A Brief Q&A with Thou Shalt Not Steal Co-Author
Al Hunter Jr.
Question: How did you and Bill meet?
Answer: A distant relative of Bill’s had been following my writing in the Philadelphia Daily News. I was a features reporter at the time. It was around 1995 or 1996. She called me one day and told me she had a cousin who played in the Negro Leagues and wanted to write a book. It sounded real interesting to me. So Bill and I met at a hotel restaurant, and we clicked. Things took off from there.
Q. What kind of man was Bill?
A. Bill was a gregarious, God-fearing man who could mesmerize you with his stories about the Negro Leagues. He was warm, charming, and kind-hearted. And yet, he was no pushover. And he didn’t take any stuff, especially when it came to baseball owners and organizations. He would tell it like it is. He had his ethics and he wanted everyone to do things the right way and come correct. It’s ironic that those admirable characteristics may have contributed to him not making it to the majors. As he says in the book, "I was a black man with a lot of pride, a lot of talent, and little patience for liars."
Q. Could you talk a bit about how you worked with Bill to craft a narrative that hangs together so tightly.
A. Well, Bill and I met every Thursday evening at his house in West Philadelphia. We usually sat at his dining room table, where I interviewed him. I recorded him with my micro-cassette, and some days I just took hand-written notes. We did this for about a year or so. After the initial interviews, I did research at various libraries and used several previously published books about the Negro Leagues and Latin American baseball as references. I double-checked things he told me, then tried to provide background and context for his stories and his life. I spoke to family members and other players. I also accompanied Bill to Negro League events and some of his public appearances, where he was always a great presenter. Most of the writing was done on weekends. Bill and his daughter, Janet, said they read the manuscript and liked it.
Q. The book is told entirely in Bill's voice. How did you manage that?
A. Frankly, the early drafts did not reflect much of Bill's voice. The original voice was more neutral, like anyone could be telling the story. At the time, I was part of a writing group, and they encouraged me to use more of Bill's voice in the narrative. So I went back over the tapes and my notes, and whenever I re-interviewed Bill, I paid more attention to his speaking rhythm patterns, his pet phrases. I tried, however, not to over do it. I didn't want his speaking idioms to dominate the narrative and distract the reader.
Q. You two started this project in the mid 1990s, but the book didn’t come out until 2011. What took so long?
A. It was a combination of things. We tried for the longest time to hook up with a traditional publisher. No luck. Bill didn’t have a big name like Josh Gibson or Satchel Paige, so the bigs weren’t interested. We got a few bites from academic presses, but they either wanted to make the book more academic in tone, rework it, or offered pennies in royalties. Then I went back and forth about whether to self-publish. Then, frankly, I grew discouraged, and didn't work on it very hard, even though two guys at the barbershop I used to go to stayed on my case. But in 2010 I was encouraged by a dear friend, Wanda Polk Bankhead, who loves history, to get Bill’s story out there. So that’s what I did and self-published through CreateSpace.
Q. Why the title "Thou Shalt Not Steal"?
A. That was Bill's idea. Of course, it's one of the 10 Commandments. But it means a few other things here. It reflects Bill's confidence that base runners wouldn't be able to steal, or "take a base" on him. He'd throw them out. But the title also reflects his attitude that no matter the challenges, no one could take away or steal from him his determination and desire to do well in baseball and in life.
Q. What did Bill think of the Negro Leagues?
A. He loved playing in the league. He had a lot of great experiences playing against Josh and Satchel, being teammates with Jackie Robinson and many other great ball players, knowing Hank Aaron back in the day. But it wasn’t all peaches and cream. Like many Negro League players, he was often frustrated by the business side, whether it was over salary or how the owners treated him. But he loved playing in countries like Mexico and Venezuela where the competition and the money were good. And race wasn't as big of a deal.
Q. It's clear from Bill's stories that he experienced racial injustice throughout his life, both in his sports career and in his "ordinary" existence. Did he identify with any civil rights movements?
A. Bill did identify with the civil rights movement. In fact, he talks about participating in the 1963 "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom." That's the march where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the famous "I Have A Dream" speech. And when it came to racism, Bill saw and experienced first-hand the true differences between the United States and other countries. He recalls the riots in Philadelphia and Watts, and he speaks fondly of his playing days in Venezuela and Canada, where they cared more about how he played ball than about the color of his skin.
Q. What did Bill do when he left baseball?
A. Bill had no regrets when he hung up his spikes. After he retired from ball in 1955, he eventually returned to Westinghouse and retired from there in 1985. Meanwhile, he started a couple of Little League teams in West Philadelphia. He also umpired high school games, became deeply involved in church activities, delivered meals to shut-ins. He spent more time with his family. He became more involved with the Prince Hall Masons. Bill stayed busy up until health issues and age-related problems began to take its toll on him.
