Our White Boy (Sport in the American West Series)
At the outset of summer break in 1959, Texas Tech senior Jerry Craft had no more enticing options than to stay home and help on the family ranch—so the telephoned offer to play for a semipro baseball club he’d never heard of came as a welcome surprise. But Craft was in for an even bigger surprise when he reported for tryout and discovered he’d been recruited for the West Texas Colored League. Wichita Falls/Graham Stars manager Carl Sedberry persuaded Craft to put aside his misgivings and...
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At the outset of summer break in 1959, Texas Tech senior Jerry Craft had no more enticing options than to stay home and help on the family ranch-so the telephoned offer to play for a semipro baseball club he'd never heard of came as a welcome surprise.But Craft was in for an even bigger surprise when he reported for tryout and discovered he'd been recruited for the West Texas Colored League.Wichita Falls/Graham Stars manager Carl Sedberry persuaded Craft to put aside his misgivings and pitch for the Stars. Despite the derision of black teammates, fans, and opponents, and his own trepidation, "that white boy" took the mound to close a rousing victory in his first game. At home and on the road in segregated Texas, Craft saw discrimination firsthand and from every side. Yet out of his two seasons with the Stars comes an unlikely story of respect, character, humor, and ultimately friendship as the teammates pulled together to succeed in a game they loved.Children's LiteratureDuring the summer of 1959, Jerry Craft received a phone call from a baseball manager of a local minor league team asking him if he would be interested in pitching for the Wichita Falls/Graham Stars. What Craft did not know until he arrived at the first game was that the Stars were a Negro baseball club. Craft was surprised and uncertain, but the manager, Carl Sedberry, was persistent. When he finally agreed to pitch for the team, Jerry Craft became only the second white man to play with an all-black baseball team. Craft quickly grew to enjoy his teammates and found an immense respect for their community and the challenges they faced in segregated Texas. After competing in a tournament, Craft had his own taste of discrimination when an owner of a Black-only restaurant refused to serve Craft, even though he was sitting with his teammates. The biography includes information about Jerry Craft's family and college life as well as a discussion about what became of many of his teammates later in life. Baseball fans will appreciate the historical significance of Craft's story as well as his vivid accounts of many games. Illustrations and index are included. Reviewer: Jody Little
\ Children's Literature - Jody Little\ During the summer of 1959, Jerry Craft received a phone call from a baseball manager of a local minor league team asking him if he would be interested in pitching for the Wichita Falls/Graham Stars. What Craft did not know until he arrived at the first game was that the Stars were a Negro baseball club. Craft was surprised and uncertain, but the manager, Carl Sedberry, was persistent. When he finally agreed to pitch for the team, Jerry Craft became only the second white man to play with an all-black baseball team. Craft quickly grew to enjoy his teammates and found an immense respect for their community and the challenges they faced in segregated Texas. After competing in a tournament, Craft had his own taste of discrimination when an owner of a Black-only restaurant refused to serve Craft, even though he was sitting with his teammates. The biography includes information about Jerry Craft's family and college life as well as a discussion about what became of many of his teammates later in life. Baseball fans will appreciate the historical significance of Craft's story as well as his vivid accounts of many games. Illustrations and index are included. Reviewer: Jody Little\ \
