Baseball Books

I can admit it now, but for a long period of my life, it was quite painful: I'm an Angels fan. Have been since the days of Bo Belinski. That's why I was delighted to see Bucky Fox's addition to the history, lore and trivia of my beloved Angels -- be they of Anaheim or Los Angeles. His book is crammed with stuff I didn't know or, in many cases, had forgotten. Like "Adam Kennedy's Reggie Moment," when Kennedy hit three dingers in Game 5 of the ALC championship series to beat the Twins. Or the key role played by the relatively unknown pitcher John Lackey in a number of major Angel wins (Game 7 of 2002 World Series, Game 4 of 2002 ALC championship, Game 2 of 2005 AL Division series). Bucky's book is filled with this stuff.

For a demented Angel fan, it's all pure gold.

Bucky Fox has done a terrific job of highlighting the top players, moments and memories of the Angels' storied past. This book is written in a short, punchy style that makes it a quick, easy read. It brings back memories for any Angels fan of the great moments in franchise history, and it reminds you that the Angels have a lot more high points in their history than you might think.

I'm not an Angels fan. I'm a Yankees fan and what I want to know is why MY team doesn't have a kickass book like this. With his fast-paced, tightly-written countdown to victory, Fox does the seemingly impossible. He makes the Angels look like the Yankees. And for that, I tip my pro cap to him.

Great introduction for new fans to the history of the Angels and a great rememberance for long time Angel Fans. It was a fun read because you could just tell that the Author is an Angels fan.

As an Angel fan I think this book makes a delightful quick read and scores consistently with interesting tidbits of Angel player triva. Should be in any Angel fan's collection.

In the late 1970s, when the Mets really hit the skids and the Yankees got good again, it became necessary, if you were a kid in the Tri- State
area, to at least watch the Yankees, perhaps even to grudgingly root for them.  Forced into this spiritually untenable position, I chose to only
root for the scrubs, which made Cliff Johnson my favorite player.  I'll never forget the game where he tagged a pitch and Phil Rizzuto started
screaming that : "That one's outta here", bringing joy to the heart of every Heatchliff fan, only to have his towering popup caught by the
second baseman.  

"The Scooter" was easy to laugh at, with his myriad phobias, his propensity for saying unintentionally offensive things about minorities, his
tendency to leave the ballpark early when the Yankees were home, etc. But then there began appearing in The Village Voice a most
remarkable feature : verbatim text from Scooter's broadcasts rendered as poetry. We were suddenly confronted with the frightening prospect
that Scooter was not only making sense, but serving up literature, even profundity. Consider the wisdom, about baseball and about life [....]

As it turns out, this kind of exercise even has a name, it's called "found poetry." The Rizzuto poems are as good as any I've seen[...].

At any rate, this book is a hoot and once you read it you'll never again think of Rizzuto as just a good glove man, nor listen to a baseball
broadcast without noticing the frequently poetic nature of the announcer's line of patter.

GRADE : A

This literary gem is destined to be handed down from parent to child for generations to come.

Long before there was politics, or correctness, there was Phil Rizzuto. Rizzuto ably scoops up the essense of morality and ethics and fires to first with more deftness than Shakespeare, or that guy from Ireland (I can't remember his name--not Joyce, though; it was somebody else.) The poem we always relate and remember around the old campfire--when we go camping, and we have a fire, is the story Scooter tells in the honored oral tradition of Homer: of live-trapping squirrels in his attic and then letting them loose somewhere over by Yogi's house.

No doubt Rizzuto will forever be linked to the other great American Poets: Frost, Angelou, and Walden.

Some people are good at laying down sacrifice bunts, and some people are good at poetry. But nowadays so few people excel at both. Phil Rizzuto is that rare double-threat, and that's why this book is essential for anyone who likes bunts or poems.

My only complaint is that the editors have left out my all-time favorite Rizzuto moment, which was the time circa 1980 when Rizzuto and Frank Messer spent part of a day game discussing whether or not gorillas can swim. The answer proved elusive, but I have since learned that they can.

Even though it's a short book, a little bit goes a long way with this kind of thing. Use in moderation.

Plus, I miss Bill White's good-natured chuckling.

Still, these "poems" are pretty good at bringing back long-gone hot summer nights.

