They are baseball's unsung heroes--mostly overlooked, unheralded, and unappreciated. They played before meager crowds, on rudimentary fields, and in small towns across the United States, and most of them never got the chance to display their talent to the world on baseball's great stage, the major leagues. They are the great stars of the Negro Leagues, many of whom played during a time when black players were denied the opportunity to play on the same field with whites. Monte Irvin was young enough to get his chance in 1949. He was a star for the New York Giants, and he received baseball's highest honor being elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973, but he has never forgotten his roots. He played for the Newark Eagles in the Negro National League for 11 seasons, alongside and against some of the greatest names in Negro Leagues baseball. And now, Irvin, aided by longtime sportswriter Phil Pepe, pays homage to these long-forgotten stars in Few and Chosen: Defining Negro Leagues Greatness, selecting the top five players at each position, plus the top five managers, owners/pioneers/organizers, and the five greatest teams from the Negro Leagues.