Best Selling Baseball Books

The top 50 most popular and best selling baseball ebooks at the Apple Books. Chart of the baseball iBook best sellers updated several times daily.

Chart list of the top baseball ebooks was last updated:

Sports Ebook Best Sellers

Top Baseball Ebook Best Sellers

1

The Bad Guys Won - Jeff Pearlman Cover Art

The Bad Guys Won

The Bad Guys Won A Season of Brawling, Boozing, Bimbo Chasing, and Championship Baseball with Straw, Doc, Mookie, Nails, the Kid, and the Rest of the 1986 Mets, the Rowdiest Team Ever to Put on a New York Uniform--and Maybe the Best by Jeff Pearlman

"Jeff Pearlman has captured the swagger of the '86 Mets. You don't have to be a Mets fan to enjoy this book—it's a great read for all baseball enthusiasts." —Philadelphia Daily News Award-winning Sports Illustrated baseball writer Jeff Pearlman returns to an innocent time in 80s baseball when a city worshipped a man named Mookie and the Yankees were the second-best team in New York. It was 1986, and the New York Mets won 108 regular-season games and the World Series, capturing the hearts (and other assorted body parts) of fans everywhere. But in this revealing work of sports nonfiction, their greatness on the field was nearly eclipsed by how bad they were off it. Led by the indomitable Keith Hernandez and the young dynamic duo of Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry, along with the gallant Scum Bunch, the Amazin’s left a wide trail of wreckage in their wake—hotel rooms, charter planes, a bar in Houston, and most famously Bill Buckner and the hated Boston Red Sox. With an unforgettable cast of characters—including Doc, Straw, the Kid, Nails, Mex, and manager Davey Johnson—this "affectionate but critical look at this exciting season" ( Publishers Weekly ) is a tell-all baseball history that celebrates the last of baseball’s arrogant, insane, rock-and-roll-and-party-all-night teams, exploring what could have been, what should have been, and what never was. Pearlman’s intensive, no-holds-barred reporting uncovers the full story of their championship baseball season: The Rowdiest Team in Baseball: Go behind the scenes with the infamous ‘Scum Bunch,’ whose trail of wrecked hotel rooms, trashed charter planes, and bar brawls became the stuff of legend. A Dynasty That Wasn’t: Uncover the explosive and self-destructive behavior, from brawls to booze, that defined superstars like Darryl Strawberry and Dwight ‘Doc’ Gooden and sabotaged what should have been a dynasty. Unforgettable Characters: Meet the full cast, from the cerebral leadership of Keith Hernandez to the antics of Mookie, Nails, and the Kid, who made the 1986 Mets a team like no other. Championship Baseball: Relive every crucial moment on the diamond, from their 108-win season to the unbelievable World Series comeback against Bill Buckner and the Boston Red Sox.

2

Banana Ball - Jesse Cole & Don Yaeger Cover Art

Banana Ball

Banana Ball The Unbelievably True Story of the Savannah Bananas by Jesse Cole & Don Yaeger

The Savannah Bananas have peeled back the game of baseball and made it fun again. This is their story.   For his entire childhood, Jesse Cole dreamed of pitching in the Majors. Now, he has a life in baseball that he could have only imagined: he met the love of his life in the industry; they shaped Savannah, Georgia’s professional team into the league champion Savannah Bananas; and now the Bananas have restyled baseball itself into something all their own: Banana Ball.    Fast, fun, and outrageously entertaining, Banana Ball brings fans right into the game. The Bananas throw out a first banana rather than a ball. Their first-base coach dances to "Thriller" or Britney between innings. Players run into the crowd to hand out roses. And the rules themselves are bananas: if a fan catches a foul ball it’s an out; and players might go to bat on stilts or wearing a banana costume. And their fans absolutely love it.    But the reason this team is on the forefront of a movement is less about the play on the field and more about the atmosphere that the team culture creates. For the first time in this book, Jesse reveals the ideas and experiences that allowed him to reimagine America’s oldest sport by creating a phenomenon that is helping fans fall in love with the game all over again.    This is a story that’s bigger than baseball and bigger than the yellow tuxedo Jesse wears as the “ringmaster” of every game. And to understand the movement, you have to understand the story at its core. In Jesse’s telling, it takes heart, innovation, and joy (and a bit of tropical fruit) to make something wholly original out of one of America’s great traditions. His story is part Moneyball , part Field of Dreams , part The Greatest Showman . It is a personal story, a creativity story, and the story of a business scrapping for every success. And it has several distinct love stories—love stories like Jesse and his father, Jesse and his wife, the team and the sport of baseball, the team and the fans.   This is Jesse calling his dad from the outfield after each Bananas game, and putting unending creativity into a team with the ultimate goal of bringing the Bananas to the professional ballparks he himself never got to play in. This is his story of baseball, love, leadership, and going just a bit bananas for all.

3

Make Me Commissioner - Jane Leavy Cover Art

Make Me Commissioner

Make Me Commissioner I Know What's Wrong with Baseball and How to Fix It by Jane Leavy

“Make Jane Commissioner… Leavy has a voice demanding to be heard—and Major League Baseball should listen.” — THE WALL STREET JOURNAL A New York Times bestselling biographer and lifelong baseball devotee takes readers on an epic journey through the game that baseball has become— a heartfelt manifesto that's perfect for lovers of the sport. Jane Leavy has always loved baseball. Her grandmother lived one long, loud foul ball away from Yankee Stadium—the same grandmother who took young Jane to Saks Fifth Avenue and bought her her first baseball glove. It's no coincidence that Leavy was covering the game she loved for the Washington Post by the late 1970s. As a pioneering female sportswriter, she eventually turned her talent to books, penning three of the all-time best baseball biographies about three of the all-time best players: Sandy Koufax, Mickey Mantle, and Babe Ruth. But when she went searching for a fourth biographical subject, she realized that baseball had faltered. The Moneyball era of the last two decades obsessed over data and slowed the game down to a crawl, often at the expense of thrills, skills, and surprise. Major League Baseball has begun to address issues too long ignored, yet the questions linger: how much have these efforts helped to improve the game and reassert its place in American culture? Leavy takes a whirlwind tour of the country seeking answers to these questions, talking with luminaries like Joe Torre, Dave Roberts, Jim Palmer, Dusty Baker, and more. What Leavy uncovers is not only what’s wrong with baseball—and how to fix it—but also what’s right with baseball, and how it illuminates characters, tells stories, and fires up the imagination of those who love it and everyone who could discover it anew.

4

So Many Ways to Lose - Devin Gordon Cover Art

So Many Ways to Lose

So Many Ways to Lose The Amazin' True Story of the New York Mets—the Best Worst Team in Sports by Devin Gordon

"This is a weird, wonderful, and essential book about both America and its pastime. It's about a place as vast as New York City and as intimate as the human heart. Fred Exley meets Richard Ben Cramer—a funny, wild, heartfelt, and keenly observed portrait of yearning itself."—Wright Thompson, New York Times bestselling author of The Cost of These Dreams "Mr. Gordon's ability to explain the Sisyphean plight of all Mets fans is truly remarkable. Bravo!"—Ron Darling, New York Times bestselling author of Game 7, 1986 The Mets lose when they should win. They win when they should lose. And when it comes to being the worst, no team in sports has ever done it better than the Mets.  In So Many Ways to Lose , author and lifelong Mets fan Devin Gordon sifts through the detritus of Queens for a baseball history like no other. Remember the time the Mets lost an All-Star after Yoenis Céspedes got charged by a wild boar? Or the time they blew a six-run ninth-inning lead at the peak of a pennant race? Or the time they fired their manager before he ever managed a game? Sure you do. It was only two years ago, and it was all in the same season. The Mets have an unrivaled gift for getting it backward, doing the impossible, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, and then snatching defeat right back again.  And yet, just ask any Mets fan: Amazing and/or miraculous postseason runs are as much a part of our team's identity as losing 120 games in 1962. The DNA of seasons like 1969, the original Miracle Mets, and the 1973 "Ya Gotta Believe" Mets, who went from last place to Game 7 of the World Series in two months, and the powerhouse 1986 Mets, has encoded in us this hapless instinct that a reversal of fortune is always possible. It's happened before. It's kind of our thing. And now we've got Steve Cohen's hedge-fund billions to play with! What could go wrong? In this hilarious history of the Mets and love letter to the art of disaster, Devin Gordon presents baseball the way it really is, not in the wistful sepia tones we've come to expect from other sportswriters. Along the way, he explains the difference between being bad and being gifted at losing, and why this distinction holds the key to understanding the true amazin' magic of the New York Mets.

5

Living on the Black - John Feinstein Cover Art

Living on the Black

Living on the Black Two Pitchers, Two Teams, One Season to Remember by John Feinstein

Pitchers are the heart of baseball, and John Feinstein tells the story of the game today through one season and two great pitchers working in the crucible of the New York media market. Tom Glavine and Mike Mussina have seen it all in the Major Leagues and both entered 2007 in search of individual milestones and one more shot at The World Series-Glavine with the Mets, Mussina five miles away with the Yankees. The two veterans experience very different seasons -- one on a team dealing with the pressure to get to a World Series for the first time in seven years, the other with a team expected to be there every year. Taking the reader through contract negotiations, spring training, the ups of wins and losses, and the people in their lives-family, managers, pitching coaches, agents, catchers, other pitchers -- John Feinstein provides a true insider's look at the pressure cooker of sports at the highest level.

