Our Team: The Epic Story of Four Men and the World Series That Changed Baseball

At first glance, one might wonder how the 1948 Cleveland Indians warrant a book. But then one stops to consider its cast of characters: Bill Veeck, team owner and impresario extraordinaire; Bob Feller, an Iowa farm boy whose blazing fastball elevated him to rock star status in the late 1930s and 1940s; Larry Doby, Major League Baseball’s second Black player, who in many ways had a harder battle than Jackie Robinson, his predecessor; and last, but far from least, iconic Negro League pitcher Satchel Paige, who at over age 40 was finally admitted to the majors. Epplin, a veteran freelance writer, shows us how Veeck brought together these disparate parts to transform a beleaguered franchise into world champions. But he also shows that it wasn’t easy: Veeck battled numerous surgeries, while constantly promoting his team even from hospital beds; Feller became a fallen star, excoriated for tending more to his money-making ventures than pitching; Doby battled the racism of fans, opponents, and his own teammates; and Paige fought both racism and aging.