Black Diamonds

BONUS | Sridhar Pappu and Luke Epplin | A Salute to the Black Aces

Episode Summary

Bob Kendrick joins fans at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum's "Black Aces" exhibit for an in-depth discussion with two acclaimed authors. Sridhar Pappu discusses his book, "The Year of the Pitcher", chronicling Bob Gibson's historic 1968 season, set "against the backdrop of assassinations, while boys boarded planes to Saigon and riots swept through American cities, forever changing the fabric of this country." Then Luke Epplin sits down for a conversation about his book, "Our Team", "the story of the integration of the Cleveland Indians and their quest for a World Series title through four key participants: Bill Veeck, an eccentric and visionary owner adept at exploding fireworks on and off the field; Larry Doby, a soft-spoken, hard-hitting pioneer whose major-league breakthrough shattered stereotypes that so much of white America held about Black ballplayers; Bob Feller, a pitching prodigy from the Iowa cornfields who set the template for the athlete as businessman; and Satchel Paige, a legendary pitcher from the Negro Leagues whose belated entry into the majors whipped baseball fans across the country into a frenzy."

Episode Notes

Bob Kendrick joins fans at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum's "Black Aces" exhibit for an in-depth discussion with two acclaimed authors.

 

Sridhar Pappu discusses his book, "The Year of the Pitcher", chronicling Bob Gibson's historic 1968 season, set "against the backdrop of assassinations, while boys boarded planes to Saigon and riots swept through American cities, forever changing the fabric of this country."

 

Then Luke Epplin sits down for a conversation about his book, "Our Team", "the story of the integration of the Cleveland Indians and their quest for a World Series title through four key participants: Bill Veeck, an eccentric and visionary owner adept at exploding fireworks on and off the field; Larry Doby, a soft-spoken, hard-hitting pioneer whose major-league breakthrough shattered stereotypes that so much of white America held about Black ballplayers; Bob Feller, a pitching prodigy from the Iowa cornfields who set the template for the athlete as businessman; and Satchel Paige, a legendary pitcher from the Negro Leagues whose belated entry into the majors whipped baseball fans across the country into a frenzy."

 

Follow Bob Kendrick on Twitter - @nlbmprez

Read Siridhar Pappu's "The Year of the Pitcher" - Amazon

Read Luke Epplin's "Our Team" - Amazon

To support the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and preserve the legacy of Buck O'Neil, please visit ThanksAMillionBuck.com

Visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City - NLBM.com

See and Support the Dream of the NEW Negro Leagues Baseball Museum - Pitch for the Future