3 Review(s)

For nearly 40 years, Ed Bolden dominated black baseball in Philadelphia. He owned two teams, the Darby-based Hilldale Club and the Philadelphia Stars, and briefly led the Eastern Colored League, which he founded. Winner of two championships - one with each team - he experienced the highs and lows of the Negro Leagues and remained with the Stars until his death in 1950. Bolden's passing foreshadowed the dissolution the Negro Leagues in the face of Major League Baseball's integration. His funeral was attended by many Philadelphia dignitaries, former players and longtime business associate Eddie ""Mr. Basketball"" Gottlieb. This book analyzes Bolden's leadership of both teams through economic downturns, racial discrimination and two world wars, linking him with Philadelphia's 19th-century African American leaders.