6

October 1964 - David Halberstam Cover Art

October 1964

October 1964 by David Halberstam

The "compelling"  New York Times  bestseller by the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, capturing the 1964 World Series between the Yankees and Cardinals ( Newsweek ).   David Halberstam, an avid sports writer with an investigative reporter's tenacity, superbly details the end of the fifteen-year reign of the New York Yankees in October 1964 . That October found the Yankees going head-to-head with the St. Louis Cardinals for the World Series pennant. Expertly weaving the narrative threads of both teams' seasons, Halberstam brings the major personalities on the field—from switch-hitter Mickey Mantle to pitcher Bob Gibson—to life. Using the teams' subcultures, Halberstam also analyzes the cultural shifts of the sixties. The result is a unique blend of sports writing and cultural history as engrossing as it is insightful.   This ebook features an extended biography of David Halberstam.

7

The Summer Game - Roger Angell Cover Art

The Summer Game

The Summer Game by Roger Angell

This New York Times bestseller "takes you into the heart of baseball as it was in the 1960s, conveyed with humor and insight" (Tim McCarver, The Wall Street Journal ). Acclaimed New Yorker writer Roger Angell's first book on baseball, The Summer Game, originally published in 1972, is a stunning collection of his essays on the major leagues, covering a span of ten seasons. Angell brilliantly captures the nation's most beloved sport through the 1960s, spanning both the winning teams and the "horrendous losers," and including famed players Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Willie Mays, and more. With the panache of a seasoned sportswriter and the energy of an avid baseball fan, Angell's sports journalism is an insightful and compelling look at the great American pastime.

8

Win at All Costs - Matt Hart Cover Art

Win at All Costs

Win at All Costs Inside Nike Running and Its Culture of Deception by Matt Hart

"After years of rumors and speculation, Matt Hart sets out to peel back the layers of secrecy that protected the most powerful coach in running. What he finds will leave you indignant—and wondering whether anything in the high-stakes world of Olympic sport has truly changed."  —Alex Hutchinson, New York Times bestselling author of Endure Game of Shadows meets Shoe Dog in this explosive behind-the-scenes look that reveals for the first time the unsettling details of Nike's secret running program—the Nike Oregon Project. In May 2017, journalist Matt Hart received a USB drive containing a single file—a 4.7-megabyte PDF named “Tic Toc, Tic Toc. . . .” He quickly realized he was in possession of a stolen report prepared a year earlier by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for the Texas Medical Board, part of an investigation into legendary running coach Alberto Salazar, a Houston-based endocrinologist named Dr. Jeffrey Brown, and cheating by Nike-sponsored runners, including some of the world’s best athletes. The information Hart received was part of an unfolding story of deception which began when Steve Magness, an assistant to Salazar, broke the omertà—the Mafia-like code of silence about performance-enhancing drugs among those involved—and alerted USADA. He was soon followed by Olympians Adam and Kara Goucher who risked their careers to become whistleblowers on their former Nike running family in Beaverton, Oregon. Combining sports drama and business exposé, Win at All Costs tells the full story of Nike’s running program, uncovering a corporate win-at-all-costs culture. How did one of the most powerful brands in the world foster a culture of cheating, and what was the human cost? A Win-At-All-Costs Culture: Go behind the scenes of Nike’s secretive running program, where legendary coach Alberto Salazar pushed the ethical and legal boundaries of sport to create champions. Performance-Enhancing Drugs: Uncover the truth behind the rumors, from illicit testosterone use and questionable prescriptions to the abuse of therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs). Whistleblowers Under Fire: Follow the courageous journey of insiders like Steve Magness and Olympians Adam and Kara Goucher, who risked their careers to break the code of silence. True Crime Sports Exposé: Based on a secret 4.7-megabyte USADA report and years of reporting, this is the definitive account of one of the biggest scandals in modern running.

9

The New Baseball Bible - Dan Schlossberg, Jay Johnstone & Alan Schwarz Cover Art

The New Baseball Bible

The New Baseball Bible Notes, Nuggets, Lists, and Legends from Our National Pastime by Dan Schlossberg, Jay Johnstone & Alan Schwarz

For fans of baseball trivia, this updated version of The New Baseball Bible , first published as The Baseball Catalog in 1980 and selected as a Book-of-the-Month Club alternate, is sure to provide something for everyone, regardless of team allegiance. The book covers the following topics: beginnings of baseball, rules and records, umpires, how to play the game (i.e., strategy), equipment, ballparks, famous faces (i.e., Hank Aaron vs. Babe Ruth), managers, executives, trades, the media, big moments in history, the language of baseball, superstitions and traditions, spring training, today’s game, and much more. Veteran sportswriter Dan Schlossberg weaves in facts, figures, and famous quotes, discusses strategy, and provides stats and images—many of them never previously published elsewhere. With this book, you’ll discover how the players’ approach, use of equipment, and even salaries and schedules have changed over time. You will also learn the origin of team and player nicknames, fun facts about the All-Star Game and World Series, and so much more. The New Baseball Bible serves as the perfect gift for fans of America’s pastime.

10

Play Harder - Gerald Early & National Baseball Hall of Fame Cover Art

Play Harder

Play Harder The Triumph of Black Baseball in America by Gerald Early & National Baseball Hall of Fame

“A vital and gripping” ( The Washington Post ) exploration of how Black Americans have shaped baseball from its emergence after the Civil War to the Negro Leagues and Jackie Robinson’s breaking of the color barrier, up to today’s game—by award-winning author Gerald Early in collaboration with the National Baseball Hall of Fame. FINALIST: CASEY AWARD FOR THE BEST BASEBALL BOOK OF THE YEAR No sport has been more associated with America’s sense of itself, with its identity, than baseball. No sport has been so inextricably bound with America’s traditions—with its notions of democracy and fair play—than baseball. And no professional sport in America has been as dramatically connected to social change as Major League Baseball when it became racially integrated the moment Jackie Robinson took the field with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. Play Harder comes at a time when the history of Black baseball has become especially relevant—following MLB's recent recognition of the Negro Leagues as major leagues and the effort to incorporate statistics from the Negro Leagues into those for all players. Before Robinson, as Play Harder shows, Black athletes played baseball as far back as the 1800s even before the establishment of the Negro Leagues. But once founded in 1920, the Negro Leagues gave Black Americans an inroad to baseball that would be enduring and profound. The leagues were an instrument of community building during a time when discrimination separated Black people from all white enterprises, including baseball, and they paved the way for racial integration that Black players hoped would come. Play Harder showcases the Black stars of the game—those from baseball’s early years such as Moses Fleetwood Walker and Rube Foster; Negro Leagues stars like Satchel Paige and Cool Papa Bell; Jackie Robinson and those who crossed the color line after him, like Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, followed by Frank Robinson and Curt Flood; and the stars who ushered in today’s game, such as Reggie Jackson, Dave Winfield, Barry Bonds, and Ken Griffey, Jr. Playing out against the cultural and political events of 150 years, the story bears witness to the richness of this country's diversity while remaining clear-eyed about the racial injustice endured by Black Americans. In the end, Play Harder celebrates the triumph of some of baseball’s greatest players and their remarkable contributions to the game we know and love today.

11

The Old Ball Game - Frank Deford Cover Art

The Old Ball Game

The Old Ball Game How John McGraw, Christy Mathewson, and the New York Giants Created Modern Baseball by Frank Deford

The legendary NPR sports commentator and Sports Illustrated journalist retells the story of an unusual friendship between two towering figures in baseball history.   At the turn of the twentieth century, Christy Mathewson was one of baseball's first superstars. Over six feet tall, clean cut, and college educated, he didn't pitch on the Sabbath and rarely spoke an ill word about anyone. He also had one of the most devastating arms in all of baseball. New York Giants manager John McGraw, by contrast, was ferocious. The pugnacious tough guy was already a star infielder who, with the Baltimore Orioles, helped develop a new, scrappy style of baseball, with plays like the hit-and-run, the Baltimore chop, and the squeeze play. When McGraw joined the Giants in 1902, the Giants were coming off their worst season ever. Yet within three years, Mathewson clinched New York City's first World Series for McGraw's team by throwing three straight shutouts in only six days, an incredible feat that is invariably called the greatest World Series performance ever. Because of their wonderful odd-couple association, baseball had its first superstar, the Giants ascended into legend, and baseball as a national pastime bloomed.   "A fine baseball book but just as fine a study of American popular culture." — Booklist, starred review

12

The Texas Rangers and Me - T.R. Sullivan Cover Art

The Texas Rangers and Me

The Texas Rangers and Me A Baseball Writer's Thirty-Two Years in Arlington by T.R. Sullivan

Since the team was established in 1971, the Texas Rangers have built a rich history and identity that makes them unique among MLB teams. The Texas Rangers and Me takes readers on a journey through the incredible highs and lows and the unforgettable moments that have shaped the franchise through the eyes of beat reporter T.R. Sullivan, who covered the team for thirty-two years, longer than any reporter in franchise history. Sullivan attended thirty-two spring trainings, covered some four thousand regular season games, traveled the country over many post-season Octobers, and spent thousands of hours in the clubhouse and press box. Sullivan was there for Nolan Ryan’s final two no-hitters, his three hundredth win and five thousandth strikeout, and his famous brawl with Robin Ventura. He covered José Canseco, Alex Rodriguez, and Josh Hamilton. He was there for Kenny Rogers’s perfect game and his assault on two cameramen. He was at the 1989 Earthquake World Series and was on the road with the Rangers on September 11. Sullivan covered sixteen World Series, including the first two ever for the Rangers. He reported through the steroids era and saw firsthand how it impacted the Rangers. Sullivan covered the team’s ascent to their first World Series, led by manager Bruce Bochy and shortstop Corey Seager, as well as the less-known players and people who have influenced the team’s history. Sullivan portrays the heart and soul of a team that embodies the spirit of Texas itself: gritty, determined, and always fighting for glory. With firsthand stories from players, coaches, and fans alike, Sullivan brings the history of the Texas Rangers to life in a way that honors the team’s unique legacy and their dedicated following.