Answer: A distant relative of Bill’s had been following my writing in the Philadelphia Daily News. I was a features reporter at the time. It was around 1995 or 1996. She called me one day and told me she had a cousin who played in the Negro Leagues and wanted to write a book. It sounded real interesting to me. So Bill and I met at a hotel restaurant, and we clicked. Things took off from there.
Q. What kind of man was Bill?
A. Bill was a gregarious, God-fearing man who could mesmerize you with his stories about the Negro Leagues. He was warm, charming, and kind-hearted. And yet, he was no pushover. And he didn’t take any stuff, especially when it came to baseball owners and organizations. He would tell it like it is. He had his ethics and he wanted everyone to do things the right way and come correct. It’s ironic that those admirable characteristics may have contributed to him not making it to the majors. As he says in the book, "I was a black man with a lot of pride, a lot of talent, and little patience for liars."
Q. Could you talk a bit about how you worked with Bill to craft a narrative that hangs together so tightly.
A. Well, Bill and I met every Thursday evening at his house in West Philadelphia. We usually sat at his dining room table, where I interviewed him. I recorded him with my micro-cassette, and some days I just took hand-written notes. We did this for about a year or so. After the initial interviews, I did research at various libraries and used several previously published books about the Negro Leagues and Latin American baseball as references. I double-checked things he told me, then tried to provide background and context for his stories and his life. I spoke to family members and other players. I also accompanied Bill to Negro League events and some of his public appearances, where he was always a great presenter. Most of the writing was done on weekends. Bill and his daughter, Janet, said they read the manuscript and liked it.
Q. The book is told entirely in Bill's voice. How did you manage that?
A. Frankly, the early drafts did not reflect much of Bill's voice. The original voice was more neutral, like anyone could be telling the story. At the time, I was part of a writing group, and they encouraged me to use more of Bill's voice in the narrative. So I went back over the tapes and my notes, and whenever I re-interviewed Bill, I paid more attention to his speaking rhythm patterns, his pet phrases. I tried, however, not to over do it. I didn't want his speaking idioms to dominate the narrative and distract the reader.
Q. You two started this project in the mid 1990s, but the book didn’t come out until 2011. What took so long?
A. It was a combination of things. We tried for the longest time to hook up with a traditional publisher. No luck. Bill didn’t have a big name like Josh Gibson or Satchel Paige, so the bigs weren’t interested. We got a few bites from academic presses, but they either wanted to make the book more academic in tone, rework it, or offered pennies in royalties. Then I went back and forth about whether to self-publish. Then, frankly, I grew discouraged, and didn't work on it very hard, even though two guys at the barbershop I used to go to stayed on my case. But in 2010 I was encouraged by a dear friend, Wanda Polk Bankhead, who loves history, to get Bill’s story out there. So that’s what I did and self-published through CreateSpace.
Q. Why the title "Thou Shalt Not Steal"?
A. That was Bill's idea. Of course, it's one of the 10 Commandments. But it means a few other things here. It reflects Bill's confidence that base runners wouldn't be able to steal, or "take a base" on him. He'd throw them out. But the title also reflects his attitude that no matter the challenges, no one could take away or steal from him his determination and desire to do well in baseball and in life.
Q. What did Bill think of the Negro Leagues?
A. He loved playing in the league. He had a lot of great experiences playing against Josh and Satchel, being teammates with Jackie Robinson and many other great ball players, knowing Hank Aaron back in the day. But it wasn’t all peaches and cream. Like many Negro League players, he was often frustrated by the business side, whether it was over salary or how the owners treated him. But he loved playing in countries like Mexico and Venezuela where the competition and the money were good. And race wasn't as big of a deal.
Q. It's clear from Bill's stories that he experienced racial injustice throughout his life, both in his sports career and in his "ordinary" existence. Did he identify with any civil rights movements?
A. Bill did identify with the civil rights movement. In fact, he talks about participating in the 1963 "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom." That's the march where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the famous "I Have A Dream" speech. And when it came to racism, Bill saw and experienced first-hand the true differences between the United States and other countries. He recalls the riots in Philadelphia and Watts, and he speaks fondly of his playing days in Venezuela and Canada, where they cared more about how he played ball than about the color of his skin.
Q. What did Bill do when he left baseball?
A. Bill had no regrets when he hung up his spikes. After he retired from ball in 1955, he eventually returned to Westinghouse and retired from there in 1985. Meanwhile, he started a couple of Little League teams in West Philadelphia. He also umpired high school games, became deeply involved in church activities, delivered meals to shut-ins. He spent more time with his family. He became more involved with the Prince Hall Masons. Bill stayed busy up until health issues and age-related problems began to take its toll on him.