LEADER 03945nam 2200637 a 450 001 9910778108203321 005 20230721031819.0 010 $a0-292-79498-3 024 7 $a10.7560/716742 035 $a(CKB)1000000000479653 035 $a(OCoLC)646761242 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebrary10245786 035 $a(SSID)ssj0000272181 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)11188818 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000272181 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)10304119 035 $a(PQKB)11312324 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC3443299 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL3443299 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebr10245786 035 $a(OCoLC)932313884 035 $a(DE-B1597)586954 035 $a(OCoLC)1286808764 035 $a(DE-B1597)9780292794986 035 $a(EXLCZ)991000000000479653 100 $a20070209d2007 uy 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aurcn||||||||| 181 $ctxt 182 $cc 183 $acr 200 10$aWillie Wells$b[electronic resource] $e"El Diablo" of the Negro Leagues /$fBob Luke ; foreword by Monte Irvin 205 $a1st ed. 210 $aAustin, TX $cUniversity of Texas Press$d2007 215 $a1 online resource (209 p.) 300 $aBibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph 311 $a0-292-71674-5 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references and index. 327 $aHe could pick it -- I never went for anything crooked -- Family -- Leaving home to play ball -- The "devil" -- You had to do all kinds of things -- They treat me like a man -- My contract said "ballplayer" -- We'll talk -- He has slowed up afield -- A mind-set put to rest -- Any players with hall of fame credentials? -- Tradition meets fair play -- Why in hell? -- The "devil" is in -- Righting a wrong -- "Baseball is a beautiful game". 330 $aWillie Wells was arguably the best shortstop of his generation. As Monte Irvin, a teammate and fellow Hall of Fame player, writes in his foreword, "Wells really could do it all. He was one of the slickest fielding shortstops ever to come along. He had speed on the bases. He hit with power and consistency. He was among the most durable players I've ever known." Yet few people have heard of the feisty ballplayer nicknamed "El Diablo." Willie Wells was black, and he played long before Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier. Bob Luke has sifted through the spotty statistics, interviewed Negro League players and historians, and combed the yellowed letters and newspaper accounts of Wells's life to draw the most complete portrait yet of an important baseball player. Wells's baseball career lasted thirty years and included seasons in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Canada. He played against white all-stars as well as Negro League greats Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and Buck O'Neill, among others. He was beaned so many times that he became the first modern player to wear a batting helmet. As an older player and coach, he mentored some of the first black major leaguers, including Jackie Robinson and Don Newcombe. Willie Wells truly deserved his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, but Bob Luke details how the lingering effects of segregation hindered black players, including those better known than Wells, long after the policy officially ended. Fortunately, Willie Wells had the talent and tenacity to take on anything?from segregation to inside fastballs?life threw at him. No wonder he needed a helmet. 606 $aBaseball players$zUnited States$vBiography 606 $aAfrican American baseball players$vBiography 606 $aNegro leagues 615 0$aBaseball players 615 0$aAfrican American baseball players 615 0$aNegro leagues. 676 $a796.357092 676 $aB 700 $aLuke$b Bob$01569536 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910778108203321 996 $aWillie Wells$93842488 997 $aUNINA