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Book Review: Black Baseball in Kansas City

Black Baseball in Kansas City
By Larry Lester and Sammy Miller
Acadia Publishing
$18.99
P. 128

This book is part of the Black America Series, which I believe is part of the Images of America Series (both published by Acadia Publishing).

If you have yet to see any of the Images of America series or the Black America series of baseball books then you are missing some very interesting and dramatic books. Each book is filled with old photos and images of baseball in its many incarnations, in many different locations, and eras.

This book certainly fits that mold and in my mind it’s an important survey. Now I freely admit that the Negro Leagues have always been a fascination of mine and I know that we all missed some great baseball before integration. This book is a tribute to some of those who’ve gone before and how they influenced the game, not just in the Negro Leagues, but in many cases in the major leagues as well.

When knowledgeable baseball fans think of Kansas City they think of jazz, barbeque and baseball - all of which have made an impact and shaped this city. However when it comes to baseball and KC, the team that most influenced this city was neither the KC Athletics, nor the Johnny come lately Royals but another team with a regal name.

This team was the Monarchs - and they were aptly named. They were for many years one of the elite teams in the Negro leagues and in many ways were the New York Yankees of their league - over the 40 years in which the were in the organized Negro leagues they finished with at least 17 first place finishes (they lost 5 years to barnstorming outside the league and at least 7 years worth of records cannot be found in this 40 year span). The were also rather unique in that from the get go, the crowds who came to watch them play were more integrated than in any other city I have read about.

Simply put the Monarchs were a beloved organization in a city that was starved for baseball. Of course the Monarchs were not the first black team to play in Kansas City, but whom that honor belongs to has been lost to time. The book picks up from the first recorded game in Kansas City history, which took place in 1890 and moves seamlessly into the formation of the Monarchs in 1906.

The book is loaded with images of players whose names are legends, not just of the Negro leagues, but also of major leaguers who played against them. Not unimpressively the Monarchs sent 20 players to the Majors - a record for any team. 17 of Kansas City’s best are enshrined in the Hall of Fame and 7 of them at one point in their career were Monarchs.

The book, as I said is a tribute to Negro baseball, and mainly to the Monarchs, especially Satchel Paige who gets a full chapter to himself including the story of Paige’s All-Star barnstorming team. However besides Paige, you’ll find Josh Gibson, Jackie Robinson, Ernie Banks, Elston Howard, “Bullet” Rogan, “Pop” Lloyd, Turkey Sternes, Elston Howard and many others.

Chapters in the book include The Early Years 1890-1919, The Renaissance Years 1920-1931, The Barnstorming Years 1932-1960, Paige’s Page, The Proverbial Cup of Coffee (about players who made it to the majors), Where Baseball is as Black as the Blues (about KC and where the players played when off the field), and the Last At Bat (with the memorials of those KC monarchs who’ve passed on).

Give this book 2.5 balls out of four

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Our Rating System is based on a four ball system as follows:
One Ball: Average. It has something to say but is nothing special.
Two Balls: Something men usually have - also means its a cut above average, and worth reading/owning.
Three balls: Stands out from its peers and is highly recommended.
Four Balls: More than just what two men have when hanging out together, it means it is an exceptional book that truly earns a walk - straight to the local book store to get a copy.

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