For me, nothing better epitomizes my age of baseball innocence than falling in love with the WPIX broadcasts of Phil Rizzuto, Frank Messer and Bill White during the late 1970s. This offbeat collection of the Scooter's unintentional poetry in his broadcasts is a graphic illustration of why Rizzuto was a true joy in the broadcast booth even if he wasn't a professional in the Mel Allen-Red Barber mold. I loved the format so much that I've actually reviewed the hundreds of old Yankee radio and telecast tapes in my collection searching for supplements to the collected verse of the Scooter and have found enough that could fill a sequel volume. Thanks to Seely and Pyer for this wonderful collection that no Yankee fan should be without.

AN EXCELLENT STORY ABOUT AN INCREDIBLE MAN. PETE IS A HERO IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD. THIS BOOK MAKES HIM HUMAN WITH FLAWS. I REALLY ADMIRE THIS AMAZING MAN. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE WHO NEEDS SOME MOTIVATION TO ACCOMPLISH THINGS IN THEIR LIFE. I AM GLAD TO SEE THIS MAN GET THE ATTENTION HE RICHLY DESERVES FOR AN INCREDIBLE FEAT. HE PLAYED BETTER THAN MEN WITH 2 ARMS. IN ANY LEAGUE HE PLAYED, PETE IS A HALL OF FAMER.

As a boy growing up in the West German State of Hess, I came to admire the great national soccor league players of my time. Since coming to the States, I have learned something of The Great American Past time. While initially dubious of the tradition in this country of professional athletisism I, none the less felt proud to meet Mr. Pete Gray while ravelling on extended vacation through the Pennsylvania Anthracite region, (my family owned and operated mines along the Ruhr prior to the war).

Having overcome the obstacles inherent to anyone, of working with the deficiency of one limb, (most particuarly an athlete), Mr. Grays grim determation served as an inspiration to his generation.

While sad that he is little remembered outside his own home town, Kashatus' book brings to us quite vividly his life and times.

As a boy growing up in the West German State of Hess, I came to admire the great national soccor league players of my time. Since coming to the States, I have learned something of The Great American Past time. While initially dubious of the tradition in this country of professional athletisism I, none the less felt proud to meet Mr. Pete Gray while ravelling on extended vacation through the Pennsylvania Anthracite region, (my family owned and operated mines along the Ruhr prior to the war).

Having overcome the obstacles inherent to anyone, of working with the deficiency of one limb, (most particuarly an athlete), Mr. Grays grim determation served as an inspiration to his generation.

While sad that he is little remembered outside his own home town, Kashatus' book brings to us quite vividly his life and times.

As a boy growing up in the West German State of Hess, I came to admire the great national soccor league players of my time. Since coming to the States, I have learned something of The Great American Past time. While initially dubious of the tradition in this country of professional athletisism I, none the less felt proud to meet Mr. Pete Gray while travelling on extended vacation through the Pennsylvania Anthracite region, (my family owned and operated mines along the Ruhr prior to the war).

Having overcome the obstacles inherent to anyone, of working with the deficiency of one limb, (most particuarly an athlete), Mr. Grays grim determation served as an inspiration to his generation.

While sad that he is little remembered outside his own home town, Kashatus' book brings to us quite vividly his life and times.

When Pete Gray reached the St. Louis Browns in 1945, the team was coming off the only pennant-winning season in its history. This fine biography by veteran baseball historian William C. Kashatus relates the story of Gray before, during, and after his stint with the Browns. Sportswriters dubbed Gray the "one-armed wonder." Born Peter J. Wyshner in the grimy coal-mining town of Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, Gray at age six lost his right arm in a farming accident. He showed remarkable perseverance, however, and pursued sports with a zeal born of adversity. He overcame his handicap to play semi-pro and later professional ball. In 1943 and 1944 he stared for the Class A Southern Association's Memphis Chicks. In 1944 he hit .333, drove in sixty runs, stole sixty-three bases, led the league in fielding percentage, and was voted the Southern Association's most valuable player. While his handicap certainly raised questions about his ability to play in the major league, his 1944 performance earned him a serious look and the Browns acquired his contract for $20,000. Manager Luke Sewell viewed Gray as a sparkplug whose bat and speed would stimulate the Browns' pitiful offense. His strong fielding could only help in the outfield. The Browns' owner believed the one-armed outfielder would also be a gate attraction, especially for thousands of soldiers returning from World War II with handicaps just as significant as Gray's.

For his part, Gray understood that he was something of a token acquisition for the team, but he believed he could help the perennial American League doormat. And Gray had some spectacular moments, as Kashatus relates. He beat the Tigers all by himself during their first meeting of the season. A reporter with the "Detroit News" opined in June 1945 that no one could any longer be suspicious of the Browns' owner for "hiring the outfielder for box office purposes. That he helps the gate receipts is inevitable, but that he helped the Browns win games now is evident to all who have watched him play." And he did help at the gate. By July 1945 the Browns had won over many die-hard Cardinals fans because of the sympathy and excitement generated by Gray's presence in a Browns uniform.

