{"title":"John Klima","description":"\u003cp\u003eJOHN KLIMA is an award-winning baseball writer and the author of \u003cem\u003eThe Game Must Go On\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eBushville Wins!\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eWillie’s Boys: The 1948 Birmingham Black Barons, The Last Negro League World Series, and the Making of a Baseball Legend\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKlima’s story \"Deal of the Century\" was selected by David Maraniss for the 2007 edition of \u003cem\u003eThe Best American Sports Writing\u003c\/em\u003e, and in 2007 he was honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing. His work has appeared in the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e, Yahoo! Sports, ESPN.com, and the \u003cem\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen he’s not writing, Klima works as a professionally trained baseball scout and a graduate of the Major League Baseball Scout Development Program, with a background as a national baseball columnist, minor league radio play-by-play announcer, and holder of a degree in anthropology.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJohn Klima’s books are published by Trade Paper Press, an imprint of Turner Publishing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBrowse more: \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/books-new-releases\"\u003eNew Releases\u003c\/a\u003e · \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/award-winning-books\"\u003eAward-Winning Books\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"willies-boys","title":"Willie's Boys: The 1948 Birmingham Black Barons, The Last Negro League World Series, and the Making of a Baseball Legend","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe story of Willie Mays's rookie year with the Negro American League's Birmingham Black Barons, the Last Negro World Series, and the making of a baseball legend\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBaseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays is one of baseball's endearing greats, a tremendously talented and charismatic center fielder who hit 660 career homeruns, collected 3,283 hits, knocked in 1,903 runs, won 12 Gold Glove Awards and appeared in 24 All-Star games. But before Mays was the \"Say Hey Kid\", he was just a boy. \u003ci\u003eWillie's Boys\u003c\/i\u003e is the story of his remarkable 1948 rookie season with the Negro American League's Birmingham Black Barons, who took a risk on a raw but gifted 16-year-old and gave him the experience, confidence, and connections to escape Birmingham's segregation, navigate baseball's institutional racism, and sign with the New York Giants. \u003ci\u003eWillie's Boys\u003c\/i\u003e offers a character-rich narrative of the apprenticeship Mays had at the hands of a diverse group of savvy veterans who taught him the ways of the game and the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSheds new light on the virtually unknown beginnings of a baseball great, not available in other books\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCaptures the first incredible steps of a baseball superstar in his first season with the Negro League's Birmingham Black Barons\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIntroduces the veteran group of Negro League players, including Piper Davis, who gave Mays an incredible apprenticeship season\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIlluminates the Negro League's last days, drawing on in-depth research and interviews with remaining players\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eExplores the heated rivalry between Mays's Black Barons and Buck O'Neil's Kansas City Monarchs , culminating in the last Negro League World Series\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBreaks new historical ground on what led the New York Giants to acquire Mays, and why he didn't sign with the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees, or Boston Red Sox\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePacked with stories and insights, \u003ci\u003eWillie's Boys\u003c\/i\u003e takes you inside an important part of baseball history and the development of one of the all-time greats ever to play the game.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- amazon-buylink --\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003csmall\u003eWe earn a commission for purchases made through the following links.\u003c\/small\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0470400137\/ref=nosim?tag=tpcecomm-20\" rel=\"sponsored nofollow\"\u003eshop for this title at Amazon\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c!-- \/amazon-buylink --\u003e\u003c!-- bookshop-buylink --\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/book\/9780470400135\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003eshop for this title at Bookshop.org\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c!-- \/bookshop-buylink --\u003e","brand":"John Klima","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":43185554522328,"sku":"9780470400135","price":28.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0563\/7786\/8475\/files\/9780470400135_FChigh_mockup_v2_1718975702_4d5809a5-0582-47ff-a2f2-416f88150040.jpg?v=1791999257"}],"url":"https:\/\/turnerpublishing.com\/collections\/author-john-klima.oembed","provider":"Turner Publishing","version":"1.0","type":"link"}