Slow to Speak - Paperback

Les Crumpler is an 81 year-old white widower who loses at checkers often and wonders if Y2K is going to drain his bank account. A former teammate of Jackie Robinson, Les makes a spontaneous visit to Banneker College, a historically black college in the low country of South Carolina, where he finds himself assisting the baseball team.

D'Ante Cook is a young black man and former gang member from Washington, D.C. whose only hope in life is to play pro baseball. Going from a small black college to the majors is almost unheard of, but it's that or a life of crime.

In the midst of an unforgettable baseball season, Les and D'Ante are confronted by the sins of their past. Their futures become richer when they each turn from previous prejudices.