13

The Baseball 100 - Joe Posnanski Cover Art

The Baseball 100

The Baseball 100 by Joe Posnanski

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Winner of the CASEY Award for Best Baseball Book of the Year “An instant sports classic.” — New York Post * “Stellar.” — The Wall Street Journal * “A true masterwork…880 pages of sheer baseball bliss.” — BookPage (starred review) * “This is a remarkable achievement.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) A magnum opus from acclaimed baseball writer Joe Posnanski, The Baseball 100 is an audacious, singular, and masterly book that took a lifetime to write. The entire story of baseball rings through a countdown of the 100 greatest players in history, with a foreword by George Will. Longer than Moby-Dick and nearly as ambitious, The Baseball 100 is a one-of-a-kind work by award-winning sportswriter and lifelong student of the game Joe Posnanski. In the book’s introduction, Pulitzer Prize–winning commentator George F. Will marvels, “Posnanski must already have lived more than two hundred years. How else could he have acquired such a stock of illuminating facts and entertaining stories about the rich history of this endlessly fascinating sport?” Baseball’s legends come alive in these pages, which are not merely rankings but vibrant profiles of the game’s all-time greats. Posnanski dives into the biographies of iconic Hall of Famers, unfairly forgotten All-Stars, talents of today, and more. He doesn’t rely just on records and statistics—he lovingly retraces players’ origins, illuminates their characters, and places their accomplishments in the context of baseball’s past and present. Just how good a pitcher is Clayton Kershaw in the 21st-century game compared to Greg Maddux dueling with the juiced hitters of the nineties? How do the career and influence of Hank Aaron compare to Babe Ruth’s? Which player in the top ten most deserves to be resurrected from history? No compendium of baseball’s legendary geniuses could be complete without the players of the segregated Negro Leagues, men whose extraordinary careers were largely overlooked by sportswriters at the time and unjustly lost to history. Posnanski writes about the efforts of former Negro Leaguers to restore sidelined Black athletes to their due honor and draws upon the deep troves of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and extensive interviews with the likes of Buck O’Neil to illuminate the accomplishments of players such as pitchers Satchel Paige and Smokey Joe Williams; outfielders Oscar Charleston, Monte Irvin, and Cool Papa Bell; first baseman Buck Leonard; shortstop Pop Lloyd; catcher Josh Gibson; and many, many more. The Baseball 100 treats readers to the whole rich pageant of baseball history in a single volume. Engrossing, surprising, and heartfelt, it is a magisterial tribute to the game of baseball and the stars who have played it.

14

Faithful - Stewart O'Nan & Stephen King Cover Art

Faithful

Faithful Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season by Stewart O'Nan & Stephen King

“ Faithful isn't just about the Red Sox. It's also about family, friendship, and what it truly means to be a baseball fan and to be—well, faithful, come hell or high water” ( The Boston Globe ). “Of all the books that will examine the Boston Red Sox's stunning come-from-behind 2004 ALCS win over the Yankees and subsequent World Series victory, none will have this book's warmth, personality, or depth” ( P ublishers Weekly ). Early in 2004, two writers and Red Sox fans, Stewart O'Nan and Stephen King, decided to chronicle the upcoming season, one of the most hotly anticipated in baseball history. They would sit together at Fenway. They would exchange emails. They would write about the games. And, as it happened, they would witness the greatest comeback ever in sports, and the first Red Sox championship in eighty-six years. What began as a Sox-filled summer like any other is now a fan's notes for the ages.

15

Juicing the Game - Howard Bryant Cover Art

Juicing the Game

Juicing the Game Drugs, Power, and the Fight for the Soul of Major League Baseball by Howard Bryant

In  Juicing the Game , award-winning journalist Howard Bryant offers the only big-picture look at the insidious manner in which performance-enhancing drugs infested baseball as the game’s leaders stood idly by, reaping the rewards. Combining hard-hitting investigative journalism with interviews with baseball heavyweights such as Jason Giambi, Commissioner Bud Selig, union head Donald Fehr, and Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson among many others,  Juicing the Game  is the definitive book on both the steroid scandal and the era it has irreversibly tainted. BACKCOVER: “A rich and measured tale of the last dishonest decade . . . No more comprehensive, balanced or fair account exists. Bryant carefully and powerfully builds his case. The self-inflicted catastrophe could have no better chronicler.” —Los Angeles Times   “If there ever was a ‘must read’ sports book of its time, this is it. Because of the undeniable truths it tells, Bryant’s book is essential reading.” —The Washington Post Book World

16

A Palace in the Nation's Capital - Gregory H. Wolf Cover Art

A Palace in the Nation's Capital

A Palace in the Nation's Capital Griffith Stadium, Home of the Washington Senators by Gregory H. Wolf

A Palace in the Nation's Capital: Griffith Stadium, Home of the Washington Senators revives memories and the history of Griffith Stadium through detailed summaries of more than 70 games played there, as well as insightful essays. The ballpark's rich and storied history of Negro League baseball is included, too. Griffith Stadium was the home of the American League charter member Washington Senators from 1911 through 1960 and the identically named expansion team in 1961. Situated in the middle of a bustling residential neighborhood with tree-lined streets on what is now the site of the Howard University Hospital, Griffith Stadium was known for its cavernous dimensions, a unique outfield notch in center field with a conspicuously large tree behind the wall, cozy quarters, and something no ballpark or stadium in the US had: a presidential box. For more than 50 years, presidents traveled from the White House two miles northeast to Griffith Stadium to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. This volume is a collaborative effort of dozens of members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR).

17

Watching Baseball - Jerry Remy & Corey Sandler Cover Art

Watching Baseball

Watching Baseball Discovering The Game Within The Game by Jerry Remy & Corey Sandler

The Boston Globe’s number-one bestseller is back, revised and updated for the 2008 season and presented in a new trim size. Jerry Remy’s name and face are already known to millions of fans. During baseball season 400,000 or more households tune in to listen to his broadcast of Red Sox games. But many learned to love him years ago when he was traded to the Sox, earning a trip to the 1978 All-Star Game in his first year with the team. Remy hit .278, scored eighty-seven runs, and stole thirty bases that season. Injured in 1984, Remy never played another game. In 1988 he began his work as an announcer, working color commentary for Red Sox broadcasts on NESN, a basic cable channel available throughout New England and by satellite across the country. In Watching Baseball Remy explains America’s favorite sport by going inside the minds of coaches and players to reveal the game within the game. He takes readers around the diamond, pointing out the positioning of infielders, what’s really going on during batting practice, how catchers and pitchers call a game, the difference between high cheese and a knuckler, and much more.

18

Four Aces - Eli Kowalski Cover Art

Four Aces

Four Aces One Expectation by Eli Kowalski

The Phillies are looking to make history this season with what seems to be the greatest pitching rotation in Phillies history. The Four Aces - Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels all have one expectation - which is to win the World Series this year! This book gives you an overview of each pitchers background and insight into what it took the Phillies to bring them all together. No matter what happens this year, it is going to be a very special season.

