The Newark Eagles Take Flight: The Story of the 1946 Negro League Champions (SABR Baseball Library Book 68)

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The Newark Eagles won only one Negro National League pennant during the franchise’s 15-year tenure in the Garden State, but the 1946 squad that ran away with the NNL and then triumphed over the Kansas City Monarchs in a seven-game World Series was a team for the ages. World War II had ended, and numerous players who had served in the military returned to resume their playing careers with the Eagles. The returning veterans composed a veritable “Who’s Who in the Negro Leagues” and included Leon Day, Larry Doby, Monte Irvin, and Max Manning, as well as numerous role players. Four of the Eagles’ stars—Day, Doby, Irvin, and player/manager Raleigh “Biz” Mackey, as well as co-owner Effa Manley—have been enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. This book, which was researched and written exclusively by more than 30 members of the Society for American Baseball Research , presents not only the famous individuals, but also tells the tales of the other stars and the lesser-known players insofar as history allows them to be revealed. In addition to biographies of the players, co-owners, and P.A. announcer, there are also articles about Newark’s Ruppert Stadium, Leon Day’s Opening Day no-hitter, a sensational midseason game, the season’s two East-West All-Star games, and the 1946 Negro League World Series between the Eagles and the renowned Kansas City Monarchs. A season timeline and a history of the Eagles’ years in Newark help to present the entire context of the team and its lone championship season. Includes over 60 historic photos. Contents:
1.James Boyd by Frederick C. Bush
2.Harry Butts by Margaret M. Gripshover
3.Cecil Cole by Rich Bogovich
4.Johnny Davis by Dave Wilkie
5.Leon Day by Tom Kern
6.Larry Doby by John McMurray
7.Charles England by Margaret M. Gripshover
8.William “Benny” Felder by Bryan Steverson and Frederick C. Bush
9.Oscar Givens by Skip Nipper
10.Vernon Harrison by Margaret M. Gripshover
11.Bob Harvey by Jeb Stewart
12.Fred Hobgood by Rich Bogovich
13.Leniel Hooker by Tim Tassler and Frederick C. Bush
14.Cal Irvin by Bryan Steverson
15.Monte Irvin by Larry Hogan
16.Clarence “Pint” Isreal by Bill Hickman
17.Rufus Lewis by Michael Mattsey
18.Raleigh “Biz” Mackey by Chris Rainey
19.Biz Mackey and Japan by Bill Staples Jr.
20.Maxwell Manning by Frederick C. Bush21.Charles Parks by Jay Hurd
22.Andrew “Pat” Patterson by Bill Johnson
23.Warren Peace by Bill Nowlin
24.Lennie Pearson by Dan D’Addona
25.Leon Ruffin by Paul Hofmann
26.Murray “Skeeter” Watkins by Niall Adler
27.Jimmy “Seabiscuit” Wilkes by Bob LeMoine2
8.Robert “Cotton” Williams by Ralph Carhart
29.Abe Manley by Amy C. Essington
30.Effa Manley by Amy C. Essington
31.Sherman Maxwell by Leslie Heaphy
32.Ruppert Stadium by Curt Smith
33.1946 Newark Eagles Season Timeline by by Bill Nowlin
34.May 5, 1946: Leon Day and Baseball’s Other Opening Day No-hitter by Frederick C. Bush
35.August 11, 1946: Leon’s Terrific, Wonderful, Magnificent, Very Good Day by Bob LeMoine
36.August 15, 1946: East-West All-Star Game 1, Griffith Stadium by Mark S. Sternman and Frederick C. Bush
37.August 18, 1946: East-West All-Star Game 2, Comiskey Park by Mark S. Sternman and Frederick C. Bush

38.The 1946 World Series: Newark Eagles v. Kansas City Monarchs by Rich Puerzer

39.The Newark Eagles: Swinging Away During Newark’s Heyday by Bob Golon