Unfortunately for Gray and the Browns, the "one-armed wonder" could not sustain his early season success. Once opposing pitchers found his weakness they were merciless. Since he had only one arm he had to start the bat earlier than most other hitters and had less control over it once he began his swing. He had become a star in the Southern Association by murdering fast balls, and he could hit big league ones as well, but he had trouble with curves and change-ups because of his difficulty in altering the bat during his swing. Appearing in seventy-seven games for the Browns, Gray batted only .218 with fifty-one hits in 234 plate appearances. Sewell finally benched him when his hitting tapered off.

In an irony of the first magnitude, the noble experiment of giving a one-armed ballplayer a major league opportunity may have actually cost the Browns the pennant. While his teammates admired Gray's courage and resolution in overcoming a handicap, several blamed their third-place finish on him. According to third baseman Mark Christman: "Pete did a great job with what he had. But he cost us the pennant in 1945. We finished third, only six games out. There were an awful lot of ground balls hit to center field. When the kids who hit those balls were pretty good runners, they could keep on going and wind up at second base [because Gray could not throw the ball in as fast as a two-armed player]. I know that lost us eight or ten ball games because it took away the double play or somebody would single and the runner on second would score, where if he had been on first it would take two hits to get him to score."

When the Browns' 1945 season ended, so did the major league career of Pete Gray. Thereafter he played with several minor league clubs all over the country but retired to his hometown of Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, in 1949. He finally died in 2002, but was still alive when Kashatus wrote this short biography and oral histories provided much of the information contained in this work.

I think that this book was really very good. The characters kept me interested in reading more because they didn't seem fictional at all. I'm not much of a reader, but I read this book so fast because I could relate to almost everything that was going on. Understanding what the characters actions is so easy because you can see exactly what they are going through.

I love this book. The main character, Colton Trammel, is written with wonderful depth. The author shows him with all his faults-- not too bright, sometimes cocky and insensitive-- but he's written as such a real, heartfelt character that I grew to care about him almost as if he were a real person. The female characters are also presented in full dimension-- the horrible Grace who doesn't realize she's horrible; sad Dori; and Corinne, who is more like Colton than either of them realize.

Besides the terrific voice and characterizations, there is great humor and a gripping pace to this novel. I can't wait to read more books by A.M. Jenkins.

Although I own 5 copies of this book, I haven't read it yet. Why? Because the boys in my 9th grade English class keep it checked out of my classroom constantly. As soon as a boy returns a copy, the next young man on the waiting list checks it out. I have never seen teenage boys respond to a book like this. Back in August when school started, I only had one copy, but I have purchased 4 additional copies since then. During SSR time, a boy started reading it because I insisted he read something. He would have preferred to put his head down on his desk - absolutely not allowed. He said, "But, Miss, I HATE to read!" I told him that's OK, just stare at the book until the bell rings. That way if the principal had dropped in to make sure we were doing SSR, I wouldn't get in trouble. When the bell rang 15 minutes later, the young man begged me to let take the book home to finish it. He returned it the next morning and started to recommend it to others. Not one boy has yet to read the first 2 pages and not finish the book. Most of my students have read the book in no more than 2 days. Some said that they stayed up all night to finish it because it was so good. No female students have expressed any interest in the book...maybe because the cover has a picture of a baseball on it. As far as I'm concerned, this book works magic on boys. Every boy who has read it in my classes has gone on to read several more books. What more could a teacher ask for? (FYI - My school is in a low socio-economic area, high poverty rate, almost every student is on free/reduced lunch, gang related crime, urban area, etc.)

I absolutely loved this book. It was your everyday life as a teenager in your typical high school. It includes all of the negative things that go on in high school too, so that makes the book a little restrictive for kids younger than 8th grade. But I still liked it. It covered everything from relationships to falling into peer pressure to constantly harassing people. Colt, the main character, is very rude, and really sucks at school work. He is really only good at baseball. But that makes him a bully to everyone around him that he considers, "lower than him". But as he starts to get a taste of what he's been dealing out to everyone when a new girl moves to their school and doesn't take any crap from him. She just sends it right back his way. What made the book so good was when he finally realized how mean he really was to everyone, and he matures. It is kind of eye opening though, because I know there are probably people like that in my school, and I realized that the situations in this book really do happen. But I give you this warning... there are many cuss words, and bad conversations. But it makes up for all of that in the end, I think.

