Pitching for the Stars: My Seasons Across the Color Line

by Jerry Craft, Kathleen Sullivan

Overview

In early summer 1959, Texas Tech senior Jerry Craft was planning to stay home on the family ranch when Carl Sedberry, a semipro baseball manager, phoned, asking him to try out for his club. Craft had never heard of the Wichita Falls/Graham Stars, but they needed a pitcher, and Craft was surprised and persuaded by their offer to pay $75 per game. Craft was in for an even bigger surprise when he reported to Spudder Park and realized that Mr. Sedberry was recruiting him for the West Texas Colored League.
            No one—least of all Craft—could know for sure what would happen when the League’s first white pitcher took the mound that summer day. But as Mr. Sedberry’s wisdom prevailed, the Stars and their white teammate pulled together to play a game they loved. Craft would pitch two seasons for the Stars. As they made history Craft and his teammates would learn much from Mr. Sedberry and each other about sports and life, and share experiences that would change them forever.
         Looking back on those years before the Civil Rights movement, when baseball was still very much a segregated game in a segregated society, Craft relates an unlikely story of respect, character, humor, and ultimately friendship.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780896727878
Publisher:	Texas Tech University Press
Publication date:	04/15/2013
Series:	Windword Books for Young Readers
Pages:	136
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	9 - 11 Years

About the Author

Jerry Craft, rancher and former mayor of Jacksboro, Texas, was the first white man to play in the West Texas Colored League, during the summers of 1959 and 1960. A pioneer in the national cable television industry, he lives in Jacksboro and operates ranches in Texas and New Mexico.

Kathleen Sullivan, who holds degrees from Baylor University and Arizona State University, has taught at Southern Methodist University and the University of Texas at Arlington. A member of the Sport Literature Association and the Society for American Baseball Research, she lives in Arlington, Texas

Table of Contents

Illustrations ix

Preface xi

Chapter 1 An Interesting Experiment 3

Chapter 2 Growing Up in Jacksboro 15

Chapter 3 Experiences in Higher Education 26

Chapter 4 Becoming a Star 36

Chapter 5 Welcome to Our World, White Boy 47

Chapter 6 Mr. Sedberry's Stars 58

Chapter 7 Second Season 68

Chapter 8 Lessons from a Black Man 79

Chapter 9 The Last Inning 89

Afterword 95

References 99

Acknowledgments 101

Index 103

Editorial Reviews

Jerry Craft’s real-life journey with the Stars comes alive. Its brisk pacing, play-by-play action, and fluid delivery make for a substantial and satisfying slice of a bygone era in baseball and the segregated South. An especially fine addition to Texana collections for middle readers and up. Very nicely done! — Dr. Roger Leslie, North Shore Senior High Library, Galena Park ISD

Praise for Our White Boy

The story of how a young white man in rural Texas learned firsthand not only about how profoundly painful and limiting segregation was for both whites and blacks but also how segregation could promote black pride and entrepreneurialism. This is a wonderful book in every respect. . . . Highly recommended. All readers. —Choice Reviews Online

From the Publisher