Baseball Books

I love basball. I purchased this as an easy read, something to do on a rainy day. After a few pages, I read a few more, and then a few more. I finished on a sunny afternoon. All in all, much better than I expected, and hope to read more from the author.

Not only is the State of Georgia's connection to formation of baseball told, but, how baseball formed us as Americans. Moreover, this book pinpoints how baseball exemplifies and validates our core beliefs as Americans, much more so than football; soccer being so distant from these beliefs centered on individual effort and achievement. It's recollections of a proud father and his son, a focused pitcher. It's a fun trip through the history of the game, its ebbs and flows. For Georgians, it is the story of the city of Norcross and its baseball renaissance. This book is a refreshing critique on the silly PC morays that have taken over our society and how baseball serves as check against these encroachments. Having played 7 years of baseball myself, divided equally between catcher, and third base; I identify and love the book. The author's history channel documentary-like approach to telling baseball's story, and significance, will capture readers who's fingers have not laid across the seems of a Rawlings baseball. I am a life long New York Yankees fan. One word of caution (meant in gest), this author hates the Yankees! The author's favorite team is the Washington Senators. The who? The Twins? Overall, this book is an excellent snap shot of baseball, from our prospective.....Americans.

Many happy memories were evoked by this book for me. Everybody growing up in the 50's and 60's enjoyed baseball and you feel like you are right back there while you read some of the beginning chapters of this story. There are so many layers to this book that you can read it again and again, finding new things to consider each time. Father-son relationships, family values,life in Northern Virginia, the origins of the game...and lots more, all centered around America's original past time.
The only drawback for me was the copious baseball stats peppered throughout the book. I suppose if you are a numbers person though it adds much to the story. Either way this book will get you thinking. Its unexpected ending will leave you smiling too.

This odyssey is as if Mark Twain, Pat Conroy, Thomas Paine, George Will, Helen Hooven Santmyer, PJ O'Rourke and Mike Royko combined forces to write the ultimate history, geography, baseball, child care, coming of age, political and philisophical commentary.It is beautifully descriptive and the conservative and commonsensical punditry dispersed throughout is humorous and thought provoking. The occasional anti-PC rants are not for the feint-hearted, but rather for those whose approach to life is based on love of God, country, family and baseball--but not necessarily in that order.

I thought The Road to the Big's would be an instruction book on how an individual can become part of the baseball life, but it's more of a book about how baseball is a part of everyone's life. Whether we like baseball or not, it's a game we all grew up with and one that is a part of everyone's history. On one level, the author makes hard hitting connections between the popularity of baseball and the philosophical, spiritiual and sociological roots of our country, while on another level soft pitches a delightful story of his own experiences with the game. There's some thing there to hit home with any reader.

I cannot remember enjoying a baseball book this much. It focuses on hundreds of historic baseball landmarks, and the breadth of places is fascinating. There are all of the classic former ballpark sites like the Polo Grounds and Ebbets Field, complete with a description and photos of what is there now. Dozens of baseball museums I never knew existed, historically placed markers identifying famous homeruns by Babe Ruth, the home of Connie Mack, sacred baseball burial grounds and much more. I cannot believe how much I learned from this book (and I have studied the game for a long time). Some fine detective work here--like where Lou Gehrig really played his last game, the birthsite of Jackie Robinson, and where Babe Ruth pitched a notable yet obscure game against Walter Johnson in California. Lots of historic Negro League sites, too--for we baseball fans who love the road and who love history, this is our ultimate guide and I've never seen anything like it.

I bought this book several mos. ago and it has lived up to its reputation as one of the best baseball books around. Great book to take "on the road" and fills a real niche for the baseball historian/enthusiast. I've actually taken this one on the road and it does the job and does it quite well. Kudos to the author on this one.

