For those of you who enjoy reading alternative fiction (and baseball!) The End of Baseball (Ivan R. Dee: 2008) is a rare treat. Author Peter Schilling imagines what might have happened had a long-rumored attempt by Veeck to integrate baseball did, in fact, occur. As the rumor goes, during the 1940s, Veeck planned to purchase the Phillies and stock it with Negro League stars but then-commissioner Kennisaw Mountain Landis vetoed the purchase. In the alternate-reality created by Schilling, Veeck purchases the flailing Philadelphia A's from Connie Mack and replaces the roster of white players with African-American ballplayers such as Satchel Paige, Buck Leonard, and Josh Gibson. Landis is thwarted through the intervention of politicians and the press. But Veeck and his team must overcome racism and both overt and furtive attempts by the Commissioner to force the A's to fail.
There is an obvious similarity between The End of Baseball and the earlier novel, New York Yanquis, by Bill Granger. In each case, an owner sets out to create a "dream team" to shake up the Game. And there are similar reactions by fans and rivals, alike. But while Yanquis is light and humorous, The End of Baseball is a more serious and realistic portrayal of both the game and players facing bias.
The novel takes place in 1944 when most of America was still, for the most part, segregated. Despite fighting a war on two fronts, the military still kept the races apart; many hotels and restaurants - even those in the seemingly more-open North restricted access to Blacks; and, of course, baseball was still a white-man's game. It is with this backdrop that Schilling sets out to "re-write" history.
For the most part, Mr. Schilling does a credible job of establishing the atmosphere of bigotry. There are those things that you expect - the antipathy by white players and fans of other teams, as well as from the Commissioner. But where Schilling fails is with the third party on the diamond: the umpires. While the black players put up with beanballs, being spiked, even intentionally walked to keep from breaking records set by whites, nowhere are the umpires illustrated as having any prejudice. I would imagine that in reality, umpires in that society would have openly called balls strikes or vice versa, as well as call close plays outs, or home runs foul if they strayed too close to the pole. Umpires in Schilling's story are actually more benign, and even invisible, factors.
Schilling's overriding premise is that if Veeck's team was successful, all racism would melt away. And that a team stocked with all-star talent would win over all types of fans - even those in rival stadiums. I'm not so sure this would be the case. You are left wondering: would Philadelphia fans really pack the stands if the team was racing for a pennant, albeit one during a year where each of the teams had had their best talent stripped away by the war effort?
The story also includes a plot line where J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI determine to prove that the black players are actually associated with the communist party, but this story is never fully developed and eventually fades away to be more or less a non-issue, as if Schilling somehow forgot about it.
These shortcomings aside, the book is still entertaining. The setting is well-established and Schilling goes to great length to describe train rides as well as the sights, sounds, and smells of those old ball parks. He also does a very credible job of creating believable characters - albeit based on real people; he's done his homework in getting the characters of, not only Bill Veeck, but Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and Campanella, to act and "sound" believable. You end up rooting for them to succeed and hoping that the great experiment will somehow change baseball, and American society.
This being Hall-of-Fame weekend, I thought it appropriate to take a look at Kevin King's All the Stars Came out That Night (Plume: 2006). King's historical novel takes us down a Depression-era road filled with famous personalities who come together for an All-Star game in Fenway Park following the World Series. What makes this game of All-Stars different is that it pits white major-leaguers against their Negro League counterparts. King paints a vivid picture of the period, featuring gambling, prohibition, famous movie stars, and even a Central American dictator. At times, though, you do feel that King is name-dropping (especially when the scene switches to lavish Hollywood parties), but since this is a debut novel a degree of leeway can be granted. Even so, this is an entertaining, quick-paced, and overall fun read. If there is anything non-forgivable, it's suggestion by several characters of various players and their Hall of Fame chances. The novel is set in 1934 and it wasn't until 1939 that the newly formed Hall of Fame started inducting players.
Being someone interested in history (as well as baseball), what I found particularly interesting was the descriptions of the various non-baseball characters such as Henry Ford and George Raft. King presents Ford as the racist businessman who becomes persuaded to bankroll the game. Raft is the movie icon who has “discovered” a rising star in the Pacific Coast League named Joe DiMaggio and eventually enables his participation in the game. Added to these characters are, of course, the baseball players: Satchel Paige, Babe Ruth, Josh Gibson, Dizzy Dean, and Joe DiMaggio, along with a host of others. Each add their spin to the events.
While some reviewers have commented on the length of this book (over 400 pages), I found the ancillary accounts interesting and worth including. My thought is if you’re going to write a period piece, then include descriptions of the period. I find the historical novels I like best are those that are developed like a painting: with details woven into both the fore- and background of the subject. In this way, the result is a richer and more colorful presentation. A level of context is created, and maintained. The only downside is that by the time King gets around to it, he seems to quicken the pace and the ending comes across a bit condensed.
Now, in the end, would it have been possible that such a game could have been played? Probably not. While the Major Leagues did a wink and a nod toward its players barnstorming against, and with, African American players during the off-season, actually allowing a game between the League’s best and that of the Negro Leagues would have exposed the all-white league to what it was and what it was missing. Baseball of the first half of the twentieth century was a product of its time. And while there’s current sentiment that the Game should have been integrated, the country just wasn’t ready. But that’s what makes the premise so interesting, and creates the basis for a good yarn.
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This weekend saw the induction of Whitey Herzog and Andre Dawson (as well as umpire Doug Harvey) into the Hall of Fame. Congratulations to each of these men. They are certainly worthy additions to the Hall.
For those of you who enjoy reading alternative fiction (and baseball!) The End of Baseball (Ivan R. Dee: 2008) is a rare treat. Author Peter Schilling imagines what might have happened had a long-rumored attempt by Veeck to integrate baseball did, in fact, occur. As the rumor goes, during the 1940s, Veeck planned to purchase the Phillies and stock it with Negro League stars but then-commissioner Kennisaw Mountain Landis vetoed the purchase. In the alternate-reality created by Schilling, Veeck purchases the flailing Philadelphia A's from Connie Mack and replaces the roster of white players with African-American ballplayers such as Satchel Paige, Buck Leonard, and Josh Gibson. Landis is thwarted through the intervention of politicians and the press. But Veeck and his team must overcome racism and both overt and furtive attempts by the Commissioner to force the A's to fail.
