Author Topic: MLB.com writers favorite baseball books (Read 4809 times)

OregonStrosFan · « **on:** July 30, 2014, 01:02:33 pm »

Decent array of books, with 'Ball Four' fairing quite nicely. LINK

What are your favorites?!?

juliogotay · « **Reply #1 on:** July 30, 2014, 01:17:37 pm »

Thanks for posting that. I enjoyed seeing it and have read or own several mentioned here. Anything by David Halberstam (three on the list) is great.

HudsonHawk · « **Reply #2 on:** July 30, 2014, 01:51:24 pm »

There are so many different types of "baseball books", that it's hard to list favorites for me. There are those where baseball is simply a backdrop, those that are fictional accounts, those that are historical analysis, true biographies and then those that are simply a collection of anecdotes. Of those that truly changed the way I thought about the subject, Ball Four has to be at the top of the list. One that is just a collection of funny stories is Bob Uecker's Catcher In The Wry. It's not on the same level as Ball Four, but Uecker is one funny man.

NeilT · « **Reply #3 on:** July 30, 2014, 01:53:52 pm »

Five Seasons by Roger Angell, The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach, and Moneyball. I like all of them for different reasons, and each of them talks about baseball in a different way.

JimR · « **Reply #4 on:** July 30, 2014, 01:59:19 pm »

the books Dirk Hayhurst has written are fun.

Reuben · « **Reply #5 on:** July 30, 2014, 02:19:49 pm »

Quote from: JimR on July 30, 2014, 01:59:19 pm

the books Dirk Hayhurst has written are fun.

Haven't read any, though I did give my dad Bullpen Gospels a couple years back. The Crawfish Boxes had a podcast a couple months ago where they interviewed Hayhurst. He had some very thoughtful, funny, and interesting things to say, and came across as a very down-to-earth, likable guy.

OregonStrosFan · « **Reply #6 on:** July 30, 2014, 03:37:31 pm »

Quote from: HudsonHawk on July 30, 2014, 01:51:24 pm

One that is just a collection of funny stories is Bob Uecker's Catcher In The Wry. It's not on the same level as Ball Four, but Uecker is one funny man.

Hadn't heard of this one before, but it's on my list now. Thanks!

Curly · « **Reply #7 on:** July 31, 2014, 11:12:26 am »

Quote from: HudsonHawk on July 30, 2014, 01:51:24 pm

One that is just a collection of funny stories is Bob Uecker's Catcher In The Wry. It's not on the same level as Ball Four, but Uecker is one funny man.

This is scary...I had not heard of this book before...but then again, I'm not a reader so there are only a few that I have heard of. My father passed away last week and I my brother found Uecker/Herskowitz "Catcher In The Wry" in a stack of books and brought it to me. It will be a book that I read. I just think it's strange that I hadn't seen this book before, and then all of the sudden we find the book and then I find this thread and you mention it.

BudGirl · « **Reply #8 on:** July 31, 2014, 11:15:59 am »

Quote from: Curly on July 31, 2014, 11:12:26 am

This is scary...I had not heard of this book before...but then again, I'm not a reader so there are only a few that I have heard of. My father passed away last week and I my brother found Uecker/Herskowitz "Catcher In The Wry" in a stack of books and brought it to me. It will be a book that I read. I just think it's strange that I hadn't seen this book before, and then all of the sudden we find the book and then I find this thread and you mention it.

Sorry for your loss Curly.

Reuben · « **Reply #9 on:** July 31, 2014, 11:19:26 am »

Quote from: BudGirl on July 31, 2014, 11:15:59 am

Sorry for your loss Curly.

Same here. Condolences.

Jacksonian · « **Reply #10 on:** July 31, 2014, 11:52:07 am »

Quote from: BudGirl on July 31, 2014, 11:15:59 am

Sorry for your loss Curly.

+10

Curly · « **Reply #11 on:** July 31, 2014, 05:09:08 pm »

Thanks yall.

To give you an idea about the Uecker book, his first chapter is called "A Funny Thing Happened on My Way to Cooperstown".

NeilT · « **Reply #12 on:** July 31, 2014, 05:35:18 pm »

Quote from: Curly on July 31, 2014, 05:09:08 pm

Thanks yall.

To give you an idea about the Uecker book, his first chapter is called "A Funny Thing Happened on My Way to Cooperstown".

