It is said that Josh Gibson is the only man ever to have hit a fair ball out of Yankee Stadium. Some claim he hit as many as seventy-five home runs in a season. All agreed he was a frightening hitter to face. What Satchel Paige was to pitching in the Negro leagues, Gibson was to hitting: their greatest star, biggest gate attraction, and most important symbol.

Though Gibson is best remembered as "the black Babe Ruth," Ruth became a beloved symbol of the national pastime, while Gibson lived a life veiled in the darkness that came both from the shadow world of the Negro leagues and from within his own tortured soul.

Mark Ribowsky, the widely acclaimed biographer of Satchel Paige, pulls no punches in his portrait of this magnificent, troubled athlete. This is the most complete, thorough, and authoritative account of the life of black ball's greatest hitter, and one of its most important stars.| Cover Title Copyright Contents Preface Acknowledgments Introduction 1. The Man 2. Prelude to Professionalism 3. Gray and Blue 4. Home Run: Gibson 5. The Revenge of Big Red 6. Satch and Josh 7. Seasons End-to-End 8. A Player 9. Bronzed Bambino 10. A Complex Temperament 11. A Martyr to the Cause Illustrations 12. A Household Word 13. Gone South 14. Josh Versus Satch 15. Tomorrow May Not Come 16. Last Call 17. Legacy Index |Mark Ribowsky is the author of several highly regarded books, including Don't Look Back, on Satchel Paige, and A Complete History of the Negro Leagues, 1884-1955.