Nothing is more quintessentially symbolic of America than baseball and road trips, and Chris Epting has brought the two together in this delightfully quirky road guide to all things baseball throughout the land. The book is divided first into sections (East, South, Midwest, West, & Outside the Lines),and further divided into states, listed alphebetically, within each section to make it convienent to use as you travel. And even the most knowledgable and die-hard baseball fan is likely to discover events and places within its covers to surprise and delight them.
While 'Roadside Baseball' can direct you to well known present and former shrines of baseball (Wrigley Field; the Ebbets Field apartments with its cornerstone marker commemorating the Dodger's old home field on that site), it is the many lesser known and often quirky places it discovers that really gives it its charm. Epting has discovered roadside markers, plaques, statues, memorials, and museums all over the country dedicated to baseball players, stadiums, and history. Some are charmingly kitchy, like the bed and breakfast in New Hampshire once owned by Babe Ruth's daughter, in which room #2 where the Babe often stayed has been maintained with all of its original furnishings. Others tie baseball history to the history of America, like the marker in Postville, Illinois marking the location of a field where Abe Lincoln played townball, an early form of baseball. And some mark arcane baseball history, like DeVault Memorial Stadium in Bristol, Virginia, where minor leagure Ron Necciai (a pitcher once deemed by Branch Rickey to be of the same quality as Dizzy Dean) once threw a 27 strikeout game, before disappearing into obscurity.
It was seeing many of the references that I know from my own experience that proved to me how comprehensive this book truly is. As a Pittsburgher, I was pleased to see not only the outfield wall and preserved homeplate of Forbes Field listed, but the roadside plaque in nearby Homestead that commemorates the great Negro League team the Homestead Grays. I also found here the tiny church yard in rural Ohio where Cy Young lies buried directly behind the grave of my great grandfather, who was his neighbor; a surprise find I had made years earlier while working on my genealogy. Very little seems to have escaped Mr. Epting when he compiled this wonderful little book.
If you love baseball, road trips, and Americana at its best, you can't afford to miss this outstanding guide to all three.

Theo Logos

For many, baseball is almost akin to a religion in America. Many undertake the pilgrimage to all the Major League ballparks, but Epting has created the ultimate cultural tour of history that goes far beyond these parks. Sure, anyone can go to see where Babe Ruth hit his final home run, but would we know where to go to see where he hit his first (or as Epting makes the distinction, where he hit his first professional home run, and where he hit his first professional home run in a regular season game)? No event escapes Epting for potential inclusion in this journey into our heritage. Each site is identified with an address, often a photo and an explanation of why it is important to note. But also, Epting's book can serve as a warning to us. So many of the important sites from the early years of baseball have been lost; they have become the victims of "progress." He takes the time to try and show us where historic fields are, but too often they are fully tossed aside, with an apartment building, or a parking lot now occupying the spaces where the pioneers played and set our early records. For each ballpark that has been lovingly restored or kept in good condition, there are two that have become lost to the wrecking ball. This is one of the ways that Epting's book should open up our eyes to prevent further loss of our sports history in the name of progress. Someone like Epting helps make sure that we never forget, even if others have. Put this in your glove box, and find a bit of our national pastime history across the country.

I found this book very enjoyable. It is 288 pages of baseball monuments from all over the United States. Each historic baseball artifact and locale is given a brief and concise description. It was interesting to see which region was famous for who or for what. The book covers alot of ground and has introduced me to many new topics within baseball, and led me in search of other books covering the various players and places that i have read about here. I really enjoyed it.

We recently purchased this book for our grandchild and after reading it would highly recommend this book. Even if you are not a baseball fan it still has an appeal to anyone who is looking for a book that will give their kids a positive message and help in dealing with life and its ups and downs. It is well written and beautifully illustrated. We will be buying more copies to give as gifts.

This book is truly one of a kind! Our 2,5 & 7-year olds all loved this book. Rocky the Mudhen helped reinforce what my husband and I try everyday to instill with our children: never, ever give up. If you can dream it, you can become it. It is packed with fun illustrations! We had a hard time keeping our kids from turning the page in search of the "hot dog". Birthday gifts for 5-7 year olds are often difficult to find. This is our families new birthday gift for everyone!

As a parent and a teacher, I am always looking for great books to read aloud. This book is not just about baseball, it also delivers a wonderful message about working hard for what you believe in and never giving up. Every child in my third-grade classroom really enjoyed it. This book is full of colorful and fun illustrations. I enjoyed how it defined a lot of the special lingo that baseball players use. You certainly don't have to be a kid to enjoy this one!

Rocky the Mudhen is a great children's book because not only does it educate younger readers on all those aspects of the baseball lexicon that are unique to America's Pastime ("tater", "rabbit ears", etc.), it teaches kids that if you believe in yourself, anything is possible. I recommend it to anyone, baseball fan or not!

I read this book to my Second Grade students and they really enjoyed it. It's nice to have a book that the boys really got into and the girls liked it too. It explained a lot of baseball terms and it had a great message. The illustrations were fun!

What a wonderful read. This book is more about the lessons in life of love, dreams, hard work, heartbreak, success and ultimately failure, than it is about baseball alone. It's a captivating novel between a grandfather and his grandson and the reader becomes engaged in their deepening relationship as the story of the grandfather's illustrious career in Major League Baseball's golden era unfolds. This book is highly recommended.

This book is such a powerful story about the relationship between a Grandfather and Grandson. It absolutely moved me and I couldn't put it down. It was about the rumor that ruined a man's baseball career but it was so much more than that. It will appeal to anyone who has ever had or wanted a close relationship with a Grandparent or adult to teach them life lessons. I enjoy baseball, but this book is not just for baseball fans. I highly recommend this book!

The author has a way of writing that makes the reader
smell the leather of the glove, hear the crack of the
bat, share the tears in history as he takes you into
the Yankee dougout on the date that Lou Gehrig took
himself out of the game. Of course it ended his
streak, but along with the members of the Yankees, I
cried.

The author's promise, getting to the bottom of the
"rumor" is so touching. There is no doubt in my mind
that the best firstbaseman in history is now in the
big show in Heaven. One doesn't need a love for the
game to appreciate, the talent, frustrations, respect,
character, and most of all love for the game by Babe
Dahlgren, as well as well as the love he shared with
his grandson. An incredibly well written book by a
new young author.

The way Babe Dahlgren's career was handled was a
travisty. Nobody with his credentials and ability
should have in those days been constantly traded,
demoted and traded.

It is a true testimony to the pettiness of the men
who are still little boys that own the clubs. They can
crush the hopes and dreams of a great athelete in what
is supposed to be a game. Most important, "Rumor in
Town" A Grandson's Promise to Right a Wrong is not
just another sports book destined to end up on the
sale shelf at the book store, it's a true love story
of a young boy for his Grandpa and the promised that
he kept.


Jim Campbell Benga Lagoon Resort, Fiji

Rumors of Drug Use Have Damaged for Decades
By MURRAY CHASS
Barry Bonds may go to jail if a jury believes he lied about using steroids. Many other players could face suspensions next season if George J. Mitchell identifies them in his coming investigative report on steroids in baseball.

But the story of Bonds or any other player doesn't approach the tale of Babe Dahlgren, a major league first baseman from 1935 to 1946, whose career and life were ruined by an unsubstantiated rumor that he smoked marijuana.

Under Major League Baseball's drug-testing program today, players get 50-game suspensions for testing positive for steroid use, 25 games for amphetamine use. Dahlgren, whose career ended nearly 60 years before testing began, merely had his life wrecked.

The first player tested for drug use, in 1943, Dahlgren volunteered to be tested, and he underwent a series of examinations by a doctor in Philadelphia to prove he was not a user of marijuana.

This bizarre and sad, heart-rending story is told in a new book, "Rumor in Town" (Woodlyn Lane), by Matt Dahlgren, the player's 37-year-old grandson, who had promised that he would get to the bottom of the scurrilous talk.

He did, learning that it was started by Joe McCarthy, manager of seven Yankees World Series champions, and propagated by Branch Rickey, father of baseball's farm system and a brilliant executive.

In this engrossing book, Matt Dahlgren also writes that a succession of baseball commissioners did nothing to help Dahlgren clear his name, starting with Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who told him, according to the book, that "castration would be an appropriate punishment for the culprit behind the rumor."

