About this item

This book brings to light the story of a Negro League and Pacific Coast League star, his struggles to make it in the majors, and his crucial role in integrating baseball's premier minor league.Artie Wilson once was the best shortstop in baseball. In 1948 Artie led all of baseball with a .402 batting average for the Birmingham Black Barons, the last hitter in the top level of pro ball to hit .400. But during much of his career, Organized Baseball passed Artie by because he was black.In Singles and Smiles: How Artie Wilson Broke Baseball's Color Barrier, Gaylon H. White provides a fascinating account of Wilson's life and career. An All-Star in the Negro Leagues, in 1949 Artie became only the second black player in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the first to play for the Oakland Oaks.



About the Author

Gaylon H. White

Gaylon H. White went from sportswriting to speechwriting to scriptwriting before writing The Bilko Athletic Club, a book about beer keg-shaped Steve Bilko and the 1956 Los Angeles Angels of the old Pacific Coast League.White graduated in 1967 from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor's degree in journalism-broadcasting. He was a sportswriter for the Denver Post, Arizona Republic and Oklahoma Journal before entering the corporate world and writing speeches for top corporate executives. He eventually established an award-winning website for Eastman Chemical Company - www.EastmanInnovationLab.com - that uses storytelling to bridge the communications gap between the materials and design worlds.White writes a monthly design column for Plastics News. He has authored some 80 articles for international and U.S. publications, many on baseball. He is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research, the Pacific Coast League Historical Society and a Friends of Marino Pieretti honoree. He and his wife, Mary, live in Cartersville, Georgia.



Report incorrect product information.