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bookworm_baggins's review
4.0
I grew up loving Frank Robinson as manager of the Orioles when I first became a fan in the late 80s, so many parts of this book were a fun trip down memory lane. I loved learning more about Frank as a player; I related so much to his desire to win, his dedication to always give 110%, to play his hardest and expect that of others. Frank was the first black manager in both the American and National leagues, but even then he was given sub-.500 teams with little help from the front office to develop his teams, and in both situations was fired part way through a season (once in the middle of the night during a road series which felt very unprofessional).
Frank’s experience with racism throughout his career shone a light on the continued issues in baseball, specifically in regards to management and the unequal/unfair hiring practices associated with black players. So many stories about black former players willing to coach or manage for small salaries who were told they needed more experience, while white former players were hired with no experience at all. The saddest story was Elrod Hendricks, a Baltimore hero in my eyes. He was the cornerstone of the Orioles bullpen for my entire childhood. But I didn’t know the whole story — how he wanted to coach 3rd or manage for the O’s but was never given an interview (ever), and was repeatedly told he would best serve the club in the bullpen. He should have had a chance.
Parts of this book were not nearly as engaging as others. A book for baseball fans, especially of Robinson himself, but not a book is recommend to anyone like Jackie Robinson’s or Hank Aaron’s autobiographies. Still a great stepping stone for me as I make my way through baseball history.
Frank’s experience with racism throughout his career shone a light on the continued issues in baseball, specifically in regards to management and the unequal/unfair hiring practices associated with black players. So many stories about black former players willing to coach or manage for small salaries who were told they needed more experience, while white former players were hired with no experience at all. The saddest story was Elrod Hendricks, a Baltimore hero in my eyes. He was the cornerstone of the Orioles bullpen for my entire childhood. But I didn’t know the whole story — how he wanted to coach 3rd or manage for the O’s but was never given an interview (ever), and was repeatedly told he would best serve the club in the bullpen. He should have had a chance.
Parts of this book were not nearly as engaging as others. A book for baseball fans, especially of Robinson himself, but not a book is recommend to anyone like Jackie Robinson’s or Hank Aaron’s autobiographies. Still a great stepping stone for me as I make my way through baseball history.
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