Willie's Boys : The 1948 Birmingham Black

Willie's Boys captures the first incredible steps of a baseball superstar at the twilight of the Negro Leagues. It is a character-rich narrative of the apprenticeship Mays had at the hands of a diverse group of baseball veterans who taught him the way of the game and the world. His teammates inspired a formative first season for Mays, one that led directly to his rise from obscurity and his later debut for the New York Giants.

John 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.

Acknowledgments	p. xi
Prologue ""The Best Baseball Player I've Ever Seen""	p. 1
Trapped in the Hot Box	p. 5
Negro Avenue	p. 26
A Piper Kind of Team	p. 47
The Defenders of Rickwood Field	p. 65
""The Best Little Boy Anybody Ever Seen""	p. 89
Readin' the Hops	p. 101
Whammy Alabama	p. 121
""A Player Who Shouldn't Have Been There""	p. 131
""A Horseshit Scout""	p. 140
""Come On, Willie!""	p. 152
""Josh Gibson Is Dead and We Still Can't Beat These Guys""	p. 176
Somebody Is Always Watching	p. 190
The Goose Shooter	p. 205
""Wait until You See Mays""	p. 221
The Boston Gold Sox	p. 234
Miracle in Harlem	p. 243
Take That Glove to the Big Leagues	p. 260
Epilogue ""He Was Thirteen Again""	p. 281
Notes	p. 284
Index	p. 293
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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Willie's Boys : The 1948 Birmingham Black Barons, the Last Negro League World Series, and the Making of a Baseball Legend

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials