1) Shropshire, Mike - Seasons In Hell.
TX beat writer w/ bad back gives us the lowdown (and I do mean, low and down) on the 1973-75 Texas Rangers. David Clyde, Rico Carty pre-genius Whitey Herzog, pre-Steinbrenner'd Billy Martin. Funny stuff.
2) Neyer, Rob - Rob Neyer's Big Book Of Baseball Lineups
Other than "Rock, Rot & Rule" there really is no such thing as the ultimate argument settler (or starter), but Neyer's highly arbitrary lists of best players / biggest busts in franchise histories bring back memories both pleasant and agonizing. And provides as much food for thought as laughs.
3)Smith, Red - Red Smith On Baseball
170 of Smith's old columns for the NY Times and NY Herald Tribune circa 1941-1981. Worth flipping through at a bookstore if only for the one about Hugh "Losing Pitcher Mulcahy.
4) Sowell, Mike - One Pitch Away : The Player's Stories of the 1986 League Championship & World Series
year of the (scape)goats, Donnie Moore and Bill Buckner. Their plight is examined along with it the decisions of guys like Gene Mauch and John McNamara. Essential reading for anyone younger than Jesse Orosco.
GC
Baseball Books
12steve wrote:Just finished reading Moneyball by Michael Lewis.
Several others who read and write here took me to a Kane County Cougars game last week, and we got to see in action one of Billy Beane's highly-touted draft picks, Brant Colamarino. He was described in Moneyball as the best hitter in the draft, who was overlooked by the other teams because "he has tits."
Don't remember his tits, or how he fared in that game (If I'm reading the right online box score, he was 0/3 with a walk and an RBI), but the pitcher Joe Blanton (I read online), struck out 14 in their 3-1 victory over the Dayton Dragons.
The previous day, Colamarino scored the winning run in an 11-inning game and hit a homer.
Currently, after 356 at-bats: .242 BA, 59 RBI, .341 OBP, .419 SLG, 49 R -- he looks to be the best balanced offensively on the team, from the stats.
-steve
steve albini
Electrical Audio
sa at electrical dot com
Quicumque quattuor feles possidet insanus est.
Electrical Audio
sa at electrical dot com
Quicumque quattuor feles possidet insanus est.
Baseball Books
13There's a book that was published about ten years ago called Asahi: A Legend in Baseball. It's about the pre-WW Japanese-Canadian Asahi teams
It's different because it's more of a picture book—almost like enlarged baseball cards—and because it was written by Pat Adachi, who is neither American nor a man.
It's good without being fucking annoying. Unlike, say, Derek Jeter or Ass-Rod.
It's different because it's more of a picture book—almost like enlarged baseball cards—and because it was written by Pat Adachi, who is neither American nor a man.
It's good without being fucking annoying. Unlike, say, Derek Jeter or Ass-Rod.
Baseball Books
14All the books mentioned in this forum that I have read are pretty good. A couple also worth noting are "Hornsby Hit One Over My Head," which is a series of vignettes from ballplayers talking about their experiences. Also, the latest (only) biography on Sandy Koufax is rather inspiring. I love pitching and to think about the numbers he put up under the pain he endured is amazing. The guy had an ointment made from chili peppers applied to his pitching arm to block the pain whenever he threw. Dang!
Baseball Books
15Ring Lardner's "You Know Me Al" is highly recommended for seamheads. It was serialized in the Sat. Evening Post in 1914 and first published in bk form in 1916.
It's a fictionalized series of letters from a hillbilly "busher" pitching prospect who ends up making the Show to his buddy Al back in Terre Haute. Through the letters, the busher is shown to be a lazy, clueless, arrogant putz who is constantly being razzed/mocked to hilarious effect by coaches, teammates, girlfriends, etc. without him even realizing it.
Most interesting from a historical perspective, Lardner puts real-life players like Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, etc. in the bk as characters (Cobb touches the kid up for a couple of hits and talks smack). For much of the bk the busher is a member of the White Sox, and he's called up to Comiskey's office a couple of times, he competes in the "city serious" against the Cubs, etc.
Hugely entertaining.
It's a fictionalized series of letters from a hillbilly "busher" pitching prospect who ends up making the Show to his buddy Al back in Terre Haute. Through the letters, the busher is shown to be a lazy, clueless, arrogant putz who is constantly being razzed/mocked to hilarious effect by coaches, teammates, girlfriends, etc. without him even realizing it.
Most interesting from a historical perspective, Lardner puts real-life players like Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, etc. in the bk as characters (Cobb touches the kid up for a couple of hits and talks smack). For much of the bk the busher is a member of the White Sox, and he's called up to Comiskey's office a couple of times, he competes in the "city serious" against the Cubs, etc.
Hugely entertaining.
Baseball Books
16How is it that Roger Angell hasn't been mentioned in this thread? "The Summer Game"? "Late Innings"? "Five Seasons"? I thought these were required reading.
Also consider -
For a better understanding the game and how its played, I always recommned Tim McCarver's "Baseball for Brain Surgeons and other Fans".
