The Duke of 18th & Vine in History Lesson Tool Box

July 12, 2020 Off By Michael
Greg Fulginiti is a fan of the game of baseball, more specifically, of the New York Yankees and the old New York Giants. Photo from Twitter

Greg Fulginiti, Guest Blogger

A book review:

I’ve read The Duke of 18th & Vine: Bob Kendrick Pitches Negro Leagues Baseball, (Cascade Publishing House, Atlanta, 2020). I own this book and it will be forever in my baseball collection.

The Duke is a great read. Absolutely so!

Harvey uses his joy for baseball and the lessons that his granddad taught him about the game and life to spun an excellent tale around the tremendous volume of knowledge possessed by Bob Kendrick, President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

When it is time, I will pass this brief, yet comprehensive tome on the Negro Leagues to my 2-year-old grandson. I hope he grows up to love the game of baseball like his granddad.

The history of baseball is much more than the stories of Major League Baseball. Through The Duke, my grandson will know about the heroes of the Negro Baseball Leagues, as well as Major League Baseball.

Greg Fulginiti is sporting his Yankee Stadium Tee with his copy of The Duke of 18th & Vine. Photo Courtesy of the Greg Fulginiti Collection.

With The Duke of 18th & Vine in my toolbox, I will teach my grandson about the game we love!

The details provided in this book are profound. The stories told by Bob Kendrick are priceless.

Cheated, we didn’t get to see these great players, and it is how I feel about that era. But here we get to learn about them and picture them playing at their best, heroes of the game!

I recommend The Duke to the baseball fan and any American who cares about equality in this country.

CategoryArticle
TagsBaseball MLB Negro Leagues Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

About The Author

Harold Michael Harvey is a Past President of The Gate City Bar Association and is the recipient of the Association’s R. E. Thomas Civil Rights Award. He is the author of Paper Puzzle and Justice in the Round: Essays on the American Jury System, and a two-time winner of Allvoices’ Political Pundit Prize. His work has appeared in Facing South, The Atlanta Business Journal, The Southern Christian Leadership Conference Magazine, Southern Changes Magazine, Black Colleges Nines, and Medium.