The New Face of Baseball by Tim Wendel

The New Face of Baseball by Tim Wendel

Going as far back as the mid-nineteenth century, to the early days of Cuban baseball, Wendel traces the spread of American baseball fever in the Caribbean and Mexico; discusses lesser-known historical standouts, including Adolfo Luque and Martin Dihigo; and describes the days when only light-skinned Latinos wereallowed to participate in Major League competition as well as the linguistic barrier many Latinos faced when playing on teams with "English only" rules.

Featuring interviews with Latino superstars past and present; a foreword by Bob Costas; the first-ever-published Latino All-Century Team, featuring players selected by Omar Minaya; and photos taken by award-winning Sports Illustrated photographer Victor Baldizon, The New Face of Baseball helps fans of America's favorite pastime to understand the history of those who bring hope and honor every season to the teams they have given their lives to, and the Hispanic culture that, if allowed, can lie hidden and unnoticed under a team jersey.

Tim Wendel is writer-in-residence at Johns Hopkins University. His nonfiction books include Summer of '68: The Season That Changed Baseball, and America, Forever and High Heat: The Secret History of the Fastball and the Improbable Search for the Fastest Pitcher of All Time. His fiction includes Castro's Curveball. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, National Geographic Traveler, USA Weekend, GQ, and Esquire.