"Babe would write to Landis every time he heard of someone who heard the rumor, but Landis never did anything," Matt Dahlgren said Friday in a telephone interview. "Babe wrote to other commissioners, and none of them did anything."

By the time Fay Vincent took office in 1989, Dahlgren, then 77, had wearied in his pursuit of trying to get a commissioner to help him salvage his reputation.

"It's too bad; I wish I had been involved," Vincent said by telephone from Florida. "I would have tried to fix it."

He added: "People railroaded him for illegitimate reasons. It's a sad story. He was accused of being on drugs when I doubt very much that he was."

Vincent, who lauded the book, said, "It's not one of baseball's prettiest stories, and I regret that it didn't get fixed before he died."

Why did McCarthy start the rumor? With detective-like qualities and using as a guide a manuscript his grandfather wrote, Matt Dahlgren pieced together the story.

It began with a meeting, at the suggestion of James Dawson, who covered the Yankees for The New York Times, between Dahlgren and Lefty O'Doul, an expert hitting instructor, at the wedding of Joe DiMaggio and Dorothy Arnold.

McCarthy, apparently seeing O'Doul as a threat, learned of O'Doul's hitting help and confronted Dahlgren about it. After that season (1940), McCarthy orchestrated Dahlgren's trade to the Boston Braves.

At the time, McCarthy explained the trade by saying that Dahlgren's arms were too short to play first base, even though Dahlgren, who had replaced Lou Gehrig the year before, was widely considered the league's finest first baseman.

But in a subsequent conversation with "baseball insiders," McCarthy offered a different reason for the trade, demonstrating his resentment of Dahlgren at the same time. Dahlgren, his grandson quoted McCarthy as saying, would not have made a game-losing error in a late-season game that hurt the Yankees' pennant chances "if he wasn't a marijuana smoker."

Dahlgren did not become aware of the rumor for a couple of years, but it was responsible for a series of moves in his career. In the next two seasons, 1941 and '42, he played for the Braves, the Cubs, the Browns and the Dodgers. Early in 1943, Dahlgren had an unpleasant salary session with Rickey, a frugal -- cheap -- general manager.

According to the book, Rickey infuriated Dahlgren by asking, "Do you smoke marijuana?"

Rickey traded Dahlgren to Philadelphia before the season, and during a trip to play the Dodgers, Dahlgren and a teammate, Danny Litwhiler, encountered Charlie Dressen, a former Dodgers coach. Dressen said Rickey was asked by his bosses why he traded Dahlgren, and "Rickey told them he traded you because you smoke marijuana."

The trail went further. The Phillies traded Dahlgren, who was an All-Star, to Pittsburgh in December 1943. Matt Dahlgren figured it out.

Ted McGrew had been the Dodgers' chief scout and attended the meeting at which Rickey cited marijuana as the reason he traded Dahlgren. Bill Cox, the Phillies' owner, who was about to be barred for life for betting on their games, hired McGrew in October. Two months later Dahlgren was traded.

It was not his final move. In April 1946, the Pirates sold Dahlgren to the St. Louis Browns, his seventh move in six seasons.

In 1985, 11 years before he died, Dahlgren wrote a letter to an old teammate, Al Lopez, asking the name of a scout who Lopez said was present at dinner when the owner of the Indianapolis minor league club told him that Rickey had "gone to great lengths to damage my reputation by saying I smoked marijuana."

In a handwritten reply, the 77-year-old Lopez told Dahlgren, "The scout's name was Ted McGrew."

Re: Rumor in Town by Matt Dahlgren

I loved this book because it touched me and intrigued me in so many ways. The author's personal story of his relationship with his grandfather evoked for me childhood memories of listening to baseball games on the radio with my father and sharing his delight in baseball newsreels at the local movies. Living in a small town in central Indiana in the late 1940's and the 1950's gave us no other access to these bigger-than-life heroes.

This book also reminds me of why these men were our heroes, what qualities America once revered in the making of our heroes, and how the men who played the game of baseball in the first half of the 20th century represented these values. The tragedy of Babe Dahlgren's story is that he clearly belonged in the pantheon of these heroes; the actions of those who denied him the chances to claim his place reveal the petty politics and personal power plays that mere mortals can bring to a sport.

