Description

From the author of Baseball 100 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 DealerAn award-winning sports columnist and a baseball legend tour the country to recapture the joys and wonders of two of America s greatest pastimesWhen 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 that 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 baseball: jazz. This heartwarming and insightful journey is an endearing step back in time to the days when the crack of a bat and the smokey notes of a midnight jam session were the sounds that brought the most joy to a man s heart.