The Soul of Baseball

The Soul of Baseball

By Joe Posnanski

Pages

276

Rating

4.37

Year

2007

RaceHistoryMemoirBiographySportsNonfiction

Description

When legendary Negro League player Buck O’Neil asked sports columnist Joe Posnanski how he fell in love with baseball, that simple question eventually led the pair on a cross-country quest to recapture the love that first drew them to the game.

Baseball & Jazz recounts their emotional quest to find the heart of America’s beloved sport that still beats despite the scandal-ridden, steroid-shooting, money-hungry athletes who currently seem to define the sport.

At its heart is the story of 94-year-old Buck O’Neil— a man who truly played for the love of the game.

After an impressive career in the Negro Baseball Leagues in which he earned two hitting titles and one championship, O’Neil made baseball history by becoming the first African-American coach in Major League Baseball.

Posnanski writes about that love and the one thing that O’Neil cherishes almost as much as jazz.

This heartwarming and insightful journey is an endearing step back in time to the days when the crack of a bat and the smoky notes of a midnight jam session were the sounds that brought the most joy to a man’s heart.

An award-winning sports columnist and a baseball legend tour the country to recapture the joys and wonders of two of America’s greatest pastimes.

Endorsements

“A fascinating account of a man who outlasted the ignorance of a nation and persevered to become a beloved figure... One of the best baseball books in years, filled with depth, style, and clarity.” — Cleveland Plain Dealer

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