Although the author doesn't directly speak to this issue, I think the book provides a glimpse of the sport's reflection of American racial prejudices and stereotypes of the time. I also think this may be a relevant piece of the Babe Dahlgren story. Matt Dahlgren provides us with plenty of convincing evidence that Babe's outstanding performance on the field and at the plate was completely inconsistent with the marijuana use rumor. So, the reader begins to wonder, what is behind the power of this particular rumor? The stigma of it that fuels the retelling? One clue, in my opinion, is the comment of one of his contemporaries who scoffed at the rumor saying, " Babe was too classy a guy for that". In the context of white American social attitudes of the time, marijuana use was something done by "negroes" and people who admired their jazz music (which was not regarded as a genre of proper American culture). Perhaps this unspoken tagging was part of the damage to Babe's career that statistics can't tell us.

My dad would have loved this book. I hope someone makes it into a movie.

Rita Milhollin
Portland, OR

Every year this book loses more and more of it's edge. It's good at saying what a player does well but is overly gentle about what a player does not. Back in the late 80's the book was brutally honest (if you get a chance read Ray Knight in the '86 book ... the year he won the World Series MVP). Now that was entertaining. Sure they were wrong on occasion but they had the guts to tell it like they thought. They've lost that now. Take a look at the "other players" grades. Over 90% are C's. What's the point. That said ... I'll still get it.

A terrific book that exposes the strengths and weaknesses of every Major League Baseball player and some of the up and coming stars who are close to reaching the "show". Follow every players at bats and pitching outings with this great scouting book that pulls no punches when analysing the players. A book I can't put down, every Baseball fan should have a copy in their library.

To all you Baseball Prospectus diehards, your 2005 collection is not complete without this book. This book provides traditional scouting methods that you won't find in any other publication. If you want to know the assortment of pitchers a hurler throws, you can find it in this book. The best part of about this scouting guide is the detail description of players' tendencies and skills. The book also goes into detail about the 30 ballparks around the league and provides a one page report about the tendencies and stategies of all big league managers. While I love to read the performance based analysis of Baseball Prospectus, I think that book has failed to capture the total picture of ballplayers in its publication and I use the Scouting Notebook to get both sides of the story. Remember, a successful baseball team needs both a blend of brilliant sabermetric and scouting analysis to be successful.

If you only buy one baseball annual in 2005, this should be the one! The Scouting notebook effectively humanizes the players to such a degree I felt like I could manage them to a pennant. The writing style is crisp,and clean, easy to understand without becoming boringly predictable. This book makes for a fun companion for the 2005 season.

Along with Baseball Prospectus and the Bill James annual, this is a book that should be on every fan's coffee table throughout the baseball season. Full of detailed scouting analysis on hundreds of major leaguers, it complements the statistical annuals perfectly, helping to provide a complete picture of each player.

There are 22 players listed for each team, with 12 getting full pages and the others shown with 2 on a page. Each player's vitals are included on their page, along with situational stats. For batters, a diagram is included to show hitting tendencies, while pitchers are given a pitching profile showing a further breakdown of their performance versus the league average. The player evaluations are divided into 4 categories - a recap of their 2004 season, pitching or hitting depending on their position, defense, and a 2005 outlook. For the players who have to share a page, the hitting/pitching is cominbed with the defense. Managers and stadiums are also given individual pages, and the park factors and managerial tendencies are useful.

Since more than 22 players contribute to any team, each franchise is also given a couple of pages devoted to "Other" players, whose stats and evaluation are presented in a succinct, boxscore-type format. Each team also has a section where several of their top minor league prospects are evaluated. This number is limited, since the book's main focus is on players expected to contribute to the big team in the upcoming season.

The only complaints I have about this book are minor. One is that the stats in the back of the book list batting average first among stats for hitters. I think even non-stat junkies now accept the fact that OBP or OPS are better measuring sticks for hitters, so I think it would make more sense to list one of those ahead of average. However, that's truly a minor issue. The focus of this book is scouting, and that's something it presents beautifully.

