Ruling Over Monarchs, Giants & Stars: Umpiring in the Negro Leagues & Beyond

The Kansas City Monarchs. The Chicago American Giants. The St. Louis Stars. The Birmingham Black Barons. The Homestead Grays. The Indianapolis Clowns. For over 50 years, they were the Yankees, Cardinals, and Red Sox of black baseball in America. And for over a decade beginning in the late 1940s, umpire Bob Motley called balls and strikes for many of their games, working alongside such legends as Satchel Paige, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, and Willie Mays. Today, Motley is the only living arbiter from the Negro Leagues, and "Ruling Over Monarchs, Giants & Stars" is his revealing, humorous memoir, which Ken Burns calls, "An important step in revealing what has been for most Americans a `hidden history.'"

Motley's account of the Negro Leagues is not a sad one; rather, it celebrates a league long lost and salutes a remarkable group of baseball players that captivated audiences with its flashy play. That much was true of Negro League players, but it was also true of the umps. The men in black--not blue--took to diamonds across the country sporting fetching attire, black ties, and shiny dress shoes. Motley took things a step further, entertaining audiences by exaggerating his calls--doing the splits or leaping high in the air while roaring, "YOU'RE O-O-O-U-U-T-T-T!"

Motley saved his greatest opponent--Major League Baseball--for his final journey: his attempt to break the color barrier for umpires. Walter Cronkite calls Bob Motley's story "a fascinating history of the days not so long ago, when courage and perseverance opened baseball, and so many other sports, to all races." Join this esteemed umpire as he proudly bellows, "PLAY BALL!"