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THE ALL-STARSThe war was over in Europe. Japan was next, a month away from the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Even during the war years baseball remained America’s Pastime. However, it was a different game in the summer of 1945 when blacks did not play alongside whites in pro ball.
NEAR VEGA, TEXAS — JULY, 1945SETH LUCAS CLAMBERED ABOARD THE TEAM bus outside the ball park. Along with the other colored ballplayers still in uniform, he was bone tired after the double-header in the ninety-degree heat. By now, half-way into the barnstorming season, he had gotten used to — or just plain put up — with many things. The smell of sweaty bodies on the bus after the games. Meals of hot dogs and warm pop. Day after day in uniform before he could shower. Even then, cleaning up was usually