Often overlooked in the pantheon of baseball books is "The Diamond Appraised". This book pits co-authors Tom House and Craig Wright against one another in a series of chapter by chapter debates. The high water mark is the section that shows once and for all why Pete Rose doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame (Guess what? Its got nothing to do with gambling).
Also consider -
For a better understanding the game and how its played, I always recommned Tim McCarver's "Baseball for Brain Surgeons and other Fans".
Often overlooked in the pantheon of baseball books is "The Diamond Appraised". This book pits co-authors Tom House and Craig Wright against one another in a series of chapter by chapter debates. The high water mark is the section that shows once and for all why Pete Rose doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame (Guess what? Its got nothing to do with gambling).
Baseball Books
17I just checked out a new baseball book from the library that looks to be fantastic:
A Game Of Inches - The Stories Behind the Innovations That Shaped Baseball - The Game On The Field by Peter Morris
Apparently a second volume is in the works as well.
Browsing through it now... it looks quite incredible...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1566636779/qid=1146949754/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-6559476-8538328?s=books&v=glance&n=283155
A Game Of Inches - The Stories Behind the Innovations That Shaped Baseball - The Game On The Field by Peter Morris
Apparently a second volume is in the works as well.
Browsing through it now... it looks quite incredible...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1566636779/qid=1146949754/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-6559476-8538328?s=books&v=glance&n=283155
Baseball Books
18Jeff wrote:How is it that Roger Angell hasn't been mentioned in this thread? "The Summer Game"? "Late Innings"? "Five Seasons"? I thought these were required reading.
I am reading Five Seasons right now. Roger Angell is an incredible writer. The Summer Game is a must read for any fan.
I will second Tim's recommendation of The Boys of Summer or any book written by Roger Kahn.
Baseball Books
19Tim's suggestions are top notch--though I didn't care for Summer of '49--but I'd add a few:
Golenbock, Peter. Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949--1964. New York?:Contemporary Books, 2000.
I know, I know. I hate them too. I'm a Red Sox fan. This is still the baseball book I've read, insofar as the Historical Baseball Abstract isn't meant to be a linear read--though I did that. Anyway, these Yankees weren't nearly as contemptable as their modern day corrollaries--well, DiMaggio was. For this time span, if you were to understand MLB, then you'd be foolish not to understand the Yankees. All the major starters from these teams have a short bio that blends in with the history. Their interviews are priceless for what they reveal about the inner workings of a game, dirty anecdotes, and what the game did to them, e.g., Maris. I learned as much about the state of baseball from this as from listening Steve Stone do his post-mortem on the '04 Cubs throughout their September collapse.
James, Bill and Rob Neyer. The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers. New York: Fireside, 2004.
Ever wonder what sort of witchcraft is going on out on that mound? This doesn't necessarily answer all the questions, but it breaks everyone's uniqueness down into a sort of taxonomy by explaining the different types of pitches and the different types of those pitches. Then, there are these odd bios of guys you've vaguely heard of, maybe, that are really interesting. Finally, there are some good articles on evaluating pitchers and stat geek stuff. The best one is on pitcher 'abuse.' If Jim Hendry had even bothered to read this, he'd have had Dusty Baker whacked Sonny Corleone style. (QED: Wood and Prior). It also has a list of many pitchers who were/are fairly established and it tells you their stats, what sort of stuff they threw, and for a few notables, short bios or anecdotes. Don't go to a fantasy draft without this text.
Golenbock, Peter. Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949--1964. New York?:Contemporary Books, 2000.
I know, I know. I hate them too. I'm a Red Sox fan. This is still the baseball book I've read, insofar as the Historical Baseball Abstract isn't meant to be a linear read--though I did that. Anyway, these Yankees weren't nearly as contemptable as their modern day corrollaries--well, DiMaggio was. For this time span, if you were to understand MLB, then you'd be foolish not to understand the Yankees. All the major starters from these teams have a short bio that blends in with the history. Their interviews are priceless for what they reveal about the inner workings of a game, dirty anecdotes, and what the game did to them, e.g., Maris. I learned as much about the state of baseball from this as from listening Steve Stone do his post-mortem on the '04 Cubs throughout their September collapse.
James, Bill and Rob Neyer. The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers. New York: Fireside, 2004.
Ever wonder what sort of witchcraft is going on out on that mound? This doesn't necessarily answer all the questions, but it breaks everyone's uniqueness down into a sort of taxonomy by explaining the different types of pitches and the different types of those pitches. Then, there are these odd bios of guys you've vaguely heard of, maybe, that are really interesting. Finally, there are some good articles on evaluating pitchers and stat geek stuff. The best one is on pitcher 'abuse.' If Jim Hendry had even bothered to read this, he'd have had Dusty Baker whacked Sonny Corleone style. (QED: Wood and Prior). It also has a list of many pitchers who were/are fairly established and it tells you their stats, what sort of stuff they threw, and for a few notables, short bios or anecdotes. Don't go to a fantasy draft without this text.