19

Ball Four - Jim Bouton Cover Art

Ball Four

Ball Four by Jim Bouton

The 50th Anniversary edition of "the book that changed baseball" (NPR), chosen by Time magazine as one of the "100 Greatest Non-Fiction" books.   When Ball Four was published in 1970, it created a firestorm. Bouton was called a Judas, a Benedict Arnold, and a "social leper" for having violated the "sanctity of the clubhouse." Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn tried to force Bouton to sign a statement saying the book wasn't true. Ballplayers, most of whom hadn't read it, denounced the book. It was even banned by a few libraries.   Almost everyone else, however, loved Ball Four . Fans liked discovering that athletes were real people—often wildly funny people. David Halberstam, who won a Pulitzer for his reporting on Vietnam, wrote a piece in Harper's that said of Bouton: "He has written . . . a book deep in the American vein, so deep in fact that it is by no means a sports book."   Today Ball Four has taken on another role—as a time capsule of life in the sixties. "It is not just a diary of Bouton's 1969 season with the Seattle Pilots and Houston Astros," says sportswriter Jim Caple. "It's a vibrant, funny, telling history of an era that seems even further away than four decades. To call it simply a 'tell all book' is like describing The Grapes of Wrath as a book about harvesting peaches in California."   Includes a new foreword by Jim Bouton's wife, Paula Kurman   "An irreverent, best-selling book that angered baseball's hierarchy and changed the way journalists and fans viewed the sports world." — The Washington Post

20

The Way of Baseball - Shawn Green Cover Art

The Way of Baseball

The Way of Baseball Finding Stillness at 95 mph by Shawn Green

Shawn Green’s career statistics can be found on the backs of baseball cards in shoe boxes across America: 328 home runs, 1,071 RBIs, .282 career batting average, All-Star, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger. . . . But numbers tell only part of the story. His path to success was as grounded in philosophical study as in ballpark wisdom. Striving to find stillness within the rip-roaring scene of Major League Baseball—from screaming fans to national scandals— Green learned to approach the sport with a clear mind. In the tradition of Phil Jackson’s Sacred Hoops , Green shares the secrets to remaining focused both on and off the field, shedding light on a signature approach to living by using his remarkable baseball experiences to exemplify how one can find full awareness, presence, and, ultimately, fulfillment in any endeavor. Following his development from inconsistent rookie to established All-Star to aging veteran, The Way of Baseball illustrates the spiritual practices that enabled him to “bring stillness into the flow of life.” Requiring mastery of perspective and continual management of ego, the game of baseball afforded Green the opportunity to explore his potential as more than just a ballplayer. A treasure of practical wisdom and an intimate look at what it really means to “let go,” The Way of Baseball illuminates the creative possibilities within us all.

21

The Bosses of the Bronx - Mike Vaccaro Cover Art

The Bosses of the Bronx

The Bosses of the Bronx The Endless Drama of the Yankees Under the House of Steinbrenner by Mike Vaccaro

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The crazy but true story of how owner George Steinbrenner, followed by his son Hal, have controlled the most famous team in American sports. Since taking over the New York Yankees franchise in 1973, the Steinbrenners have transformed the fabled team from a struggling franchise into a baseball dynasty. George purchased the team for $8.8 million and quickly became known as “The Boss”—a hands-on owner whose relentless pursuit of victory defined an era. Under his leadership, the Yankees captured seven World Series championships, became a global sports brand, and consistently dominated the sports pages. Yet as veteran New York Post columnist Mike Vaccaro reveals, the story of the Steinbrenners and their team is much bigger and more complex—a drama of Shakespearian proportions, combining tragedy and great comedy. In this charming book written with all the candor and verve of the best press box reporting, he goes beyond the headlines to chronicle the complete saga—from the times King George went mad and was eventually banned to how Prince Hal, living in the long shadow of his father, has struggled to put his own unique stamp on the Pinstripe realm. He chronicles the infamous headline-making disputes between the team’s managers and its mercurial owner, a man whose autocratic disposition would eventually get him banned from the game and earn him a place in pop culture lore with the hit sitcom Seinfeld. A fun and wild remembrance of innings past for every Yankee fan and a must-read grudge list for every Yankee hater, The Bosses of the Bronx is a larger-than-life true tale of success, suffering, sacrifice, and downright silliness that captures this great franchise and the game of baseball itself.

22

Metropolitans - A.M. Gittlitz Cover Art

Metropolitans

Metropolitans New York Baseball, Class Struggle, and the People's Team by A.M. Gittlitz

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "Gittlitz really means it. Come the revolution, the team that represents us will be wearing, he reassures the reader, the Mets colors: 'the hard-hat orange of the international working class, and our blue Earth.' [...] He makes a much better case than one might have thought possible." —Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker A love letter to a franchise and a thrilling study of New York City, Metropolitans traces the electric and calamitous history of the New York Mets. Metropolitan s is for Mets fans, New York partisans, and everyone interested in the Mobius strip dynamic of sports and politics, the history of the national game, or the beautiful contradiction of baseball itself: a middle-class game owned by billionaires, in which the players—like the spectators—look to traverse the diamond and ultimately safely escape its many dangers. Along the way, A.M. Gittlitz re-introduces us to an eccentric cast of Metsian characters: Joan Payson, the first woman to buy a Major League Baseball team; a young Tom Seaver with an interest in progressive politics; and the contentious but beloved Mike Piazza. Gittlitz leads us through baseball’s amateur beginnings to the Mets’ first heady World Series on the heels of the Civil Rights and anti-war movements that many Mets players participated in. He guides us to the bad boy years, the exploitative development of farm academies in developing nations, and their inglorious purchase by a new breed of capitalist— even after which they remained lovable losers . Metropolitans brilliantly shows us that sports have long been a site of political struggle, rousing class consciousness, and animating fights for racial equality. From purportedly calming riots in ’69 to producing some of the greatest chokes in sporting history, from integration to desperate labor struggle against franchise owners, Metropolitans makes a deeply humane and convincing argument for the fascinating singularity of the New York Mets—and why they are not just the team of the counterculture, the freaks, and the losers, but the beloved team of anyone with a beating heart.

23

Behind in the Count: My Journey from Juvenile Delinquent to Baseball Agent - Kurt Varricchio Cover Art

Behind in the Count: My Journey from Juvenile Delinquent to Baseball Agent

Behind in the Count: My Journey from Juvenile Delinquent to Baseball Agent by Kurt Varricchio

Kurt Varricchio redefines the meaning of a difficult childhood in his intimate memoir, Behind in the Count: My Journey from Juvenile Delinquent to Baseball Agent . Whether it was trying to fill his empty stomach with one last scoop of Ovaltine, getting tied to a tree, being punished with a wrench, or sleeping on the rooftops of local strip malls, Kurt's survival is nothing short of miraculous. After losing his father at two-years-old, his childhood commenced in a dilapidated home where physical and emotional abuse ran rampant. So, Kurt did what he had to do to survive: run. And steal. After several trips to juvenile hall and group homes across the state of Florida, law officials, prison guards, and even his own family thought his fate was sealed—right behind those impenetrable bars. Kurt was ultimately removed from his family and placed in Florida's Foster Care System just before his 12th birthday. It would've been easy to quit, but this isn't Kurt. Even as a child, he knew he didn't want his broken past to define him. He persevered, focusing on his academic and emotional development. After graduating from high school with a 4.0 grade point average, Kurt received a full ride to Florida State University, then continued his education at the University of Texas at Austin, receiving a Master's in Education. In search of a "new normal", Kurt understood that education was paramount. Eventually, Kurt obtained his law degree and has been working in professional sports since 1995, first in the NFL and MLB, then as a sports agent. Providing a first-hand glimpse of what it takes to transform a chronic juvenile delinquent into a productive member of society, Kurt reflects on his childhood with a poignant examination of the hard work required to battle when the odds are against you. No matter how behind you are in the count, Kurt reminds us that you can always mold yourself into the person you want to be. 

24

The Magical Game - Addy Baird Cover Art

The Magical Game

The Magical Game The Spirit and History of Baseball's Superstitions, Rituals, and Curses by Addy Baird

This is the story of baseball’s rich magical history and the centuries-old culture of superstition in the sport. It is a love letter to the jinxes, curses, rituals and myths of baseball’s past and present — and to the innate mysticism of the game. For more than 150 years, a magical culture has been central to the game of baseball: At the turn of the 20th century, a battle between two lucky mascots defined early World Series matchups. Soon after, two generational curses spawned decades of heartbreaking losses for the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox. Today, players like Bryce Harper perform at-bat rituals, fans refuse to wash the jerseys of their favorite players, and baseball people everywhere refuse to utter the words “no-hitter” before there’s been a hit. In The Magical Game , journalist and converted baseball fan Addy Baird turns her reporter’s eye to her favorite sport, investigating the roots of these magical practices and telling the story of baseball’s long history of superstition, rituals, curses, jinxes, hoodoos, and hexes. Spanning three centuries of baseball history and three dozen more of magical history, Baird takes readers through fascinating, forgotten tidbits in the sport, untangles the game’s legends, and considers baseball’s uncertain future. In the face of recent MLB rule changes and the rise of advanced statistics, Baird looks at the many decades of concern about baseball’s declining popularity and the evolution of the sport, as well as why and how a culture of magic has remained strong at the core of the game for so many years. Funny, poetic, and deeply researched, The Magical Game will make readers fall in love with baseball all over again.

