Pumpsie Green’s role in Red Sox history is examined by author Howard Bryant. By Derek Green (PUMPSIE GREEN AND D. GREEN) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

I’ve been enjoying ESPN personality Howard Bryant’s latest book, Legends: The Best Players, Games, and Teams in Baseball.

Bryant is a Red Sox history expert, too. His book for adult readers, Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston, is a revealing look at the team’s struggles with integration.

Here, Bryant talks about growing up in Boston (divulging how he could be a Yankee fan as a boy).