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A review by jfranco77
The End of Baseball by Peter Schilling Jr.
4.0
I tend to be a pretty generous grader... 5 stars might be a touch optimistic but 4.5 would be fair, so I'm going with 4. The premise of this book was pretty unique (to me, at least) and it was very well researched. Bill Veeck Junior buys the lowly Philadelphia A's in 1944 and assembles a team of the greatest Negro League players he can find, integrating baseball with an entire team (3 years before Jackie Robinson).
On paper, the team is the best in the league, but adapting to the pressures of breaking the color barrier, playing in the major leagues and being under constant scrutiny takes its toll on the team. The team story follows a fairly predictable arc (though with a twist ending) but Schilling does a great job describing the baseball action. The last few chapters really race by as the season winds down, but the faster pace of the book fits the final days of the pennant race wonderfully.
The characters in the book are well developed and realistic. They don't just blend seamlessly into the major leagues without some of their former selves coming through. Roy Campanella, Buck Leonard, Josh Gibson, Piper Davis, Cool Papa Bell, Satchel Paige and Martin Dihigo are the most prominent, but other legends play a big role as well. The book is a who's who of Negro League talent. If you don't have a lot of knowledge of Negro League history, you might be a bit lost, but even without the background it's a fine book that is easily enjoyed. Having just finished Willie's Boys and already having some background, it was a good fit for me.
Schilling also does a good job describing the historical context (WWII, Communism, struggles with integration in society, war shortages, etc) which makes me wonder if he has a historical background. History buffs will find enough here to keep themselves satisfied.
On paper, the team is the best in the league, but adapting to the pressures of breaking the color barrier, playing in the major leagues and being under constant scrutiny takes its toll on the team. The team story follows a fairly predictable arc (though with a twist ending) but Schilling does a great job describing the baseball action. The last few chapters really race by as the season winds down, but the faster pace of the book fits the final days of the pennant race wonderfully.
The characters in the book are well developed and realistic. They don't just blend seamlessly into the major leagues without some of their former selves coming through. Roy Campanella, Buck Leonard, Josh Gibson, Piper Davis, Cool Papa Bell, Satchel Paige and Martin Dihigo are the most prominent, but other legends play a big role as well. The book is a who's who of Negro League talent. If you don't have a lot of knowledge of Negro League history, you might be a bit lost, but even without the background it's a fine book that is easily enjoyed. Having just finished Willie's Boys and already having some background, it was a good fit for me.
Schilling also does a good job describing the historical context (WWII, Communism, struggles with integration in society, war shortages, etc) which makes me wonder if he has a historical background. History buffs will find enough here to keep themselves satisfied.