Colt Trammel is trying to make sense of his high school world. His classes are like gibberish, his girlfriend Grace freaks after he tells her he loves her, and his lab partner is a new girl with green hair, for Pete's sake. The only time Colt knows what's going on is when he's playing baseball.

A.M. Jenkins is a master at drawing readers right into the characters. Colt is not a simple jock stereotype. His love for Grace makes him vulnerable, and the failures he experiences in his classes make him feel perpetually stupid.

Colt's struggle with the romantic poets from his English class becomes crucial when his grades drop below what is acceptable for playing athletes. He finds a tutor in Chloe, formerly of the green hair. Jenkins writes their tutoring sessions with humor. Anyone who has struggled to understand classic poems will especially enjoy these parts of the books.

It is also nice to see in a book the boy's side of a painful dating relationship. Readers will sympathize with this supposed tough guy as he pines for Grace, who doesn't treat him well.

Jenkins gives us a three-dimensional character in Colt, who is likable despite some bad choices that will have the reader cringing. OUT OF ORDER is a realistic book, and readers will want to see more of what happens to Colt.

--- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

I stumbled on this book at a bookstore in upstate NY, a far cry from the Houston area. As a baseball fan, it caught my eye although I had very little knowledge of Houston's MLB origins. What sold me-- at least during that quick perusal in the bookstore -- was its treatment of how Houston and NY both came into the league at the same time. After reading it, though, I'm astounded at the history and story of baseball's first major-league team in the south. The no-hitters, the futility, the tear-jerker about Jim Umbricht .... this story reeks of everything that baseball is -- good things, such as colorful characters, true fans, baseball as a game first and business second, and tragedy as well -- the real "Love of the Game" story, not that Kevin Costner tripe. Whether you know anything about Houston, the Colt 45s, or Texas, do yourself a favor and read this book. Heck, it's a human story, not just a sports story. The younger fan may not "get it," but those of us who grew up with those hot summer nights listening to baseball on transistor radios -- no matter were you lived of what team you claimed -- will enjoy the trip back.

Unlike most of the other reviewers, I grew up in Indiana but the Colt .45s were my team. When I first started following sports I wanted my own team, not the Yankees, Cubs or Reds so I picked Houston. Yes, I paid for it my entire life.

In a word, the book was amazing. I would have been the ideal subject for a Norman Rockwell painting, as I sat outside the local drugstore anxiously awaiting The Sporting News to get delivered so I could read everything about my Colts. The book filled in so many of the missing pieces for me especially on the planning before they took the field. The photographs brought to life a lot of what was only mental images of my youth.

I would highly, highly recommend this book. I know my Sixshooter Club card is around here somewhere.

An excellent and detailed history of the Colts and their origins in the planned Continental League, the National League expansion of 1961-62, and their colorful early days until they became the Astros. Lots of great photos of players, now-defunct ballparks, and memorabilia, and the real inside story of the name changes from Colts to Colt .45s to Astros. A winner all around.

Anyone who enjoys reading about the history of baseball will love this book whether one is a Houston fan or not. It is a history book and a human interest story all rolled into one.

One get's the feeling after reading this book a feeling of a little sorrow of not having the opportunity to have known some of the unusual personalities depicted in the book, especially pitcher Dick "Turk" Farrell whom obviously was an under rated but solid major league pitcher and a man of a thousand pratical jokes.

The power struggles between the men who helped bring major league baseball to Houston is a story that is almost too intriguing to be true yet is a story that is factual in every detail.

To the fan of the Houston Astros baseball franchise, this is the ultimate book on the history of the origin of the team.

Author Robert Reed definitely did his homework on this one.

I grew up and still reside in the Bayou City. I was born in 1967, two years after the Colt .45's moved from Colt Stadium into the Astrodome and changed their name to the Astros.


Even as a young child I remember having an almost mystical interest in the Colt .45's. It was a marvel to me that they could actually play basball outside in the summers in Houston. I clearly remember my little leauge days in Houston thinking about the heat and humidity and the glare of the sun.

There was never an abundance of information on the Colt .45's or pictures of the old stadium unless you heard it about it from older Houstonians or former players that still called Houston home. This book is truly the Bible of Houston baseball. It is comparitive to the Old Testament's GENISIS. I swear if you curl up on a lazy afternoon and let your mind flow with the book you will feel as though you have travelled back into yester-year and you are there at Colt Stadium, mosquitos, humidity and all.

