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Just in Time for African American History Month…A New Book on Negro League Baseball Players, Opportunities, Missed Opportunities and the Forgotten

By Anonymous

Washington, DC February 6, 2004-–The book, A Forgotten Negro League Star: A Personal Look at Al Burrows, which tells Al Burrows’ story of playing baseball in the Negro League—a short time for the New York Black Yankees and later playing for the Indianapolis Clowns—while ultimately being denied the opportunity to join a Major League organization, because of the color line drawn by segregation. Back then segregation was prevalent, both on and off the playing field. Today, there are hundreds of Negro League players still alive nationwide, including Al Burrows of the Washington, DC area. Many of them are dying and our number of living Negro Leaguers is dwindling everyday—on January 31, we lost Ernest Burke.

In this book, the in-depth interviews with Negro League baseball players and fans tells a story often unheard in African American history. Cheryl Robinson’s new book, A Forgotten Negro League Star, is highly sought after by baseball fans everywhere, because it provides different information about the Negro Leagues. Specifically, the book offers additional information, such as the fact that Negro League teams played white teams and won more games than they lost. Black baseball players began to scare white baseball players who felt their positions in baseball might be in jeopardy if blacks were allowed to play with them. White players and fans often yelled racial epithets at any "colored" player within listening range. This was a time of heated emotions and white players were often extremely hostile towards black players. In addition, in various ballparks, blacks were restricted to sitting in the top 14 rows—even when black teams were playing. This book contains a lot of Negro League Trivia, a list of Negro League Teams by state, a list of surviving Negro League Players and black baseball facts that are not so well known.

Then, there is the dispute of whether black baseball players are actual Negro League players or barnstorming players. The Negro National League was formed in 1920, signaling the first Negro League team. When Jackie Robinson broke Major League baseball’s color barrier in 1947, this signaled the beginning of the end for the Negro Leagues. Several of the Negro League teams continued to play, as well as barnstorm around the country well into the 1960’s. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum counts players from that era among its numbers, which accounts for roughly 250 living Negro Leaguers (the list is included in the book). Some historians feel that if you were a black baseball player on a Negro League team after these dates, that you are not a Negro League player, but rather a black baseball barnstorming player. In the book, these facts are presented in more detail and the reader is allowed to make his or her own decision.

Some of the facts included in this book date as far back as when slaves were playing baseball on master’s pasture. Great baseball players, such as Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell, Smokey Joe Williams, Spotswood Poles and Fleetwood Walker are just a few of the early baseball players mentioned in the book. The author, Cheryl Robinson, did a great deal of research to provide educational and invaluable information about black baseball. The book includes 26 black & white photographs, some from the past, some from old players, and some new never seen before photos of the induction ceremony of the Negro League Legends Hall of Fame in Washington, DC.

Frank White, Kansas City Royals, had this to say about the book, "A Forgotten Negro League Star puts a personal touch to the struggles encountered in Al Burrows’ life when segregation shut him out of Major League baseball. Their struggles allowed for players like myself to be signed on—just two short decades later." The foreword is written by Glen Harris, a local sports writer and television commentator and the introduction is written by Frank Evans, a former Negro League player and lecturer.

The author neatly wraps the book up with an in-depth interview with Al Burrows about his routines and rituals of the game he so loved. Robinson says, "It all started on a sandlot with a scrawny kid’s love for the sport and his ambition to play baseball with the big guys. It all ended with a missed opportunity to play Major League baseball. WHY? Because it was during the 1940’s and 1950’s, when very few black ball players were allowed to cross the color line and join white ball players in Major League organizations."

The author has a one-time offer of an autographed (both Robinson and Burrows) copy of               A Forgotten Negro League Star with a free bookmark, if you contact Creative Writing at     (301) 535-6700.

Creative Writing is an African American writing company located in the Washington, DC area.

For additional information, contact Lorraine at Creative Writing (301) 535-6700 or send an email to Cr8tivewriting@msn.com.



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