Frederick C. Bush – författare

In 1934, Ed Bolden''s Philadelphia Stars joined the new Negro National League II (NNL2), which had been founded one year earlier. After fending off their intrastate-rivals, the Pittsburgh Crawfords, the Stars claimed the NNL2''s second-half championship and faced the first-half champions for the title. They defeated the Chicago American Giants to claim the NNL2 crown.

Over two dozen SABR members researched the Stars'' history for this book, which includes biographies of as many of the team''s players as possible, even those who participated in only a single game. The 1934 Stars featured future Hall of Famers Raleigh "Biz" Mackey and Jud Wilson; stalwarts like Phil Cockrell, Webster McDonald, and Chaney White; shooting star Stewart "Slim" Jones; and temporary fill-ins like Frederick Coleman and Clifford "Whip" Irons.

Majority owner Ed Bolden, a vital figure in the history of Philadelphia baseball, and minority owner/booking agent Eddie Gottlieb-who is better known to basketball fans-are both featured, as well, along with the history of the Stars'' home ballpark in 1934, Passon Field, named after another prominent local baseball entrepreneur. Also included is a complete season timeline, articles about select games such as the epic September 9 Satchel Paige-Slim Jones pitching duel at Yankee Stadium, and a comprehensive write-up of the NNL2 championship series complete this portrait of the 1934 title-winning team.

The Kansas City Monarchs are arguably the best-known of all Negro League teams, thanks in part to the inimitable Satchel Paige''s association with the team and longtime Monarch Buck O''Neil''s role as an ambassador of Black baseball history.

The Monarchs won the first-ever Negro League World Series against the Hilldale club in 1924. Black World Series play went on a 15-year hiatus after 1927, but when it returned, so did the Monarchs. That time, 1942, the team faced the perennial Negro National League champions, the Homestead Grays. In the clash between the two powerhouse squads, the Kansas Citians made mincemeat of the mighty Grays and turned 1942 into the year When the Monarchs Reigned.

This book - the result of a collaborative effort by 32 SABR members - features biographies of Hall of Famers Satchel Paige, Hilton Smith, and Willard Brown; stalwarts such as Newt Allen and Buck O''Neil; and many other players. Also included are biographies of principal owner and Hall of Famer J.L. Wilkinson and other front-office personnel, Ruppert Stadium (which was renamed several times over the course of its existence), and groundbreaking Kansas City Call reporter Willa Bea Harmon. Feature articles focus on topics such as the Call''s coverage of the Monarchs, Wilkinson''s role in helping to resuscitate Paige''s career, and the fate of the Monarchs during the World War II years. In addition to an extensive season timeline, game articles highlight a contest against Dizzy Dean''s All-Stars, Satchel Paige Day at Wrigley Field, the two East-West All-Star Games, and the grand finale to the season - the World Series triumph over the Homestead Grays.

On December 16, 2020, Major League Baseball announced that seven Negro Leagues, from various seasons spanning the years 1920 to 1948, were being recognized as major leagues and that all statistics from those leagues and seasons would henceforth be considered part of the major-league record books. The earliest league to be included is the first iteration of the Negro National League (NNL), founded by Rube Foster, which extended from 1920 through the end of 1931.

The First Negro League Champion: The 1920 Chicago American Giants chronicles the team which won the title of champion in the NNL1''s inaugural season. Foster, a Hall of Famer, and his White business partner John Schorling are featured here. Biographies of every player on the team include Cristóbal Torriente, a member of both the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame, as well as early Blackball stalwarts Dave "Lefty" Brown, Bingo DeMoss, Judy Gans, Dave Malarcher, Frank Warfield, and Frank Wickware. The history of the American Giants'' home field, Schorling Park, is also examined.

Rounding out the tale of this landmark franchise are a comprehensive timeline of the 1920 season, a history of the founding of the Negro National League in 1920, and the complete story of the American Giants, both under Foster''s ownership and beyond. A generous number of historical photographs and graphics add to the commemoration of this landmark team.

This collaborative work of 21 members of the Society for American Baseball Research, with assists from many other individuals, constitutes the fifth volume of an ongoing SABR series on great teams from Negro Leagues history.