Sadly baseball in Houston now is a joke. The Astros are the epitome of over-paid, grossly under achieving, lazy athletes. I grew up with the Dome and I would have glady gone to Colt Stadium to root on a near last place team. AT LEAST THEY TRIED AND MADE AN EFFORT. The new ballpark downtown I have nicknamed "The Coffin". With it's retractable roof "The Coffin" is either opened or closed depending on what day you drive by. Most every player inside the place is alrady dead or just going through the motions.

This book celebrates the effort, the entertainment and the energy that once exsisted in Astros history but no longer does. This is the written account of the genisis of major leauge baseball in Houston. It also includes INCREDIBLE photographs in color and black and white.

This book is NOT to be missed ! Read it !

These days, you never see 'works' like this. The work that went into getting these beautigul and timeless letters. The astounding photographs that go with them. Just a treat to read. Also, a really GREAT gift to give for any baseball fan. I guarantee they've never seen anything like it.

Something to Write Home About is a really neat, quirky book that anyone who likes baseball can pick up and read anywhere, any time. It's a fun, easy read full of joy and surprises. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes baseball or is a fan of popular culture. It's a must read!

some great baseball stories in letter form, a slew of awesome photographs, a nice helping of history and a sense of quirkiness and warmth? Answer: This book. What other book could juxtapose the letters of paul mccartney with shawn green? Or, Ernie Banks and Elizabeth Wrigley-Field? Or tie together the letters of Gaylord Perry and Buzz Aldrin? I found I could not put it down as with the author's other books, but this one really goes all out. I just hopes he keeps doing more of them.

This book is truly great in the fact that even after you've read the letters in it, months later, you remember what some people said--and those things were so inspiring: peter tork of the monkees talking about how 'participating' in an event is, in itself, such a great thing to do. Or, Martin Luther's King's photographer, Flip Schulke, remembering what a great dad Dr. King was...i never thought of dr. king as a father, only as a civil rights leader. Or the guy who's grandfather invented wiffleball and what makes it such a special game.With baseball as a backdrop, all of these intyeresting people wrote to the author (along with some of my favorite baseball players).This book is a true gem, not only for what it is when you're reading it, but for what it is when you are NOT reading it.If you just took away from this visually beautiful book a simple life lesson or two (and you take away many more than that), it would be well worth it. it has been to me and those i've given it to. I highly, highly recommend it to anyone who likes...life!

Not the typical book--not even just a 'baseball' book. Needs to be seen to be appreciated. Every page is a visual and emotional feast. From pinch hitter Gates Brown writing (the book is made up of all the actual handwritten letters Mr. Swirsky received from these people) about the day he was told to pinch hit an inning before he normally was asked too. He stuffs his half-eaten hot dog in his jersey and then, against his own wishes, slams a ball into the gap. He slides in and when he gets up, his uniform is covered with hot dog and mustard, ketchup and pieces of the bun.Hilarious. I found President George W. Bush's letter very poignant (amazing that he handwrote a 2 page letter)....There are many more. Try and find this book.You will not regret it.

As national sports publications go, The Sporting News tends towards the low-brow; this can be charted both with the increase in recent years of NASCAR-coverage and by the quality of the copy itself--certainly not in the same class as Sports Illustrated, which, for all its faults, boasts the cream of the crop in terms of sheer sports journalism.
Thankfully, the book is not marred too noticeably by the usual TSN writing style; namely terse, fumbling little capsules that adhere strictly to certain familiar narrative arcs. The same cannot be said for the opinions therein, which are often almost painfully wrong-minded or dependent on faulty logic. It becomes clear that this volume was meant more as a stately coffee table book than a Bill James-style journey into the jungle of stats and lore to determine the pecking order of the great game.
I am a maniacal fan, to put it kindly, and one that must analyze history for its own sake. This book is intended for a fan of a slightly lesser level of obsession, which is not to say that it cannot be recommended heartily for most.

Baseball is my favorite sport, and I love debating the greatest players of all time just like everyone else. And The Sporting News does a solid job of ranking the players, and offering why. The pictures are a wonderful addition to the text. And while they overvalue players like Rogers Hornsby and Pete Rose and undervalue players like Lou Gehrig, Honus Wagner, and Stan Musial, the idea of the book like this is to provoke arguments. Foolishy, they did not separate pitchers and position players, and I wish they would have written a little bit more about each player, but overall this is a great book. One final note: For the most part I believe that baseball's greatest players came from the bygone days, but Cal Ripken's 78 ranking in this book is an absolute travesty. He is a top 30 player. Overall, a great book.

