Description

The story of Willie Mays s rookie year with the Negro American League s Birmingham Black Barons, the Last Negro World Series, and the making of a baseball legendBaseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays is one of baseball s endearing greats, a tremendously talented and charismatic center fielder who hit 660 career homeruns, collected 3,283 hits, knocked in 1,903 runs, won 12 Gold Glove Awards and appeared in 24 All-Star games. But before Mays was the Say Hey Kid , he was just a boy. Willie s Boys is the story of his remarkable 1948 rookie season with the Negro American League s Birmingham Black Barons, who took a risk on a raw but gifted 16-year-old and gave him the experience, confidence, and connections to escape Birmingham s segregation, navigate baseball s institutional racism, and sign with the New York Giants. Willie s Boys offers a character-rich narrative of the apprenticeship Mays had at the hands of a diverse group of savvy veterans who taught him the ways of the game and the world.Sheds new light on the virtually unknown beginnings of a baseball great, not available in other booksCaptures the first incredible steps of a baseball superstar in his first season with the Negro League s Birmingham Black BaronsIntroduces the veteran group of Negro League players, including Piper Davis, who gave Mays an incredible apprenticeship seasonIlluminates the Negro League s last days, drawing on in-depth research and interviews with remaining playersExplores the heated rivalry between Mays s Black Barons and Buck O Neil s Kansas City Monarchs, culminating in the last Negro League World SeriesBreaks new historical ground on what led the New York Giants to acquire Mays, and why he didn t sign with the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees, or Boston Red SoxPacked with stories and insights, Willie s Boys takes you inside an important part of baseball history and the development of one of the all-time greats ever to play the game.