25

The Mental Keys to Hitting - H.A. Dorfman & Rick Wolff Cover Art

The Mental Keys to Hitting

The Mental Keys to Hitting A Handbook of Strategies for Performance Enhancement by H.A. Dorfman & Rick Wolff

A must-have book by acclaimed author and expert H.A. Dorfman that highlights the crucial mental components involved in hitting a baseball and playing the game, components that are as important, if not more so, than the intense physical regimen of an athlete."...helpful to hitters in little leagues or in the big leagues. The information is clear and to the point..." -- Charles Johnson, former catcher, Florida Marlins

26

Why We Love Baseball - Joe Posnanski Cover Art

Why We Love Baseball

Why We Love Baseball A History in 50 Moments by Joe Posnanski

NEW YORK TIMES bestseller Winner of the CASEY Award for Best Baseball Book of the Year National Sports Media Association Sports Book of the Year  An NPR "Book of the Day" #1 New York Times bestselling author Joe Posnanski is back with a masterful ode to the game: a countdown of 50 of the most memorable moments in baseball’s history, to make you fall in love with the sport all over again.   Posnanski writes of major moments that created legends, and of forgotten moments almost lost to time. It's Willie Mays’s catch, Babe Ruth’s called shot, and Kirk Gibson’s limping home run; the slickest steals; the biggest bombs; and the most triumphant no-hitters. But these are also moments raw with the humanity of the game, the unheralded heroes, the mesmerizing mistakes drenched in pine tar, and every story, from the immortal to the obscure, is told from a unique perspective. Whether of a real fan who witnessed it, or the pitcher who gave up the home run, the umpire, the coach, the opposing player—these are fresh takes on moments so powerful they almost feel like myth.   Posnanski’s previous book, The Baseball 100 , portrayed the heroes and pioneers of the sport, and now, with his trademark wit, encyclopedic knowledge, and acute observations, he gets at the real heart of the game. From nineteenth-century pitchers’ duels to breaking the sport’s color line in the ’40s, all the way to the greatest trick play of the last decade and the slide home that became a meme, Posnanski’s illuminating take allows us to rediscover the sport we love—and thought we knew.   Why We Love Baseball is an epic that ends too soon, a one-of-a-kind love letter to the sport that has us thrilled, torn, inspired, and always wanting more.

27

Stars and Strikes - Dan Epstein Cover Art

Stars and Strikes

Stars and Strikes Baseball and America in the Bicentennial Summer of '76 by Dan Epstein

The author of Big Hair and Plastic Grass returns with "a knuckleball ride through the wonderful and wacky year . . . the national pastime changed forever" ( Kirkus Reviews ). America, 1976: colorful, complex, and combustible. It was a year of Bicentennial celebrations and presidential primaries, of Olympic glory and busing riots, of "killer bees" hysteria and Pong fever. On the baseball diamond, Thurman Munson led the New York Yankees to their first World Series in a dozen years, but it was Joe Morgan and Cincinnati's "Big Red Machine" who cemented a dynasty with their second consecutive World Championship. The season was defined by the outrageous antics of team owners Bill Veeck, Ted Turner, George Steinbrenner, and Charlie Finley, as well as by several memorable bench-clearing brawls, and a batting title race that became just as contentious as the presidential race. Meanwhile, as the nation celebrated its two-hundredth year of independence, Major League Baseball players waged a war for their own liberties by demanding free agency. From the road to the White House to the shorts-wearing White Sox, Stars and Strikes tracks the tumultuous year after which the sport—and the nation—would never be the same.

28

The Roger Angell Baseball Collection - Roger Angell Cover Art

The Roger Angell Baseball Collection

The Roger Angell Baseball Collection The Summer Game, Five Seasons, and Season Ticket by Roger Angell

From "the clear-eyed poet laureate of baseball"—a definitive collection of three nonfiction classics chronicling MLB into the modern age ( New York Post ). In these three classic volumes, legendary New Yorker sportswriter Roger Angell chronicles the triumphs, travails, heroes, and history of America's favorite pastime.   In The Summer Game, Angell covers ten seasons in the major leagues from the 1960s to the early 1970s. With his signature panache, Angell captures the flavor of the game and the spirit of legends such as Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, and Willie Mays.   In Five Seasons , Angell covers the mid-1970s, which he calls "the most important half-decade in the history of the game." From the accomplishments of Nolan Ryan and Hank Aaron to the rising influence of network television, Angell offers a fresh perspective on this transformative period.   And in Season Ticket , Angell recounts the larger-than-life narratives of baseball in the mid-1980s. Diving into subjects including the notorious 1986 World Series and the Curse of the Bambino, Sparky Anderson's Detroit Tigers, and performance-enhancing drug use, Angell offers insights that are crucial to understanding the game as we know it today.

29

A Fan's Guide to Baseball Analytics - Anthony Castrovince Cover Art

A Fan's Guide to Baseball Analytics

A Fan's Guide to Baseball Analytics Why WAR, WHIP, wOBA, and Other Advanced Sabermetrics Are Essential to Understanding Modern Baseball by Anthony Castrovince

Broken up into sections (pitching, fielding, hitting), this authoritative yet fun and easy guide will help readers young and old fully understand and comprehend the statistics that are the present and future of our national pastime.   We all know what a .300 hitter looks like. The same with a 20-game winner. Those numbers are ingrained in our brains. But do they mean as much as we think? Do we feel the same way when we hear a batter has a .390 wOBA? How about a pitcher with a 1.2 WHIP? These statistics are the future of modern baseball, and no fan should be in the dark about how these metrics apply to the game. In the last twenty years, an avalanche of analytics has taken over the way the game is played, managed, and assessed, but the statistics that drive the sport (metrics like wRC+, FIP, and WAR, just to name a few) read like alphabet soup to a large number of fans who still think batting average, RBIs, and wins are the best barometers for baseball players. In A Fan’s Guide to Baseball Analytics , MLB.com reporter and columnist Anthony Castrovince has taken on the role as explainer to help such fans understand why the old stats don’t always add up. Readers will also learn where these modern stats came from, what they convey, and how to use them to evaluate players of the present, past, and future.  For instance, what if we told you that when Joe DiMaggio had his famous 56-game hitting streak in 1941, helping him win the AL MVP, that there was, perhaps, someone more deserving? In fact, the great Ted Williams actually had a higher fWAR, bWAR, wRC+, OPS, OPS+, ISO, RC . . . well, you get the picture. So, streak or no streak, Williams should have been league MVP. An introductory course on sabermetrics, A Fan’s Guide to Baseball Analytics is an easily digestible resource that readers can keep turning back to when they see a modern metric referenced in today’s baseball coverage.

30

Fifty Seasons - Joe Posnanski Cover Art

Fifty Seasons

Fifty Seasons Stories of the Baseball Years That Echo by Joe Posnanski

From the #1 NYT bestselling author often called the greatest living sportswriter, a countdown of the 50 greatest and most magical seasons in baseball history. Joe Posnanski is the go-to writer in sports, and Fifty Seasons delivers a joyful, stirring look at baseball moments and miracles that often don't make it into lists of best players or teams. In this new book, Joe shares the greatest seasons in the history of the sport, across players and teams, from amateurs to the most glorious single seasons the game has known. We meet Joanne Weaver, the woman who had a season for the ages in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball league. And Mose Solomon, the Rabbi of Swat, who had the most magical year in the Southwestern league, hitting more home runs than anyone in professional baseball except for Babe Ruth. And players across the country and across time—Shohei in 2023 and Ruth in 1923; Judge in 2022 and Jackie in 1949; Fidrych in 1976 and Fernando in 1981; and more—many famous, many not, and all deeply worth knowing for what they gave to the sport in one incredible season. These are the seasons that still echo with fans and lovers of the game. Blending the definitive force of The Baseball 100 with the quirky wonder of Why We Love Baseball , this illuminating new book captures the greatness and magic of the nation’s favorite pastime.

31

They Bled Blue - Jason Turbow Cover Art

They Bled Blue

They Bled Blue Fernandomania, Strike-Season Mayhem, and the Weirdest Championship Baseball Had Ever Seen: The 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers by Jason Turbow

"A skillful mixture of biographies, on-field action, and behind-the-scenes baseball politics in a story with a happy ending for Dodgers fans." — Kirkus Reviews The award–winning author of  Dynastic, Fantastic, Bombastic  and  The Baseball Codes delivers a sprawling, mad tale of excess and exuberance, the likes of which could only have occurred in that place, at that time. That it culminated in an unlikely World Series win—during a campaign split by the longest player strike in baseball history—is not even the most interesting thing about this team. The Dodgers were led by the garrulous Tommy Lasorda—part manager, part cheerleader—who unyieldingly proclaimed devotion to the franchise through monologues about bleeding Dodger blue and worshiping the "Big Dodger in the Sky," and whose office hosted a regular stream of Hollywood celebrities. Steve Garvey, the All-American, All-Star first baseman, had anchored the most durable infield in major league history, and, along with Davey Lopes, Bill Russell, and Ron Cey, was glaringly aware that 1981 would represent the end of their run together. The season's real story, however, was one that nobody expected at the outset: a chubby lefthander nearly straight out of Mexico, twenty years old with a wild delivery and a screwball as his flippin' out pitch. The Dodgers had been trying for decades to find a Hispanic star to activate the local Mexican population; Fernando Valenzuela was the first to succeed, and it didn't take long for Fernandomania to sweep far beyond the boundaries of Chavez Ravine. They Bled Blue  is the rollicking yarn of the Los Angeles Dodgers' crazy 1981 season.

32

The Mental ABC's of Pitching - H.A. Dorfman Cover Art

The Mental ABC's of Pitching

The Mental ABC's of Pitching A Handbook for Performance Enhancement by H.A. Dorfman

Author H.A. Dorfman brings his years of expertise as instructor/counselor with the A's, Marlins, and Devil Rays to provide an easy-to-use, A-to-Z handbook which will give insight and instruction on how to pitch to peak performance at every level of the game. Perfect for pitchers who need that extra edge or hitters who want to better understand the mental moves on the mound.