GREAT BOOK, GIVEN AS A GIFT AND HE LOVED IT. READS IT AVIDLY EVERYDAY. WIFE TOLD ME HE ABSOLUTELY LOVES IT. I AM SURE IT WILL BE LOVED BY THE AVID BASEBALLL FAN. MAKES A GREAT GIFT OR IF YOU ARE JUST BUYING IT FOR YOURSELF ENJOY EVERY PICTURE AND LINE YOU READ.

Like their pro football book, this book selects what The Sporting News' editors felt who were the greatest 100 baseball players of all time. And it's very difficult to argue too hard with their choices. Babe Ruth at #1 is in my opinion a no-brainer. Ruth really saved the game at a time when it desperately needed a hero and he forever changed the way the game was played with his towering home runs on the field and his "carousing" off it. The book also features a nicely written foreword by the #2 all-time best player, Willie Mays. How honored I am that I got to see him play in his prime some 30 plus years ago as a boy.

I like that the choices in this book are unaffected by race, scandal or personality. Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, Buck Leonard, Cool Papa Bell, and Oscar Charleston of the Negro League made this list. It's truly sad that so many talented ballplayers were kept out of the majors because of their race. Joe Jackson, is another "Top 100 member" who of course was banned after the Black Sox scandal. Others like Ty Cobb, who was a notorious hothead in his day are also here.

Reading through the book brought many smiles to my face as I recalled watching so many players, like Harmon Killebrew, Kirby Puckett, Willie McCovey (my all-time favorite), Ernie Banks, and Hank Aaaron just to name a few.

So many excellent choices, this book is well-done and a great momento to all the athletes who have made baseball the game it is today.

My favorite sports is baseball, so reviewing this book was an easy choice. As with all books that rank the best of all time, the listing are subjective, although this list is very close to my personal choices. Sporting News is a respected name and that adds credibility to the book.

Starting with Babe Ruth, as most baseball ranking do, right to number 100 Early Wynn, there are stories, photos and quotes that make this book one the best. I was impressed by the vast collection of pictures throughout the book.

The book has a top 100 timeline of players, the All Time top 10 selections lists, all decade teams, top100 breakdowns and a top 100 quiz included in the book as well. For every baseball fan and purest, this would make the prefect gift or collectors item.

A great addition to my library, a book that I will share with my children for years to come, Baseball's 100 Greatest Players needs only to add a video to make the set complete!

W.P. Kinsella is an excellent writer of short fiction. Many will know him as author of Shoeless Joe which became the movie Field of Dreams (Widescreen Two-Disc Anniversary Edition).

Kinsella also has written a number of short stories, relying on baseball as the theme, but with themes that are universal. This isn't the "get the big hit to win the game" story, but rather baseball as a metaphor.

With any collection, the question of best and worst short stories come up. Particulary strong is the opener "The Last Pennant Before Armageddon" which deals with a prophecy that the next pennant that the Cubs win will be the last pennant that any team ever wins -- a prediction that still hasn't been tested since this piece was penned in 1984.

The collection also closes strong with "The Thrill of the Grass" dealing with the baseball strike and a populist secret revolt against artificial turf -- a methphorical return to purity.

Excellent work. Kinsella is truly a master writer.

W.P. Kinsella writes fiction that is a reflection of his true love of baseball. His devotion to his topic is evident to his readers in each of his works of fiction that often seem too realistic to be fiction. Particularly in this collection of stories, the line between fact and fiction is blurry.

"The Last Pennant Before Armageddon" is the highlight of the set as other reviewers have noted. As one might guess based on the title, the plot involves the Cubs winning the pennant. Though some countries, playoff alignments, and even teams from the story no longer exist, the end of the world would seem to be the logical conclusion to a Cubs pennant victory. The swerve at the end of the story may or may not surprise some readers.

Other highlights in the set include "The Night Manny Mota Tied the Record", "The Battery", and "The Thrill of the Grass". In a plot that preceded anything written by Mitch Albom, "The Night Manny Mota Tied the Record" explores the feelings after the death of Yankee catcher Thurmon Munson. Would a hardcore (non-Yankee) baseball fan give his life to save Munson's? "The Battery" takes readers to Santo Domingo where a wizard created in the vein of author Terry Pratchett sees the birth of baseball playing twins. While at least one twin excells in baseball, the wizard is the star of this story. "The Thrill of the Grass" is set during the 1981 players' strike, though the same scenario woud apply to 1994. The narrator breaks into an empty stadium as the story begins. Though he dislikes the lack of activity, he is most appalled by the artificial turf.

