Latino Baseball Legends
An Encyclopedia
by Lew H. Freedman
August 2010, 359pp, 7 x 10
1 volume, Greenwood

Hardcover: 978-0-313-37867-6
$103, £80, 90€, A142
Please contact your preferred distributor for pricing.
eBook Available: 978-0-313-37868-3
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From superstar pitchers like Dennis Martinez and Juan Marichal to Venezuelan Ozzie Guillen, who led the Chicago White Sox to the World Series championship in 2005, Latinos loom large in America’s game. In fact, nearly one-third of the players on today’s Major League rosters are of Latino background. What do their stories tell us about their cultures and about the participation of Latinos in the United States?

Told through profiles of the men who have made it a reality, this is the complex story of the triumphs achieved by—and challenges faced by—Latinos who have risen to the heights of Major League Baseball.

Latino Baseball Legends: An Encyclopedia offers the most comprehensive, go-to source for everything relating to Latin American baseball stars, tracing the history of Latinos in baseball through the stories of those who have excelled at the game. Colorfully written 3,000-word entries explore the lives and careers of 25 dominant players, from legends such as Roberto Clemente to deserving, but comparatively unknown superstars such as Martin Dihigo. Shorter listings note another 75 Latinos who have figured prominently in the sport.

The entries document the importance of baseball in Latin American culture and the way it has evolved in the players’ home countries, but the encyclopedia does more than that. Its profiles also expose the difficulties faced by Latino players who are forced to overcome both a language barrier and the discrimination they face because of their skin color. And they demonstrate how proficiency with a bat and ball has become a great engine that can lift families out of poverty and provide hope for indigent youths.

Features

  • Alphabetically arranged, 3000-word profiles of the 25 most significant figures of Latin American background in the history of baseball
  • 75 shorter profiles of additional Latin American baseball figures of importance
  • Photographs
  • A comprehensive bibliography of books, newspaper articles, and magazine reports
Lew H. Freedman, a long-time sports writer, is an award-winning journalist and the author of 44 books. Based in the Chicago area, Freedman is a graduate of Boston University and earned a master's degree from Alaska Pacific University. His published works include African American Pioneers of Baseball: A Biographical Encyclopedia, LeBron James: A Biography, and Hard-Luck Harvey Haddix and the Greatest Game Ever Lost.

Reviews

"This encyclopedia is a celebration of Latino baseball players in the major leagues. ... This work is an excellent resource for baseball fans and also for Hispanic collections. It is recommended for public, school, and academic libraries."—Booklist, December 15, 2010

"...a nice variety of source material, both print and electronic, for interested researchers...Overall, this would be an excellent addition to a library's sports reference collection."—Choice, March 23, 2011
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