OUR GAME TOO: Asian Pacific Americans in Major League Baseball targets millions of baseball fans around the world who will be captivated by what has until now been somewhat invisible in baseball literature. OUR GAME TOO provides a thought-provoking look into the history of Asians and Asian Pacific-Americans in Major League baseball through anecdotes stories and narrative timelines.
Bill (Dr. Billy W. Simpson) a teacher and professor has been a lifelong baseball fan and player. His favorite baseball experiences are coaching his son's baseball teams and playing at MLB Baseball Fantasy Camps. Jennifer is a professor and researcher. Her favorite baseball experiences are when she is cheering for her son and husband. Jennifer Bill and Jack reside in Kentucky.
"Our Game Too: Asian Pacific Americans in Major League Baseball comes from an avid baseball player enthusiast and "baseball dad" and his wife (also an enthusiast of the sport) who provide an important chronicle in the history of the sport. Their account details the history of diversity in the sport with a focus on Asian Americans filling in many gaps not commonly addressed in other accounts of racial issues in baseball: 'While Robinson helped pave the way for all minority baseball players the color barriers that existed for players of Latino and Asian backgrounds followed a very different timeline. Before 1947 MLB teams looking for talent would sometimes turn to Latino or Native American players who were light-skinned enough to be deemed 'acceptable' by the baseball establishment or at least acceptable enough to be overlooked as violators of the color barrier. While some light-skinned Latino players were permitted to play in MLB the darker skinned players were forced to play in the Negro Leagues.'"
"This history of Asians and Asian Pacific-Americans in Major League baseball is accompanied by vignettes and discussions of player experiences adding an extra personal dimension to the perspectives and focus of these players.
"The survey of on how various Asian and Asian Pacific players slowly challenged the sport's prejudices through their extraordinary playing includes statistics and descriptions particular to the baseball environment so fans who have the methods and science of baseball well in hand will find this a lively discussion: 'Murakami would return to the Giants again in 1965 going 4- 1 in forty-five appearances (almost all in relief) with an ERA of 3.75 while picking up eight saves. Murakami had certainly proven his ability to pitch successfully at the Major League level in the United States and to many MLB fans this bolstered their opinion of the Japanese Pacific League which had been considered by many Americans to only be at a mid-minor league level. Murakami's success caused them to rethink that notion. The positive change Murakami's success brought about regarding the way Japanese leagues and players were perceived by Major League baseball cannot be overstated.'
"As readers review the achievements of generations of players who came from different roots from Thailand to Hawaii to Vietnam the authors comment on the growth of diversity in the sport document obstacles and successful outcomes which have propelled Asian players into the spotlight of baseball history and make a case for initiatives that encourage young players to enter the field and make their marks on what began as a traditionally Anglo sport. Color photos of players in action pepper the biographical sketches of key and up-and-coming players adding high-quality visual embellishment to an already-powerful survey.
"Other books have toppled the barrier for black players: it's about time the same happened for Asian and Asian Pacific baseball greats. Our Game Too's blend of biographies baseball statistics diversity efforts and lively descriptions of players belongs in any collection strong in not just baseball history but in civil rights and cultural inspections of American society.
"It's very very highly recommended."
-D. Donovan Senior Reviewer Midwest Book Review