The Right Time

Although he never played a day in the white major leagues, John Henry “Pop” Lloyd was one of the greatest baseball players who ever lived. A shortstop who could take over a game with his glove or his bat, Lloyd dominated early black baseball, drawing comparisons to the most celebrated National Leaguer of his day, Honus Wagner, who declared it a privilege to be mentioned with Lloyd.
Beginning his career years before the first Negro National League was established, Lloyd played for a dizzying number of teams, following the money, as he’d put it, throughout the country and sometimes past its borders, doing several stints in Cuba. He was seemingly ageless, winning two batting titles in his 40s and playing at the highest levels of blackball until he was 48. (He would continue to coach and play semi-pro baseball for another ten years.) Admired by teammates and opponents alike for his generosity and quiet strength, Lloyd was also one of the most beloved figures in white or black baseball.

Wes Singletary has written numerous articles on baseball history for Nine and other publications. A Tampa native, he lives in Tallahassee.

Wes Singletary
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 234
Bibliographic Info: 49 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2011
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3572-2
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8466-9
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1

1. Slow Glide      5
2. The Black Wagner      25
3. A Baseball Drivin’ Man      52
4. That’s Jai Alai!      74
5. The American Giants      97
6. Second Wind      113
7. Just Give Him a Bat      130
8. You’d Think He Was Still a Young Man      148
9. The Big House      166
10. The Right Time      187

Chapter Notes      201
Bibliography      213
Index      219

“Singletary makes a real contribution, having extensively delved into black newspapers to cull information. For serious fans”—Library Journal; “solid biographical portrait of a widely respected and beloved athlete”—Midwest Book Review “intriguing…an extremely detailed look at an era of segregated African American baseball…many rarely or never before seen photographs…outshines other recent Negro League biographies…a welcome addition to any serious baseball fan’s library”—The Inside Game.