Luke Epplin

Readers who enjoy baseball history, or history of life in America immediately after WW II should enjoy Luke Epplin's book " Our Team: The Epic Story of Four Men and the World Series That Changed Baseball". Eplin weaves together the story of four important men in baseball (Bill Veeck, pitchers Bob Feller and Satchel Paige, and outfielder Lary Doby) in a way that both baseball fans and non-fans can enjoy. The story culminates with the Cleveland Indians chase for the American League pennant in 1948. It's a great baseball story, but the book also looks at what life was like in the old Negro baseball leagues, and how segregation and Jim Crow laws impacted the black ball players in mid-20th century America.

Baseball fans across the country are frequently reminded about Jackie Robinson's historic impact on the game when on April 15th each year, players throughout the league don uniforms with Robinson's number 42 to mark the anniversary of the day the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Famer broke baseball's color barrier. There are also books and movies about Robinson being the first black player in the Major Leagues.

But much less is known about Lary Doby, the second player from the old Negro baseball league to integrate Major League Baseball. Like Robinson, Doby had to endure racial taunts and indignities, and struggled to be accepted, especially early in his career. But he never seemed to receive the accolades for what he achieved and endured. "Our Team" helps offset those slights, and addresses these issues. The book shows that there were some that did accept him and try to help him, especially team owner Bill Veeck. And Epplin points out that depsite the hardship Doby endured, Doby did ultimately achieve success and on-field acceptance by the fans of the Cleveland ball team.

Satchel Paige is another star from the Negro Baseball Leagues who was denied the opportunity to play in the major leagues until he was in his late 40s and well past his prime. Nonetheless, Paige also was signed by Bill Veeck to play for the Cleveland Indians, and did play a part in helping the Indians win a World Series. It's interesting to compare how different major league pitchers are treated today compared to the pitchers of the mid-20th century. Modern pitchers are on strict pitch count and rarely pitch a full nine innings. But as Epplin reminds readers, pitchers in early baseball were expected to pitch complete games, often on only two days (or less) of rest.

I also found it interesting to see that the recent cheating scandal of the 2017 & 2018 Houston Astros, stealing signs to aid their batters, isn't brand new. Teams had been stealing the catcher's signs off and on for years, as Epplin notes, with little or nothing being said.

Bob Feller was also a key player for the Cleveland Indians, but surprisingly wasn't the key pitcher in the World Series year of 1948. He did have a remarkable career, and was likely the first baseball player to be popular enough to incorporate himself and become a true visionary and star. There were many interesting anecdotes like that about people, places, baseball games, barnstorming, and life in the era - I found surprises and enjoyment in every chapter.… (meer)