world championship. But a 13-inning tie in Game 4 and alternating wins throughout would force a tenth and deciding game, making it the longest World Series - black or white - on record in the modern era. It was arguably the most dramatic, as well, as each team reeled off three wins in a row, four games were decided by a single run, and five were won in the final inning. This heavily illustrated volume provides a comprehensive account of the first championship series played between teams from two all-black professional leagues. Noted Negro League historian Larry Lester provides commentary, records, and full statistics for each club's regular season performance, along with biographical profiles of the players. Coverage also includes position-by-position comparisons of the Series combatants; a breakdown of the attendance, gate receipts, and team shares; game-by-game summaries; comments from the players; and complete statistics - including pitcher-batter matchups - for both teams.