33

Moneyball - Michael Lewis Cover Art

Moneyball

Moneyball The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis

Michael Lewis’s instant classic may be "the most influential book on sports ever written" (People), but "you need know absolutely nothing about baseball to appreciate the wit, snap, economy and incisiveness of [Lewis’s] thoughts about it" (Janet Maslin, New York Times). One of GQ's 50 Best Books of Literary Journalism of the 21st Century • A Kirkus Review Best Book of the 21st Century (So Far) Just before the 2002 season opens, the Oakland Athletics must relinquish its three most prominent (and expensive) players and is written off by just about everyone—but then comes roaring back to challenge the American League record for consecutive wins. How did one of the poorest teams in baseball win so many games? In a quest to discover the answer, Michael Lewis delivers not only “the single most influential baseball book ever” (Rob Neyer, Slate) but also what “may be the best book ever written on business” (Weekly Standard). Lewis first looks to all the logical places—the front offices of major league teams, the coaches, the minds of brilliant players—but discovers the real jackpot is a cache of numbers collected over the years by a strange brotherhood of amateur baseball enthusiasts: software engineers, statisticians, Wall Street analysts, lawyers, and physics professors. What these numbers prove is that the traditional yardsticks of success for players and teams are fatally flawed. Even the box score misleads us by ignoring the crucial importance of the humble base-on-balls. This information had been around for years, and nobody inside Major League Baseball paid it any mind. And then came Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland Athletics. He paid attention to those numbers?with the second-lowest payroll in baseball at his disposal he had to?to conduct an astonishing experiment in finding and fielding a team that nobody else wanted. In a narrative full of fabulous characters and brilliant excursions into the unexpected, Michael Lewis shows us how and why the new baseball knowledge works. He also sets up a sly and hilarious morality tale: Big Money, like Goliath, is always supposed to win…how can we not cheer for David?

34

The Soul of Baseball - Joe Posnanski Cover Art

The Soul of Baseball

The Soul of Baseball A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America by Joe Posnanski

"One of the best baseball books in years"—a journey with Negro League legend Buck O'Neil by the New York Times –bestselling author of The Baseball 100 ( Cleveland Plain Dealer). Winner of the Casey Award for Best Baseball Book of the Year When legendary Negro League player Buck O'Neil asked award-winning sports columnist Joe Posnanski how he fell in love with baseball, that simple question eventually led the pair on a cross-country quest to recapture the love that first drew them to the game. This book recounts their emotional quest to find the heart of America's beloved sport that still beats despite the scandal-ridden, steroid-shooting, money-hungry athletes who currently seem to define the sport. At its heart is the story of 94-year-old Buck O'Neil—a man who truly played for the love of the game. After an impressive career in the Negro Baseball Leagues in which he earned two hitting titles and one championship, O'Neil made baseball history by becoming the first African-American coach in major league baseball. Posnanski writes about that love and the one thing that O'Neil cherishes almost as much as baseball: jazz. This heartwarming and insightful tour of the country is an endearing step back in time to the days when the crack of a bat and the smoky notes of a midnight jam session were the sounds that brought the most joy to a man's heart. "Engaging and spirit-lifting . . . much like Mitch Albom's Morrie." — Sports Illustrated "You won't read a better baseball book this year." — Newsday "A moving elegy for both the Negro Leagues and one of the game's biggest personalities." — Entertainment Weekly "How good is [this] book? It's right there with Robert Creamer's Babe ." — Toronto Sun "Poignant, very funny, and ultimately inspiring." —Dave Barry "Document[s] in loving detail the story of a man who figured out early how to live every day with joy." — Boston Sunday Globe

35

Where Nobody Knows Your Name - John Feinstein Cover Art

Where Nobody Knows Your Name

Where Nobody Knows Your Name Life In the Minor Leagues of Baseball by John Feinstein

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the acclaimed bestselling author comes a riveting journey through the world of minor-league baseball “Terrific…Reading this book will make you fall in love with baseball all over again.”— The Denver Post Minor league baseball is quintessentially American: small towns, small stadiums, $5 tickets, $2 hot dogs, the never-ending possibility of making it big. But looming above it all is always the real deal: Major League Baseball. John Feinstein takes the reader behind the curtain into the guarded world of the minor leagues, like no other writer can. Where Nobody Knows Your Name explores the trials and travails of the inhabitants of Triple-A, focusing on nine men, including players, managers and umpires, among many colorful characters, living on the cusp of the dream. The book tells the stories of former World Series hero Scott Podsednik, giving it one more shot; Durham Bulls manager Charlie Montoya, shepherding generations across the line; and designated hitter Jon Lindsey, a lifelong minor leaguer, waiting for his day to come. From Raleigh to Pawtucket, from Lehigh Valley to Indianapolis and beyond, this is an intimate and exciting look at life in the minor leagues, where you’re either waiting for the call or just passing through.

36

The Extra 2% - Jonah Keri Cover Art

The Extra 2%

The Extra 2% How Wall Street Strategies Took a Major League Baseball Team from Worst to FirstFirst by Jonah Keri

What happens when three financial industry whiz kids and certified baseball nuts take over an ailing major league franchise and implement the same strategies that fueled their success on Wall Street? In the case of the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays, an American League championship happens—the culmination of one of the greatest turnarounds in baseball history. In The Extra 2% , financial journalist and sportswriter Jonah Keri chronicles the remarkable story of one team’s Cinderella journey from divisional doormat to World Series contender. When former Goldman Sachs colleagues Stuart Sternberg and Matthew Silverman assumed control of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2005, it looked as if they were buying the baseball equivalent of a penny stock. But the incoming regime came armed with a master plan: to leverage their skill at trading, valuation, and management to build a model twenty-first-century franchise that could compete with their bigger, stronger, richer rivals—and prevail. Together with “boy genius” general manager Andrew Friedman, the new Rays owners jettisoned the old ways of doing things, substituting their own innovative ideas about employee development, marketing and public relations, and personnel management. They exorcized the “devil” from the team’s nickname, developed metrics that let them take advantage of undervalued aspects of the game, like defense, and hired a forward-thinking field manager as dedicated to unconventional strategy as they were. By quantifying the game’s intangibles—that extra 2% that separates a winning organization from a losing one—they were able to deliver to Tampa Bay something that Billy Beane’s “Moneyball” had never brought to Oakland: an American League pennant. A book about what happens when you apply your business skills to your life’s passion, The Extra 2% is an informative and entertaining case study for any organization that wants to go from worst to first.

37

The Cubs Way - Tom Verducci Cover Art

The Cubs Way

The Cubs Way The Zen of Building the Best Team in Baseball and Breaking the Curse by Tom Verducci

The New York Times  Bestseller With inside access and reporting, Sports Illustrated senior baseball writer and FOX Sports analyst Tom Verducci reveals how Theo Epstein and Joe Maddon built, led, and inspired the Chicago Cubs team that broke the longest championship drought in sports, chronicling their epic journey to become World Series champions. It took 108 years, but it really happened. The Chicago Cubs are once again World Series champions.  How did a team composed of unknown, young players and supposedly washed-up veterans come together to break the Curse of the Billy Goat? Tom Verducci, twice named National Sportswriter of the Year and co-writer of The Yankee Years with Joe Torre, will have full access to team president Theo Epstein, manager Joe Maddon, and the players to tell the story of the Cubs' transformation from perennial underachievers to the best team in baseball.  Beginning with Epstein's first year with the team in 2011, Verducci will show how Epstein went beyond "Moneyball" thinking to turn around the franchise. Leading the organization with a manual called "The Cubs Way," he focused on the mental side of the game as much as the physical, emphasizing chemistry as well as statistics.  To accomplish his goal, Epstein needed manager Joe Maddon, an eccentric innovator, as his counterweight on the Cubs' bench.  A man who encourages themed road trips and late-arrival game days to loosen up his team, Maddon mixed New Age thinking with Old School leadership to help his players find their edge.   The Cubs Way takes readers behind the scenes, chronicling how key players like Rizzo, Russell, Lester, and Arrieta were deftly brought into the organization by Epstein and coached by Maddon to outperform expectations. Together, Epstein and Maddon proved that clubhouse culture is as important as on-base-percentage, and that intangible components like personality, vibe, and positive energy are necessary for a team to perform to their fullest potential.  Verducci chronicles the playoff run that culminated in an instant classic Game Seven. He takes a broader look at the history of baseball in Chicago and the almost supernatural element to the team's repeated loses that kept fans suffering, but also served to strengthen their loyalty.   The Cubs Way is a celebration of an iconic team and its journey to a World Championship that fans and readers will cherish for years to come.