This is one I look forward to every year, and the 2005 edition does not disappoint. This is one to keep by your side during the baseball season, as it should prove both informative and entertaining.

THIS IS THE STORY OF RYNE SANDBERG FORMER CUBS GREAT. RYNO DOES A GREAT JOB TELLING HIS STORY, HIGHLIGHTED WITH THE REASON HE RETIRED EARLY. WHEN THE TRIBUNE DECIDED TO PUT AN IDIOT LIKE LARRY HIMES IN CHARGE, RYNO HAD ENOUGH OF THE EGO, CHEAPNESS AND HORRENDOUS MISTAKES HIMES MADE WITH THR CUBS. RYNO WAS TRULY ONE OF THE BEST 2ND BASEMAN OF ALL TIME. I REALLY ENJOYED THIS AND RECOMMEND IT FOR ALL CUBS FANS.

Sandberg does a great job of telling his side of the story of the Cubs downfall. In 1988 the cubs were a force to be reckoned with and just a few short years later they were in shambles. This account of Larry Himes ruining the Cubs is very true. A terrific read. WE MISS YOU RYNO!!!!

Sandberg does a great job of telling his side of the story of the Cubs downfall. In 1988 the cubs were a force to be reckoned with and just a few short years later they were in shambles. This account of Larry Himes ruining the Cubs is very true. A terrific read. WE MISS YOU RYNO!!!!

This bio gets right down to the heart of the person and what he had to go through. Ryno was an incredable H.S athlete. I liked the fact that he revealed the reason(s) why he retired. The only thing wrong with the book is the fact that a short time after its relese, he came back, leaving the book with an open ending so to speak.

terrific account of his playing days. In his heydey, Ryno! was the smoothest fielding, power-hitting, speed-demon ballplayer A-Rod dreams he could become. No question, Ryno was the best ever. Now, read about what inspired him and how he went from a throw-in in the DeJesus-Bowa deal to MVP, HR Champ, and god of all infielders. When Joe Morgan rants about how good we was, I think he thinks we was Ryno!

Winner of the 1996 Casey Award, from Spitball Literary Magazine, as the best baseball book of the year.

See a review in www.Sportsbookfile.com, Issue

Marty Appel has a delightful writing style which drew me into this book and I'm not a baseball fan particularly. Mike King Kelly was quite a guy but how could we possibly relate to him? Well, the author has done a great job at giving us a feeling for that time in history (late 1800s) by painting interesting pictures for us of those times and giving great analogies in the present day. Appel has a great sense of humor, and even though this book is a serious study of Mike Kelly, there's quite a few chuckles to be had. Great introduction to early baseball.

Marty Appel bring us a signficant book about 19th century baseball, of which not enough is written. This book is also one of 27 that The Easton Press has chosen in its deluxe library of the 27 top baseball books. This books belongs. Many of baseball's present day problems can be traced back to the late 1880's when both players and owners rangled over such concerns as high salaries and the reserve clause. This is also the story of Cap Anson of the Chicago White Stockings getting fed up and ridding himself of the alcohol abusers on the team, Kelly included. Consumption of alcohol by ballplayers was considered to be a sign of manliness (how sad) and many of the players of this time died young and poor. We don't have many books available on 19th century baseball worth your time, but Slide, Kelly, Slide and a few others such as Where They Ain't (Willie Keeler and the Baltimore Orioles) and A Clever Base-Ballist (John Montgomery Ward), are exceptions. Appel's book will not disappoint you.

Thank goodness for Marty Appel. It is amazing how many people today have absolutely no idea of who Mike "King" Kelly was. How many of them know of Buck Ewing, Old Hoss Radbourn, John Montgomery Ward, Kid Nichols, Cap Anson, Dan Brouthers, A.G. Spalding? Without Marty Appel, this era in baseball disappears forever. If you read this book very keenly and see between the lines, you will see a stunning similarity to today's baseball. The greed and politics of baseball were just as rooted back then as they are today. The future of baseball was actually rooted deep in the game of baseball back in the late 1800's. Well written and researched with what little information actually exists from that era. A little difficult in spots to keep interested, but a solid and must read just the same. A must read for historian buff's.

