John Buck O'Neil

The Summer Of 1938 Was A Pivotal Year For Baseball And American History. In That Same Year John Jordon Buck O'Neil Was A Rookie First Baseman Playing His First Season In The Negro American League. Born In Carrabelle Florida Raised In Sarasota And Nicknamed Buck It Had Taken Five Years And Five Different Teams Before The Kansas City Monarchs Finally Signed O'Neil To A Contract. Before He Could Get The Starting Assignment Though O'Neil Had To Dethrone One Of The Negro Leagues' Hardest Hitting First Basemen Eldridge Mayweather. In 1938 A Time When African-American Hall Of Fame Ballplayers Worth Millions Could Be Purchased For Pennies On The Dollar Times Were Hard And The Baseball Was Tough. Kansas City'S Monarchs Were A Blend Of Youth And Maturity And One Of The Best Teams In The Negro American League. Oddly Kansas City In Spite Of Winning Records Against Every Team In The Negro American League Failed To Win The First-Half Or Second-Half Pennant. For The First Time Ever John Buck O'Neil Ted Double Duty Radcliffe And James Gabby Kemp And Many Others Are United Together To Speak On This Celebrated Season. With Interviews From Monarchs' Players Willard Sonny Brown Newt Allen And Byron Mex Johnson And Many Others Readers Are Taken On A Road Trip Around America. Along The Way Readers Just As The Team Did In 1938 Come In Contact With Segregation And Racism As The Book Helps Everyone To Relive The Glory Days Of The Negro Baseball Leagues. Illustrated With Over Forty Historic Photographs John Buck O'Neil The Rookie The Man The Lagacy 1938 Is A Welcome Addition To Every Baseball Fans Reading List.