Though not all of the stories were gems, baseball fans are certain to enjoy this collection just as much as Kinsella's other works.

My brother told me about W.P. Kinsella in 1984 and I've been a huge fan ever since. I've read everything I can find by him, starting with "Shoeless Joe" and this might be my favorite book of his. He has written at least three collections of baseball short stories and this is easily the best.

Most of the stories are not so much about baseball, it's more a case of using baseball as a background and common thread to tie the stories all together.

These are the kind of stories you can read over and over again. One of my favorites was the story about the fans who decided to turn the latest player's strike into a chance to replace astroturf with real grass. With the stadium shut down for the strike, they came in and returned the field to a natural state. I've always thought that when the players strike they should strike to get rid of astroturf; a cause many fans could get behind.

I don't know of any baseball fan who would not enjoy these stories.

A collection of baseball stories - or rather, stories involving baseball and baseball players in some way. Kinsella is at hist best when he stays close to earth - hopeful bush leaguers, women trouble - but tends to go way over the top when he tries to involve more "magic" (in his own words) to the game and the story. The Iowa Baseball Confederacy suffered from this problem, and so do a few of the stories in this collection. But when his "stories aren't about events, they're about the people they happen to", he has a wonderful touch. Some of my favourites in this collection are "Drive me to the moon", about a Rookie leaguer and his affair in a one-horse town in Canada, "Barefoot and pregnant in Des Moines", about a big league star and his marriage. Some of these stories are true gems and fully warrant the five-star rating; others are filler, but then even the most classic games have their straightforward 6-3 groundouts.

W. P. Kinsella writes with poignance and wit, capturing both the humor and the occasional tragedy of the game. This collection displays some of his best work.

My alltime favorite among this collection is "The Last Pennant Before Armageddon." In the wake of the Cubs' collapse this fall, a work like this has real prescience and is somehow reassuring that there was a higher purpose behind it all.

Still, there are other strong stories in the mix. In one, the narrator is offered the chance to trade places with the recently-killed Yankees catcher Thurman Munson. Another, more whimsical story takes you inside the clubhouse of the 1951 Giants, as a surprisingly literate team debates whether The Greaty Gatsby is an allegory.

For me, "The Last Pennant Before Armageddon" is reason enough to buy this book. In the wake of the 2003 NLCS, I feel a dire need to read it . . . repeatedly.

This is a magnificent work, weaving the history of the Phillies and A's through the socioeconomic changes in Philadelphia during the tenure of Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium. Although I am not a Phila. native nor am I a Phillies fan, I found this work fascinating, and could not put it down! An absolute must for any library of information about historic stadiums - WELL WORTH THE MONEY AND TIME!

The author did an outstanding job in writing this book. I've visited Philly several times on business. The nature of my business took me to the distressed areas of North & West Philadelphia. I visited 21st & Lehigh where Shibe Park formerly took & now has the church covering part of the grounds. I only wished that I could have seen the park during its existence. I had the opportunity visiting Philly on a weekend pass when some Army buddies back in 1968, but unfortunately we didn't think about attending a ballgame at Connie Mack Stadium. My loss.

If your a native Philadelphian, Phillies, or a baseball fan you must read this book. It talks about not only the A's, but the Phillies, and even the Eagles and their ownerss. It talks extensively about the immediate neighborhood, North Philly, and the problems that both Connie Mack & the Carpenters faced owning the stadium. I didn't think the book would be as near as enjoyable as it proved to be. The Amazon reader's star ratings are usually grossly over graded, but not in this instance.

The best baseball books earn their sentiment. Bruce Kulkick's book does just that. It is a grown-up story written with passion and anger and affection. The author knows the game, knows that IT IS a game and does a balancing act that should satisfy fans of Big League ball, 20th century American history, and any city planning student around. Baseball is said to be a perfect game in its dimensions; if the distance between bases were any shorter, far too many hits would be produced, if the distance were longer, nobody would ever get aboard. Kuklick is a writer who carries off the same tricky balance. Elegaic and important.

