 | The Pitch That Killed by Mike Sowell
Buy new: $14.49 / Used from: $4.18 I always knew about the Carl Mays and Ray Chapman story but never in the detail he presents. Sowell presents wonderful insight into these two tragic figures (for some reason I think Carl Mays has some connection to Warren, OH) and the happenings around them both. I highly recommend this book.
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 | Nine Innings by Daniel Okrent
Buy new: $11.86 / Used from: $0.01 Another fascinating book written in a style that uses the playing of a single game in 1982 (between the Orioles and the Brewers) interspersed with stories about the players and others involved in the game. A wonderful book/
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 | Baseball and Philosophy: Thinking Outside the Batter's Box
Buy new: $12.21 / Used from: $0.75 A wonderful collection of essays that highlight the wisdom of baseball and how wisdom can be found through baseball. The book shows that philosophy can indeed be fun and baseball can be more than a mere sport and a way to think about broader issues and concepts.
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 | Peanuts & Crackerjack: A Treasury Of Baseball Legends And Lore by David Cataneo
Buy new: $10.16 / Used from: $0.15 I lovcd this book. It is a little light reader that my son bought for me many years ago and I enjoyed reading it and so did he. A good book for the beginning baseball fan that wants a nice anthology about baseball legends and baseball lore.
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 | Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy by Jane Leavy
Buy new: $10.04 / Used from: $0.01 A very nicely done book chronicling the life of Sandy Koufax. He remains a enigma -- a icon but yet never really let folks get close to him. A worthy book about this great left hander even if you are left wanting to know more about him.
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 | Baseball's All-Time Best Hitters: How Statistics Can Level the Playing Field by Michael J. Schell
Buy new: $25.95 / Used from: $1.60 If you like statistics (and how to use them)and baseball beyond the numbers that are oftent quoted, then this is a classic in that vein. The tools he uses can be a little complex but he does a nice job providing some real insight into the best hitters of all time by letting the numbers speak for themselves.
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 | The Teammates: A Portrait of a Friendship by David Halberstam
Buy new: $18.36 / Used from: $0.01 This is one of the best and fastest reading books I ever read. I love Halberstam and his style and he captures so much of the essence about the connection between Ted Williams and his teammates. It is a sad but at times funny book about how men can indeed be real friends. Well worth the time.
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 | The Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth by Leigh Montville
Buy used from: $0.16 I thought this book (bought for me by my son) would be the typical treatment of Babe Ruth but it surprised me. It does present him in the typical way and shows the warts and all that surround this baseball legend. A good read for someone who wants to better understand the life, legend, and lore around Babe Ruth.
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 | Hitter: The Life and Turmoils of Ted Williams by Ed Linn
Buy new: $16.00 / Used from: $0.01 I grew up in a house where my father thought the world of Ted Williams (I was taught to bat using his techniques) so I always found him so interesting. I read My Turn at Bat when I was young and this is a nicely done and more balanced book about The Splendid Splinter.
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 | Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis
Buy new: $10.04 / Used from: $2.05 OK, everybody has read it. I love how he shows that a new logic, perspective, innovative thinking can upset the balance of power in baseball. The books provides insight into the new sources of competitive advantage in baseball and how they can be deployed successfully.
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 | Summer of '98 by Mike Lupica
Buy used from: $0.01 Leaving aside the issue of steriods and how the players highlighted (McGwire and Sosa) in this book have become tainted, it presents a wonderful story about Lupica and his son become more connected as they track the player's chase to beat Ruth's single season Homerun Record. A good read for the father's out there.
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 | Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero by David Maraniss
Buy used from: $0.05 I'm not sure what I think of this book. I grew up a fan of Clemente and remember when he died in the tragic plane crash in 1972. Maraniss does a good job chronicling Clemente's evolution as a player, his foibles and insecurities and the times in which he played. Probably the best book on Clemente available (and one of the few) and worth the read if you want to understand the man and his times.
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 | Separating the Men from the Boys: The First Half-Century of the Carolina League by Jim L. Sumner
Buy used from: $2.50 A obscure book about the history of the Carolina League (minor league baseball). A little dry at times, it provides a nice overview of how minor league baseball evolved over the years as seen from the perspective of the Carolina league and the players that played there.
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 | Red Smith on Baseball: The Game's Greatest Writer on the Game's Greatest Years by Red Smith
Buy new: $14.21 / Used from: $0.76 I never quite got into Red Smith and not sure this book sold me on him more. He did say though "that baseball is only dull to those with dull minds." It covers baseball from the 1940s into the 1980s and presents a nice overview of how the game has evolved and his own perspectives on the game. A worthy read.
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 | A Whole Different Ball Game: The Inside Story of the Baseball Revolution by Marvin Miller
Buy new: $12.89 / Used from: $2.04 I think this is a book that is overlooked but worth the read. Miller presents a story about his life in baseball and how he upset the balance of power among the owners and the players. An interesting perspective into the labor relations and labor-management relations. Miller is a little full of himself but he is an important person in recent baseball history.
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 | The Detroit Tigers: A Pictorial Celebration of the Greatest Players and Moments in Tigers by William M. Anderson
Buy used from: $109.96 If you love picture books about the Detroit Tigers, this is a good one. I met the author many years ago in Michigan and he is an interesting man -- a scholar but also a huge baseball fan. The pictures are a wonderful history of this franchise.
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