The following is an excerpt from Cracks in the Outfield Wall: The History of Baseball Integration in the Carolinas by Chris Holaday, which is now available wherever books are sold. In the summer of 1934, six teams of high school–age boys met in Gastonia, North Carolina, for a three-day tournament to decide the Eastern Sectional Champion of American Legion baseball. The winner would advance to Chicago and face the top team from the West to determine the overall national champion. The six teams meeting in Gastonia originated from Cincinnati; Charlotte; Tampa; Springfield, Massachusetts; Trenton, New...