That's a great title.

JimR · « **Reply #13 on:** August 01, 2014, 11:04:08 am »

condolences, Curly. miss having you around here.

BlownRanger · « **Reply #14 on:** August 01, 2014, 02:18:00 pm »

Quote from: NeilT on July 30, 2014, 01:53:52 pm

Five Seasons by Roger Angell, The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach, and Moneyball. I like all of them for different reasons, and each of them talks about baseball in a different way.

Thanks for mentioning Five Seasons. A truly underrated book that did a fantastic job of capturing all that was great about baseball in the '70s. Some of the most interesting parts were Angell's discussions with a couple of old, grizzled Tigers fans who struggled with the fact that so few fans understood that when you entered Tiger Stadium, the goal was not to enjoy yourself. The goal was to watch the Tigers win.

Curly · « **Reply #15 on:** August 02, 2014, 06:45:38 am »

Quote from: JimR on August 01, 2014, 11:04:08 am

condolences, Curly. miss having you around here.

I've been here, just more reading than writing.

juliogotay · « **Reply #16 on:** August 02, 2014, 08:47:57 am »

Quote from: BlownRanger on August 01, 2014, 02:18:00 pm

Thanks for mentioning Five Seasons. A truly underrated book that did a fantastic job of capturing all that was great about baseball in the '70s. Some of the most interesting parts were Angell's discussions with a couple of old, grizzled Tigers fans who struggled with the fact that so few fans understood that when you entered Tiger Stadium, the goal was not to enjoy yourself. The goal was to watch the Tigers win.

I just ordered Five Seasons and two other Angell books on Amazon based on what I learned from this thread.

Bench · « **Reply #17 on:** March 13, 2015, 09:10:03 am »

Ball Four is available for $1.99 on kindle today.

HudsonHawk · « **Reply #18 on:** March 13, 2015, 10:07:26 am »

Quote from: Bench on March 13, 2015, 09:10:03 am

Ball Four is available for $1.99 on kindle today.

I'll add that Spring Training is a great time to read it, if you haven't, or re-read it if you have.

Knoxbanedoodle · « **Reply #19 on:** March 13, 2015, 10:57:25 am »

I was surprised by the scant notice paid to The Glory of Their Times, there. Incredible collection of oral history from the days when they all had jobs in the offseason.

Still love The Curious Case of Sidd Finch.

SoonerJim · « **Reply #20 on:** March 13, 2015, 06:17:10 pm »

Quote from: Knoxbanedoodle on March 13, 2015, 10:57:25 am

I was surprised by the scant notice paid to The Glory of Their Times, there. Incredible collection of oral history from the days when they all had jobs in the offseason.

Still love The Curious Case of Sidd Finch.

Glory of Their Times is the best book ever written on baseball. The taped oral history is also available.

juliogotay · « **Reply #21 on:** March 15, 2015, 10:31:29 am »

Tim Cowlishaw is a talking head on ESPN and a Dallas News sportswriter. In today's paper he lists his Top 50 sports books and #1 is The Summer Game by Roger Angell.

NeilT · « **Reply #22 on:** March 15, 2015, 07:11:57 pm »

Quote from: juliogotay on March 15, 2015, 10:31:29 am

Tim Cowlishaw is a talking head on ESPN and a Dallas News sportswriter. In today's paper he lists his Top 50 sports books and #1 is The Summer Game by Roger Angell.

There's a great chapter on the astrodome in the summer game.

Dark Star · « **Reply #23 on:** March 16, 2015, 10:35:16 am »

Any baseball book written by Roger Angell is insightful, humorous, and evocative and informative.

And, exceedingly well-written. He is maybe the most literate of the well-known writers about baseball.

juliogotay · « **Reply #24 on:** March 16, 2015, 10:36:46 am »

Quote from: Dark Star on March 16, 2015, 10:35:16 am

Any baseball book written by Roger Angell is insightful, humorous, and evocative and informative.

And, exceedingly well-written. He is maybe the most literate of the well-known writers about baseball.

I have four of his sitting on my bookshelf of which I have only gotten around to reading Five Seasons...which is why I ordered the other three. Look forward to going through them.

NeilT · « **Reply #25 on:** March 17, 2015, 03:51:21 pm »

He just wrote a piece for the New Yorker a few weeks ago about being 90. It's stunning good, but has nothing to do with baseball.