Book Recommendation

[Stafford, VA]

Due to an illness, I've had to give up my lunchtime workouts and have been spending my lunch hour sitting at my desk reading. I need something new - can anyone recommend some good baseball strategy books or just a good baseball book in general to get my mind off all this snow and crappy weather??

Thanks!
Pete

[Michael Green]

For Christmas, I received Bruce Weber's As They See Them, about umpires. The book isn't everything I want in a book on the subject, but it is interesting and often fun, and I think every baseball fan would benefit from learning a bit more about the guys in blue, so I recommend it.

[doctor_gogol]

This one may be one you've read before. It's always on everyone's best of list. But I just picked up "Veeck as in Wreck" and it is one of my favorite baseball books.

[Sportkrank21]

Anything from Roger Angell is highly recommended. I've read each of his books at least five times. They never get old. He turns 90 this year.

[Kentucky Bomber]

I'm a real fan of anything by Marty Appel. Slide, Kelly ,Slide, Now Pitching for the Yankees are two really good reads. I just finished Munson. It's a very good look not only at Thurman, but his teammates as well and comes from someone who was present for much of that time. Lots of good inside stuff. And you will find out exactly why Reggie Jackson is called "Mr. October" and wonder why Jackson's proud of using it.

[reviewboy1]

I'm not positive whether this is what you mean by a strategy book, but I recommend either of these two:

1. Pure Baseball, by Keith Hernandez. From amazon.com: "tellingly detailed start-to- finish accounts of two games played midway through the 1993 baseball season....Drawing on pitch-by-pitch recaps and experience gained during a long career, the author (a slick fielder and slugger in his day) offers an insider's astute observations on the mini-matchups and workaday stratagems that cumulatively can determine outcomes"

2. Three nights in August. From amazon.com: "Bissinger eschews the usual method of writing about baseball in the context of a season or a career, choosing instead to dissect the game by carefully watching one three-game series between the Cardinals and Cubs in late 2003.... author ... had unprecedented access to Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, as well as his staff and team, and he used that entrée to pick La Russa's formidable baseball brain about everything from how he assembles a lineup to why he uses certain relievers."

For baseball books in general (not strategy), I recommend:

'Crazy '08: How a Cast of Cranks, Rogues, Boneheads, and Magnates Created the Greatest Year in Baseball History'.

or

'Five Seasons: A Baseball Companion', by Roger Angell.

[KHenry14]

1. Pure Baseball, by Keith Hernandez. From amazon.com: "tellingly detailed start-to- finish accounts of two games played midway through the 1993 baseball season....Drawing on pitch-by-pitch recaps and experience gained during a long career, the author (a slick fielder and slugger in his day) offers an insider's astute observations on the mini-matchups and workaday stratagems that cumulatively can determine outcomes"

I firmly agree with this recommendation. I try to read this book before every new season starts because it talks specifically about strategy and why things happen. Want to know what's the best count for a hit and run? It's in there. And Keith talks about a ton of other, similar types of strategies.

[reviewboy1]

KHenry14 I want a sequel (to Pure Baseball)!

[Allie Fox]

I'm in the midst of Dynasty: The New York Yankees 1949-1964 by Peter Golenbock and it is fantastic. Not only is it fun to read but it flows so well from the past to the present (as he talks with the players remembering the good ol' days). I was a little skeptical when I picked up this book because I had just finished 7: The Mickey Matle Novel and was totally disappointed (almost disgusted). I think "7" is the exception rather than the rule.

[fivetoolprospects]

If you like historical fiction, don't miss Greenberg's "The Celebrant"

It's as good if not better than any other fictional book on baseball including Malamud's "The Natural" or Kinsella's "Shoeless Joe"

[BaseballinDC]

Anything from Roger Angell is highly recommended. I've read each of his books at least five times. They never get old. He turns 90 this year.

+1; if you're into baseball history, Lee Lowenfish's bio of Branch Rickey is SUPERB.

[jbenchley]

Due to an illness, I've had to give up my lunchtime workouts and have been spending my lunch hour sitting at my desk reading. I need something new - can anyone recommend some good baseball strategy books or just a good baseball book in general to get my mind off all this snow and crappy weather??

Thanks!
Pete

http://www.baseball-fever.com/showth...Ultimate-Power

A great book

[Gr8Beldini]

Marvin Miller's Autobiography - "A Whole Different Ballgame"

Lords of the Realm (forgot the author but it was similar to Miller's autobiography - Baseball labor movement stuff)

I assume that you've read "Ball Four" but if you haven't put it on the top of your list.

Roger Kahn - "The Era" Best book about Baseball in the late 40's, early 50's ever. Much much better than Halberstam's "October '49" and in my opinion better than "The Boys of Summer" (which I found kind of boring).

Halberstam's book about the 1964 World Series (October 1964 - I think that was the title, or something close) very good.

Bill James - "Historical Baseball Abstract"

Old book about the '62 - '69 Mets called "Joy in Mudville" was great.

Sparky Lyle's Ball Four wannabe book "Bronx Zoo" in my opinion wasn't funny, wasn't all that interesting and just seemed mean-spirited. Skip it unless you love those Yankee teams.

Bouton's follow-up to Ball Four, "I'm Glad You Didn't Take it Personally" was very funny (especially the parts about Doug Rader tormenting Jesus Alou. Funny stuff).

From the above list... go with Kahn's "The Era" first (in my opinion)