Books - Baseball Fiction

[Shortstop20]

I found a similar thread on prosportsdaily.com forum page. I thought it was interesting and wouldn't mind seeing it started up on this site:

"Does anyone know of any good baseball fiction out there? I'm looking to expand my collection of the genre. Here are a few good ones to know about:

1. The Natural, Bernard Malamud - one of the most well written books in the genre. It is commonly studied in Literature Courses as high as graduate school. The book blows the movie out of the water!

2. Shoeless Joe, W.P. Kinsella - this is the book that Field of Dreams is based upon. It's an absolute must-read for baseball fans and those that are not illiterate.

3. In the Pen: A Baseball Collection, C.G. Morelli - this is a much more recent book. It's a collection of short stories with some really interesting perspectives on the game. I thought it was very cleverly written and wouldn't be surprised to see a few of the stories adapted for the big screen. Definitely check it out.

Please post any other baseball fiction books that you think are good reads."

[CoachDan]

Definitely check out Hitting in the Clutch and the sequel Homering in the Clutch by Brad Bauer.

Hilarious, has been described as kind of like a fictional Ball Four for the Maxim crowd.
I have nothing to do with the books or their author, other than that I've read them both and found them very funny. Laughed out loud many times.

dan

[Captain Cold Nose]

Mark Harris has a few, including The Southpaw and Bang the Drum Slowly.

Roger Kahn wrote The Seventh Game on top of his nonfiction stuff.

I have it but haven't read it. Is the Willie Mays-tagged Death in centerfield fiction?

[Shortstop20]

Mark Harris has a few, including The Southpaw and Bang the Drum Slowly.

Roger Kahn wrote The Seventh Game on top of his nonfiction stuff.

I have it but haven't read it. Is the Willie Mays-tagged Death in centerfield fiction?

Bang the Drum Slowly is a good one. I have never read Death in Centerfield but I always thought it was nonfiction. I could be wrong though.

[ClutchHitter]

A great work in this genre is You Know Me Al, by Ring Lardner.

[cincyredfan1972]

The Universal Baseball Association is a great one.

[varybarry]

I have heard about Universal Baseball Association. I didn't know if it was good, but i guess I'll have to check it out.

[Shortstop20]

Has anyone read The Entitled by: Frank Deford? I'm about to start.

[callingit]

May I suggest Senior Year by Dan Shaughnessy (of the Boston Globe)? It is a new title centered around a father watching his son growing up through baseball, and is a wonderful read for anyone looking to hand down the legacy of baseball passion from one generation to another.

[Shortstop20]

Getting back to you guys about The Entitled by: Frank DeFord. It's at the top of the lists on Amazon as far as sales are concerned. I'm not finished the book yet, but I have to admit I'm disappointed. There just seems too much focus on current pop culture, and not enough on baseball. Hey, maybe the ending will change my mind, but at this point I'm struggling through it.

[Shortstop20]

Anyone ever read Michael Shaara's For Love of the Game? I saw the movie but I heard the book is much better.

[strike123]

There's this short book out titled "Beast" about a kid who's autistic that overcomes the odds and becomes a hero to his little league team. While it reads like a narrated fiction, as if the story is being told by the kid's coach, I think it's really a true story as it was written by the kid's father. If you like underdog baseball success stories or know someone who's autistic, you'd probably enjoy this story of a young pitcher with autism. It's a quick read--only about 100 pages or so. I think you can find it on Amazon by searching for baseball fiction.

If there really is some autistic kid out there with really good stuff, and who can pitch competetively, it makes me wonder if perhaps the lefty HOF pitcher Rube Wadell could have been autistic afterall.

[Shortstop20]

Just finished reading The Iowa Baseball Confederacy by W.P. Kinsella. This is not quite as good as Shoeless Joe, but still a decent read. Kind of odd, yet normal in that Kinsella sort of way. He does a good job of mixing fiction with history. Only Kinsella can include the 1908 Cubs, Leonardo DaVinci and a mascot midget named Little Walter in the same scene.

[ClutchHitter]

Recently read In the Pen: A Baseball Collection By: C.G. Morelli. I loved it. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone. Even my wife read it and liked it...and she hates when I sit in front of the tube watching baseball. I've never read anything by this author before and I'd like to read more. Does anyone know of any other books by Morelli?

[apbaball]

I found a similar thread on prosportsdaily.com forum page. I thought it was interesting and wouldn't mind seeing it started up on this site:

"Does anyone know of any good baseball fiction out there? I'm looking to expand my collection of the genre. Here are a few good ones to know about:

1. The Natural, Bernard Malamud - one of the most well written books in the genre. It is commonly studied in Literature Courses as high as graduate school. The book blows the movie out of the water!

2. Shoeless Joe, W.P. Kinsella - this is the book that Field of Dreams is based upon. It's an absolute must-read for baseball fans and those that are not illiterate.

3. In the Pen: A Baseball Collection, C.G. Morelli - this is a much more recent book. It's a collection of short stories with some really interesting perspectives on the game. I thought it was very cleverly written and wouldn't be surprised to see a few of the stories adapted for the big screen. Definitely check it out.

Please post any other baseball fiction books that you think are good reads."

I know this is an old thread but any updates? I'm looking for some baseball fiction to read over the summer.

[chinese home run]

I know this is an old thread but any updates? I'm looking for some baseball fiction to read over the summer.

I'd posted this on another thread, but you may want to try "Calico Joe," by John Grisham. It's his first baseball book, and a beauty.

[abolishthedh]

Here is a link for something on Amazon which you will probably love ( I did!)

www.amazon.com/If-I-Never-Get-Back/dp/0452283728

The book is by Darryl Brock, If I Never Get Back, and its about a fictional trip back in time to 1869 as the author travels with the Reds of 1869-1870 during their long winning streak and dominance of the early days of professional baseball. I read it in the summer of 1995 or 1996, and its in paperback now, with 65 Amazon reviews by fans of the book. Check it out, or borrow by Interlibrary loan, and you won't be disappointed.

[TheJourneyman]

I really enjoyed Deadball by David Stinson

[apbaball]

Here is a link for something on Amazon which you will probably love ( I did!)

www.amazon.com/If-I-Never-Get-Back/dp/0452283728

The book is by Darryl Brock, If I Never Get Back, and its about a fictional trip back in time to 1869 as the author travels with the Reds of 1869-1870 during their long winning streak and dominance of the early days of professional baseball. I read it in the summer of 1995 or 1996, and its in paperback now, with 65 Amazon reviews by fans of the book. Check it out, or borrow by Interlibrary loan, and you won't be disappointed.

Agreed. I bought this in the bargain bin at the local bookstore a few years after it came out and I was surprised how good it was. A $1.99 well spent.

[aztecsince79]

Interesting to note that The Art of Fielding was not on here. I made it only halfway through before returning it to the library. Anyone else try it and like it, or dislike it as I did?

[Steven Gallanter]

The Universal Baseball Association is a great one.

Yes, THE UNIVERSAL BASEBALL ASSOCIATION, J HENRY WAUGH, PROPRIETOR is one of the best fiction books I've ever read in any genre. The type of socially, isolated man who becomes obsessed with baseball is portrayed here with unnerving accuracy as he invents a Strat-O-Matic like game which consumes what little life he has.