THIS BOOK GIVES A VERY NOSTALGIC AND DETAILED LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF SHIBE PARK AND THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD. MUCH DETAIL AND DRAMA IS GIVEN TO THE EVENTS THAT GRACED THIS GREAT PARK. ALSO COVERED IN DETAIL ARE THE SHORT STAY OF THE EAGLES, THE RIVALTY OF THE A'S AND PHILLIES. THE BUNGLING AND MISMANEGMENT OF THE MACK FAMILY AND OF THE CARPENTERS IS ALSO VERY WELL DOCUMENTED AND WELL DESCRIBED. THE TRANSPORTATION PROBLEM SURROUNDING THE JOUNEY TO AND FROM SHIBE PARK AND THE DETERIORATING NEIGHBORHOOD ARE ALSO A VERY WELL COVERED PART OF THIS MUST READ NOVEL. I REALLY LOVED THIS BOOK. I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO PHILADELPHIA, BUT THE AUTHOR MAKES THIS HISTORIC PARK INTO A STAPLE IN BASEBALL HISTORY. VERY RECOMMENDED.

University of Pennsylvania historian Bruce Kuklick has written with "To Every Thing a Season" a masterful analysis of the role of the relationship of Major League Baseball (MLB) to the city of Philadelphia and its culture in the twentieth century. He takes as his nexus one of the most significant of the concrete-and-steel stadiums built by various teams in the first part of the century, Shibe Park, home to both the National League Phillies and the American League Athletics--A's for short--for much of its history. Shibe Park, built by Connie Mack and others for $301,000, opened its doors in 1909. It was the home of the Athletics until they departed the city for Kansas City in 1954 and the Phillies between 1938 and 1970 when they moved to Veteran's Stadium.

This is sophisticated history, not the once-over-lightly narratives of many baseball histories. Kuklick emphasizes the interrelations of the A's, the Phillies, and the residents of Philadelphia with Shibe Park as the point of convergence. Connie Mack, the owner of the A's, provides the human face of much of the description in the book and his successes and numerous failings on and off the field give "To Every Thing a Seasons" much of its dramatic power. Mack built two great baseball powerhouses with the A's, the first time in the years surrounding 1910 and again in the years around 1930. In both cases he dismantled those teams and sold the players to other Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises. The Phillies had far fewer good years than the A's, but did manage to win a National League pennant in 1950, and came close in 1964 when a late season collapse allowed the St. Louis Cardinals to take the pennant.

Kuklick does not recite too much of the on-field activities of the Phillies and A's, but instead focuses on the role of Shibe Park, and by extension its occupants, in the life of the Philadelphia. As such "To Every Thing a Season" is quite excellent urban history, and at some level also business and economic and social history, rather than sports or baseball history. Kuklick is correct to conclude, and this very fine book emphasizes it: "Part of the story of Shibe Park is one of proprietorial rapacity, cynicism, and the limitations of even admirable people in an industrial society" (p. 190). Kuklick's epilogue is a superb contemplation of the social function of MLB teams and their home cities, using Philadelphia as a model. It helped generate a shared identity and taught camaraderie and patience and acceptance of the world and its fortunes. In the end, Shibe Park served as a collector of memories for the city, of both good and bad events. It became, over time, the city's equivalent of the family kitchen table.

There is no question but that any reader will learn quite a lot from this book, and I recommend it as the starting point for serious investigation of MLB and its relation to the homes of its various franchises.

I knew the author, Paul Haven, as a teenager in NY, so when I saw this book I had to pick it up and read it. This book had me smiling the whole way through. I enjoyed every page. I am eager to pass it along to my pre-teen nephews who play baseball for their town. I will certainly save a copy for my son when he is old enough to read it. Reading this book brought back memories of listening to the author and friends discussing baseball in Central Park 20 years ago. Some passions never die! Great book, Paul. I can't wait to read your next one! -LS

My eight year old baseball nut of a grandson read this cover to cover yesterday as he traveled with his family to Arizona for camping and a couple of spring training games. Given its length, his parents thought it would keep him busy for a couple of days. Not so.

My 9-year old son loved this book. He writes: This was definitely the best baseball book I have ever read! The main character, Danny Gurkin has tons of crazy ideas about giving the sluggers good luck. Sometimes they seem to work. But the sluggers are cursed when a poisoned pretzel kills a bubblegum tycoon. Paul Haven is a great writer.

Witty and creative, it breaks away from standard kids' fare. For baseball lovers especially, this would make a great gift.

I'm always on the lookout for a good story to read aloud to my 2nd graders, and this one fit the bill. Haven's engaging and quirky characters, combined with the baseball setting, and mysterious goings on made for a lively read that generated a lot of enthusiasm. Parts of this book reminded me of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, while other parts reminded me of Shoeless Joe.

A good story to read aloud, and a perfect one for sports-minded 4-7th graders to relish.