38

The Boys of Summer - Roger Kahn Cover Art

The Boys of Summer

The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn

"A moving elegy . . . [to] the best team the majors ever saw . . . the Brooklyn Dodgers of the 1950s."  —  New York Times The classic narrative of growing up within shouting distance of Ebbets Field, covering the Jackie Robinson Dodgers, and what’s happened to everybody since. This is a book about young men who learned to play baseball during the 1930s and 1940s, and then went on to play for one of the most exciting major-league ball clubs ever fielded, the beloved Brooklyn Dodgers, the team that broke the color barrier with Jackie Robinson. Part sports memoir, part biography, it is a book by and about a sportswriter who grew up near Ebbets Field, and who had the good fortune in the 1950s to cover the Dodgers for The Herald Tribune . This is a book about what happened to Jackie, Carl Erskine, Pee Wee Reese, and the others when their glory days were behind them. In short, it is a book about America, about fathers and sons, prejudice and courage, triumph and disaster, and told with warmth, humor, wit, candor, and love. How does a team become a legend, and what becomes of legendary men when the cheering stops? Baseball History Come to Life: Go inside the clubhouse of the 1950s Dodgers, the team that broke the color barrier with the courageous Jackie Robinson. Legendary Sports Journalism: Experience the golden age of baseball through the eyes of Roger Kahn, the reporter who grew up in the shadow of Ebbets Field and was destined to tell this team’s story. The Integration of Baseball: Witness the immense pressure and prejudice faced by Jackie Robinson and the profound impact his presence had on his teammates, the game, and America itself. Fathers, Sons, and Heroes: Discover what happened to icons like Pee Wee Reese, Carl Erskine, and Duke Snider after the cheering stopped, in a moving exploration of life, loss, and the passage of time.

39

Astroball - Ben Reiter Cover Art

Astroball

Astroball The New Way to Win It All by Ben Reiter

NEW YORK TIMES  BESTSELLER • The inside story of the Houston Astros, whose relentless innovation took them from the worst team in baseball to the World Series in 2017 and 2019   “Reiter’s superb narrative of how the team got there provides powerful insights into how organizations—not just baseball clubs—work best.”— The Wall Street Journal Astroball  picks up where Michael Lewis’s acclaimed  Moneyball  leaves off, telling the thrilling story of a championship team that pushed both the sport and business of baseball to the next level. In 2014, the Astros were the worst baseball team in half a century, but just three years later they defied critics to win a stunning World Series. In this book, Ben Reiter shows how the Astros built a system that avoided the stats-versus-scouts divide by giving the human factor a key role in their decision-making. Sitting at the nexus of sports, business, and innovation,  Astroball  is the story of the next wave of thinking in baseball and beyond, at once a remarkable underdog tale and a fascinating look at the cutting edge of evaluating and optimizing human potential.

40

The Best Team Money Can Buy - Molly Knight Cover Art

The Best Team Money Can Buy

The Best Team Money Can Buy The Los Angeles Dodgers' Wild Struggle to Build a Baseball Powerhouse by Molly Knight

With a new Afterword covering the 2015 season. The bestselling, inside-the-clubhouse story of two tumultuous years when the Los Angeles Dodgers were re-made from top to bottom, becoming the most talked-about and most colorful team in baseball. “It’s as if Molly Knight ushers you behind the closed clubhouse doors.” (Buster Olney, ESPN) In 2012 the Los Angeles Dodgers were bought out of bankruptcy in the most expensive sale in sports history. Los Angeles icon Magic Johnson and his partners hoped to put together a team worthy of Hollywood: consistently entertaining. By most accounts they have succeeded, if not always in the way they might have imagined. In The Best Team Money Can Buy , Molly Knight tells the story of the Dodgers’ 2013 and 2014 seasons with detailed, previously unreported revelations. She shares a behind-the-scenes account of the astonishing sale of the Dodgers, as well as what the Dodgers actually knew in advance about rookie phenom and Cuban defector Yasiel Puig. We learn how close manager Don Mattingly was to losing his job during the 2013 season—and how the team turned around the season in the most remarkable fifty-game stretch of any team since World War II. Knight also provides a rare glimpse into the in-fighting and mistrust that derailed the team in 2014 and paints an intimate portrait of star pitcher Clayton Kershaw, including details about the record contract offer he turned down before accepting the richest contract any pitcher ever signed. Exciting, surprising, and filled with juicy details, “a must-read for fans of the Dodgers and all Los Angeles sports teams….Knight’s undercover work is like none other” ( Library Journal ). The Best Team Money Can Buy is filled with “fascinating perspectives” ( Los Angeles Times ) and “interesting anecdotes about some of baseball’s most compelling figures” ( The Sacramento Bee ).

41

Ballplayer - Chipper Jones & Carroll Rogers Walton Cover Art

Ballplayer

Ballplayer by Chipper Jones & Carroll Rogers Walton

Atlanta Braves third baseman and National Hall of Famer Chipper Jones—one of the greatest switch-hitters in baseball history—shares his remarkable story, while capturing the magic nostalgia that sets baseball apart from every other sport.   Before Chipper Jones became an eight-time All-Star who amassed Hall of Fame–worthy statistics during a nineteen-year career with the Atlanta Braves, he was just a country kid from small town Pierson, Florida. A kid who grew up playing baseball in the backyard with his dad dreaming that one day he’d be a major league ballplayer.     With his trademark candor and astonishing recall, Chipper Jones tells the story of his rise to the MLB ranks and what it took to stay with one organization his entire career in an era of booming free agency. His journey begins with learning the art of switch-hitting and takes off after the Braves make him the number one overall pick in the 1990 draft, setting him on course to become the linchpin of their lineup at the height of their fourteen-straight division-title run.   Ballplayer takes readers into the clubhouse of the Braves’ extraordinary dynasty, from the climax of the World Series championship in 1995 to the last-gasp division win by the 2005 “Baby Braves”; all the while sharing pitch-by-pitch dissections of clashes at the plate with some of the all-time great starters, such as Clemens and Johnson, as well as closers such as Wagner and Papelbon. He delves into his relationships with Bobby Cox and his famous Braves brothers — Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz, among them—and opponents from Cal Ripken Jr. to Barry Bonds. The National League MVP also opens up about his overnight rise to superstardom and the personal pitfalls that came with fame; his spirited rivalry with the New York Mets; his reflections on baseball in the modern era—outrageous money, steroids, and all — and his special last season in 2012.   Ballplayer immerses us in the best of baseball, as if we’re sitting next to Chipper in the dugout on an endless spring day.

42

Summer of '49 - David Halberstam Cover Art

Summer of '49

Summer of '49 by David Halberstam

This #1 bestselling baseball classic of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry is "dazzling . . . heart-stopping . . . A celebration of a vanished heroic age" ( The New York Times Book Review ). The summer of 1949: It was baseball's Golden Age and the year Joe DiMaggio's New York Yankees were locked in a soon-to-be classic battle with Ted Williams's Boston Red Sox for the American League pennant. As postwar America looked for a unifying moment, the greatest players in baseball history brought their rivalry to the field, captivating the American public through the heart-pounding final moments of the season. This expansive story captures an era, incorporating profiles of the players and their families, fans, broadcasters, baseball executives, and sportswriters. Riveting in its blend of powerful detail and exhilarating narrative, The Summer of '49 is Pulitzer Prize winner David Halberstam's engrossing look at not only a sports rivalry, but a time when America's very identity was wrapped up in its beloved national game.   This ebook features an extended biography of David Halberstam.

43

Smart Baseball - Keith Law Cover Art

Smart Baseball

Smart Baseball The Story Behind the Old Stats That Are Ruining the Game, the New Ones That Are Running It, and the Right Way to Think About Baseball by Keith Law

Predictably Irrational meets Moneyball in ESPN veteran writer and statistical analyst Keith Law’s iconoclastic look at the numbers game of baseball, proving why some of the most trusted stats are surprisingly wrong, explaining what numbers actually work, and exploring what the rise of Big Data means for the future of the sport. For decades, statistics such as batting average, saves recorded, and pitching won-lost records have been used to measure individual players’ and teams’ potential and success. But in the past fifteen years, a revolutionary new standard of measurement—sabermetrics—has been embraced by front offices in Major League Baseball and among fantasy baseball enthusiasts. But while sabermetrics is recognized as being smarter and more accurate, traditionalists, including journalists, fans, and managers, stubbornly believe that the "old" way—a combination of outdated numbers and "gut" instinct—is still the best way. Baseball, they argue, should be run by people, not by numbers.? In this informative and provocative book, teh renowned ESPN analyst and senior baseball writer demolishes a century’s worth of accepted wisdom, making the definitive case against the long-established view. Armed with concrete examples from different eras of baseball history, logic, a little math, and lively commentary, he shows how the allegiance to these numbers—dating back to the beginning of the professional game—is firmly rooted not in accuracy or success, but in baseball’s irrational adherence to tradition. While Law gores sacred cows, from clutch performers to RBIs to the infamous save rule, he also demystifies sabermetrics, explaining what these "new" numbers really are and why they’re vital. He also considers the game’s future, examining how teams are using Data—from PhDs to sophisticated statistical databases—to build future rosters; changes that will transform baseball and all of professional sports. Why have fans and managers clung to outdated baseball statistics for so long—and what should we be using instead? Deconstructing Baseball Mythology: Join Keith Law as he demolishes a century of accepted wisdom, proving why trusted stats like batting average, pitcher wins, and RBIs are surprisingly wrong. The Sabermetric Toolkit: Get an accessible, jargon-free guide to the advanced statistics that matter, from On-Base Percentage (OBP) and wOBA to the all-encompassing WAR (Wins Above Replacement). From Moneyball to Statcast: Explore the evolution of baseball's data revolution, from the early days of sabermetrics to the high-tech future of MLB Statcast and Big Data. Scouting and the Numbers Game: Understand how front offices are blending traditional scouting with cutting-edge sports analytics to build championship rosters and find undervalued players.

