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Willie's Boys de John Klima

Willie's Boys

Autor John Klima
en Limba Engleză Hardback – aug 2009

Considerăm că marile cariere sportive nu încep pe stadioanele strălucitoare ale ligilor majore, ci în arenele prăfuite ale uceniciei, acolo unde talentul brut întâlnește disciplina severă. John Klima adoptă o perspectivă istorică riguroasă în Willie's Boys, concentrându-se nu pe gloria consacrată a lui Willie Mays, ci pe anul definitoriu 1948. Este povestea unui adolescent de 16 ani care, sub îndrumarea veteranului Piper Davis, învață să navigheze nu doar printre bazele terenului, ci și prin realitățile dure ale segregării din Birmingham. Abordarea amintește de 1954 de Bill Madden prin documentarea integrării jucătorilor de culoare în baseball-ul profesionist, dar adaugă o profunzime inedită prin concentrarea pe „laboratorul” ligilor Negro, oferind detalii despre ultima lor serie mondială, un capitol aproape uitat de istoriografia sportivă. Notăm cu interes modul în care autorul transformă o biografie sportivă într-o cronică socială, explorând mecanismele din spatele recrutărilor ratate de echipe legendare precum Yankees sau Red Sox. Față de volumul Bushville Wins!, unde Klima explora succesul surprinzător al echipei Milwaukee Braves, aici autorul coboară la rădăcina fenomenului, analizând formarea caracterului unui atlet care avea să schimbe fața sportului american. Ritmul narativ este susținut de interviuri cu ultimii supraviețuitori ai epocii, oferind textului o greutate factuală remarcabilă.

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Specificații

ISBN-13: 9780470400135
ISBN-10: 0470400137
Pagini: 320
Dimensiuni: 161 x 240 x 23 mm
Greutate: 0.59 kg
Editura: Turner Publishing Company

De ce să citești această carte

Această carte este esențială pentru cititorul care dorește să înțeleagă geneza unui mit sportiv dincolo de statistici. Câștigați o perspectivă clară asupra modului în care reziliența și mentoratul pot învinge barierele rasiale sistemice. Este o recomandare excelentă pentru pasionații de istorie americană și biografie sportivă care caută să descopere culisele unei epoci de tranziție, marcată de apusul ligilor Negro și începutul integrării în baseball-ul modern.

Despre autor

John Klima este un autor și jurnalist sportiv american de renume, ale cărui scrieri au apărut în publicații prestigioase precum The New York Times și Los Angeles Times. Cu o experiență vastă ca fost cronicar național de baseball și comentator, Klima aduce în lucrările sale precizia unui scouter profesionist de baseball, profesie pentru care s-a specializat. Lucrarea sa, „Deal of the Century”, a fost inclusă în antologia The Best American Sports Writing, confirmându-i talentul de a extrage narațiuni umane complexe din datele statistice ale sportului. Expertiza sa în istoria baseball-ului și a integrării rasiale în sport îi oferă autoritatea necesară pentru a documenta începuturile carierei lui Willie Mays.

Descriere scurtă

The story of Willie Mays's rookie year with the Negro American League's Birmingham Black Barons, the Last Negro World Series, and the making of a baseball legend
Baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays is one of baseball's endearing greats, a tremendously talented and charismatic center fielder who hit 660 career homeruns, collected 3,283 hits, knocked in 1,903 runs, won 12 Gold Glove Awards and appeared in 24 All-Star games. But before Mays was the "Say Hey Kid", he was just a boy. Willie's Boys is the story of his remarkable 1948 rookie season with the Negro American League's Birmingham Black Barons, who took a risk on a raw but gifted 16-year-old and gave him the experience, confidence, and connections to escape Birmingham's segregation, navigate baseball's institutional racism, and sign with the New York Giants. Willie's Boys offers a character-rich narrative of the apprenticeship Mays had at the hands of a diverse group of savvy veterans who taught him the ways of the game and the world.
  • Sheds new light on the virtually unknown beginnings of a baseball great, not available in other books
  • Captures the first incredible steps of a baseball superstar in his first season with the Negro League's Birmingham Black Barons
  • Introduces the veteran group of Negro League players, including Piper Davis, who gave Mays an incredible apprenticeship season
  • Illuminates the Negro League's last days, drawing on in-depth research and interviews with remaining players
  • Explores the heated rivalry between Mays's Black Barons and Buck O'Neil's Kansas City Monarchs , culminating in the last Negro League World Series
  • Breaks new historical ground on what led the New York Giants to acquire Mays, and why he didn't sign with the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees, or Boston Red Sox
Packed with stories and insights, Willie's Boys takes you inside an important part of baseball history and the development of one of the all-time greats ever to play the game.

Recenzii

* Willie's Boys adds to baseball lore by recounting Willie Mays's service with the 1948 Birmingham Black Barons, which led to the Black Barons' participation in black baseball's final World Series. Baseball writer Klima (Pitched Battle: 35 of Baseball's Greatest Duels from the Mound) repeatedly delivers quotes from Black Barons, their adversaries, scouts, and other baseball figures regarding Mays's preternatural skills, particularly in the field and on the base paths. The hitting prowess, for both average and distance, came a bit later, but the raw talent and the drive were immediately present. Mays's personality, somewhat surprisingly, does not come through as clearly, unlike that of the other star of Klima's story, Willie's teammate, mentor, and first professional manager, Piper Davis. Even more than Mays's story, those of Davis and players such as the great third baseman Ray Dandridge demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of black baseball, along with the hurdles even brilliant players had to overcome to enter organized baseball. Klima refutes long-standing notions regarding the supposed refusal of teams like the Yankees and Red Sox to sign black players, as both sought to sign Mays. Verdict Recommended for all interested readers.
—Robert C. Cottrell, California State Univ., Chico (Library Journal, December 2009)

Textul de pe ultima copertă

The baseball legend that might never have been "John Klima discovers a terrific story of overcoming all the odds to achieve your dreams. The dreamer was a dream player--Willie Mays. I loved this story and this book."
--Torii Hunter, Gold Glove Award Winner and All-Star Center fielder, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
"I was a Willie Mays fan. When he was on the field, nobody could get at him. You couldn't take your eyes off him. He was like a kid playing out in the street. He did everything with flair. John has done some digging. It's hard to find those interesting stories."
--Joe Torre, "New York Times" bestselling author of "The Yankee Years" and manager, Los Angeles Dodgers
"John Klima has a delightful way of digging deep into a forgotten pocket of sports history and coming out with an unforgettable story. He does all lovers of Willie Mays and of baseball a great service with this fine book. I really, really enjoyed it. Well done!"
--David Maraniss, "New York Times" bestselling author of "Clemente and Rome 1960"
"Willie Mays was a dazzling ballplayer, but the story of his early career is much bigger than baseball. In "Willie's Boys," John Klima puts us in the front row for one of the most fascinating periods in the game's history, as the Negro Leagues died and the Major Leagues struggled with integration. Mays is the perfect protagonist. The drama is real, the stakes are high, and Klima captures it with shimmering prose and hard-nosed reporting. I loved this book."
--Jonathan Eig, author of "Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig" and "Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season"
""In Willie's Boys" John Klima's studious research and careful writing create a dramatic, important, and human story out of a line of agate--Willie Mays's rookie year with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League. As Mays himself told Klima, 'You know more about this than I do.' So will the close reader of this fine book."
--Glenn Stout, author and Series Editor of "The Best American Sports Writing"

Notă biografică

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 websites at www.klimaink.com and www.baseballbeginnings.com.