44

Trading Bases - Joe Peta Cover Art

Trading Bases

Trading Bases How a Wall Street Trader Made a Fortune Betting on Baseball by Joe Peta

An ex–Wall Street trader improved on Moneyball ’s famed sabermetrics and beat the Vegas odds with his own betting methods. Here is the story of how Joe Peta turned fantasy baseball into a dream come true.   Joe Peta turned his back on his Wall Street trading career to pursue an ingenious—and incredibly risky—dream. He would apply his risk-analysis skills to Major League Baseball, and treat the sport like the S&P 500.   In Trading Bases , Peta takes us on his journey from the ballpark in San Francisco to the trading floors and baseball bars of New York and the sportsbooks of Las Vegas, telling the story of how he created a baseball “hedge fund” with an astounding 41 percent return in his first year. And he explains the unique methods he developed.   Along the way, Peta provides insight into the Wall Street crisis he managed to escape: the fragility of the midnineties investment model; the disgraced former CEO of Lehman Brothers, who recruited Peta; and the high-adrenaline atmosphere where million-dollar sports-betting pools were common.

45

Imperfect - Jim Abbott & Tim Brown Cover Art

Imperfect

Imperfect An Improbable Life by Jim Abbott & Tim Brown

“Honest, touching, and beautifully rendered . . . Far more than a book about baseball, it is a deeply felt story of triumph and failure, dreams and disappointments. Jim Abbott has hurled another gem.”—Jonathan Eig, New York Times bestselling author of Luckiest Man   NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER   Born without a right hand, Jim Abbott dreamed of someday being a great athlete. Raised in Flint, Michigan, by parents who encouraged him to compete, Jim would become an ace pitcher for the University of Michigan. But his journey was only beginning: By twenty-one, he’d won the gold medal game at the 1988 Olympics and—without spending a day in the minor leagues—cracked the starting rotation of the California Angels. In 1991, he would finish third in the voting for the Cy Young Award. Two years later, he would don Yankee pinstripes and pitch one of the most dramatic no-hitters in major-league history.   In this honest and insightful book, Jim Abbott reveals the challenges he faced in becoming an elite pitcher, the insecurities he dealt with in a life spent as the different one, and the intense emotion generated by his encounters with disabled children from around the country. With a riveting pitch-by-pitch account of his no-hitter providing the ideal frame for his story, this unique athlete offers readers an extraordinary and unforgettable memoir.   “Compelling . . . [a] big-hearted memoir.”— Los Angeles Times   “Inspirational.”— The Philadelphia Inquirer   Includes an exclusive conversation between Jim Abbott and Tim Brown in the back of the book.

46

42: A Biography of Jack "Jackie" Robinson - Frank Foster Cover Art

42: A Biography of Jack "Jackie" Robinson

42: A Biography of Jack "Jackie" Robinson by Frank Foster

Jackie Robinson was one of the greatest baseball players of all time--MLB Rookie of the Year, World Series Champion, six-time all-star, MVP, and a lifetime batting average of .311. But he is most remembered for breaking racial barriers by becoming the first African American to play in the major leagues since the 1880s. This book traces Robinsons life, both on the field and his personal life--from his childhood and career in the miltary to his days in the Negro leagues and with the Brooklyn Dodgers; it also covers briefly his life after baseball. LifeCaps is an imprint of BookCaps™ Study Guides. With each book, a lesser known or sometimes forgotten life is recapped. We publish a wide array of topics (from baseball and music to literature and philosophy), so check our growing catalogue regularly to see our newest books.

47

The Baseball Codes - Jason Turbow & Michael Duca Cover Art

The Baseball Codes

The Baseball Codes Beanballs, Sign Stealing, and Bench-Clearing Brawls: The Unwritten Rules of America's Pastime by Jason Turbow & Michael Duca

An insider’s look at baseball’s unwritten rules, explained with examples from the game’s most fascinating characters and wildest historical moments.   Everyone knows that baseball is a game of intricate regulations, but it turns out to be even more complicated than we realize. All aspects of baseball—hitting, pitching, and baserunning—are affected by the Code, a set of unwritten rules that governs the Major League game. Some of these rules are openly discussed (don’t steal a base with a big lead late in the game), while others are known only to a minority of players (don’t cross between the catcher and the pitcher on the way to the batter’s box). In The Baseball Codes , old-timers and all-time greats share their insights into the game’s most hallowed—and least known—traditions. For the learned and the casual baseball fan alike, the result is illuminating and thoroughly entertaining.   At the heart of this book are incredible and often hilarious stories involving national heroes (like Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays) and notorious headhunters (like Bob Gibson and Don Drysdale) in a century-long series of confrontations over respect, honor, and the soul of the game. With The Baseball Codes , we see for the first time the game as it’s actually played, through the eyes of the players on the field.   With rollicking stories from the past and new perspectives on baseball’s informal rulebook, The Baseball Codes is a must for every fan.

48

Million Dollar Arm - J. B. Bernstein Cover Art

Million Dollar Arm

Million Dollar Arm Sometimes to Win, You Have to Change the Game by J. B. Bernstein

From the farmlands of India to the fields of major league baseball, this fascinating memoir tells the story of a man who forever changed the lives of two talented young men through a pitching contest in India. The official tie-in book to Disney’s major motion picture, starring Jon Hamm. A TRUE STORY OF FINDING THE AMERICAN DREAM . . . ABROAD India is a country with more than one billion people, a fanatical national cricket obsession, and exactly zero talent scouts. There, superstar sports agent J. B. Bernstein knew that he could find the Yao Ming of baseball— someone with a strong arm and enough raw talent to pitch in the major leagues. Almost no one in India is familiar with the game, but Bernstein had heard enough coaches swear that if you gave them a guy who throws a hundred miles an hour, they could teach him how to pitch. So in 2007, Bernstein flew to Mumbai with a radar gun and a plan to find his diamond in the rough. His idea was The Million Dollar Arm , a reality television competition with a huge cash prize and a chance to become the first native of India to sign a contract with an American major-league team. The result is a humorous and inspiring story about three guys transformed: Bernstein, the consummate bachelor and shrewd businessman, and Dinesh and Rinku, the two young men from small farming villages whom he brought home to California. Million Dollar Arm is a timeless reflection on baseball and the American dream, as well as a tale of victory over incredible odds. But, above all, it’s about the limitless possibilities inside every one of us.

49

Watching Baseball Smarter - Zack Hample Cover Art

Watching Baseball Smarter

Watching Baseball Smarter A Professional Fan's Guide for Beginners, Semi-experts, and Deeply Serious Geeks by Zack Hample

Zack Hample's bestselling, smart, and funny fan’s guide to baseball explains the ins and outs of pitching, hitting, running, and fielding, while offering insider trivia and anecdotes that will appeal to anyone—whether you're a major league couch potato, life-long season ticket-holder, or a beginner. • What is the difference between a slider and a curveball? • At which stadium did “The Wave” first make an appearance? • Which positions are never played by lefties? • Why do some players urinate on their hands? Combining the narrative voice and attitude of Michael Lewis with the compulsive brilliance of Schott’s Miscellany , Watching Baseball Smarter will increase your understanding and enjoyment of the sport—no matter what your level of expertise. Featuring a glossary of baseball slang, an appendix of important baseball stats, and an appendix of uniform numbers.

50

Loose Balls - Terry Pluto Cover Art

Loose Balls

Loose Balls by Terry Pluto

What do Julius Erving, Larry Brown, Moses Malone, Bob Costas, the Indiana Pacers, the San Antonio Spurs and the Slam Dunk Contest have in common? They all got their professional starts in the American Basketball Association. What do Julius Erving, Larry Brown, Moses Malone, Bob Costas, the Indiana Pacers, the San Antonio Spurs and the Slam Dunk Contest have in common? They all got their professional starts in the American Basketball Association. The NBA may have won the financial battle, but the ABA won the artistic war. With its stress on wide-open individual play, the adoption of the 3-point shot and pressing defense, and the encouragement of flashy moves and flying dunks, today's NBA is still—decades later —just the ABA without the red, white and blue ball. Loose Balls is, after all these years, the definitive and most widely respected history of the ABA. It's a wild ride through some of the wackiest, funniest, strangest times ever to hit pro sports—told entirely through the (often incredible) words of those who played, wrote and connived their way through the league's nine seasons.

Books

Book Charts

Apple Books Best Sellers

Fiction Ebook Best Sellers

Nonfiction Ebook Best Sellers

iTunes Audiobook Charts

Audiobook Best Sellers

iTunes Music Charts

Most Popular Music Charts

Movie Charts

Top Movies

iTunes TV Charts

Top Television Shows

iTunes iOS App Charts

Top iPhone Apps

Top iPad & iPad Mini Apps

International iTunes Charts

Apple Books Best Selling Ebook Charts