This is a splendid book! Baldwin, who is a true Renaissance man, has used
his background as a scientist, engineer, artist, and poet to give us a
baseball book like no other. For example, in one section of "Snake Jazz"
he pitches to an imaginary Babe Ruth in what is perhaps the best
description of the pitcher/batter mental duel ever written. In another
chapter his vivid and funny depiction of playing ball in the old Termite
Palace in Hawaii is sure to be a classic. And to top off a great book, he
presents three mind-twisting baseball paradoxes at the end. Most
importantly, "Snake Jazz" gives us an entertaining example of the principle
that there is no substitute for diligent effort. Don't worry about your
limitations, just keep pressing yourself to do more and better. "Snake
Jazz" couldn't be more right!

Most baseball autobiographies are "as told to" tales resembling after-dinner speeches -- light on substance and long on self-adulation. Snake Jazz is just the opposite. This is an honest self-effacing story, filled with humanity and humor, personal struggles and successes, and some wonderful tales of America in the 1960s and 70s. Dave Baldwin grew up with the baseball dreams of boys of the post-war era, then pursued them with grit and determination, throwing baseballs for hours on end into a box his dad rigged up in their backyard. He ultimately turned his dream into a 15-year professional career by refusing to stop pitching when released in the minor leagues, reinventing himself as a submarine pitcher, finally reaching the major leagues for an all-too-short four years. It is an inspirational tale for baseball fans, aspiring players, and parents of aspiring players.

Along the way you are treated to a good dose of Dave's homespun philosophy, his perspective on baseball and on heroes like Ted Williams (his manager) and Frank Howard (his teammate), some wonderful stories from the locker rooms and playing fields, and his thoughtful dissection of the science of pitching. For Dave is far more than a "cup of coffee" major leaguer. He is a scientist with a Masters degree in systems engineering and a Ph.D. in genetics, an acclaimed artist whose painting made it to Cooperstown ahead of his baseball achievements, and one of America's foremost students and commentators on the physics of baseball.

This book is beautifully written, with laughter and discovery in every chapter. It leaves you longing for more. But most of all, it leaves you with the realization that, despite Dave's unique intellect and perspective, his story is the story of the many young men who aren't superstars, who grow up in the game, won't take no for an answer, and discover their own maturity and destiny on the playing field. Snake Jazz deserves a special place in any baseball library.

Dave Baldwin's SNAKE JAZZ is an insightful, clever, entertaining biographical journey of an individual who becomes obsessed with baseball as a youth and finally makes his way to the majors as a 28 year old rookie after many twists and turns. Baldwin manages to capture so much in this excellent read. One gets the flavor of a young boy adjusting to life in the southwest and combating the often bizarre elements to play the game he loves. With the help of his dad, Baldwin devises a box in his yard into which he would pitch through adolescence and into his major league career. You get a sense of the trials and tribulations of youth, the great promise jeopardized when an arm injury at the University of Arizona almost curtails his dreams, and his re-learning to pitch before finally attaining his goal. Baldwin weaves in great anecdotes about players, minor league ballparks, restaurants, and locales, vividly depicting the struggle of the minor league player and the humor and heart that helps him endure. Dave also has a great feel for the social issues of the times and paints those for the reader as well. Once he reaches the majors, having learned to throw in a submarine style delivery, Baldwin becomes an effective reliever under managers like Gil Hodges, Ted Williams, and Chuck Tanner. The stories of his colorful teammates are wonderful. The true beauty of Baldwin's development is his evolution into a true Renaissance Man, earning a Ph.D. in genetics and an M.S. in systems engineering. In addition, he became a creative painter, a poet, and even a bodhran player. Baldwin's values and integrity shine throughout the book and make for a terrific journey for the reader as one follows that of the author.

It's a fun read for anyone, whether or not you're interested in baseball. This is the real story of how hard work and focus produced a "natural" athlete. You'll laugh when the innocent rookie answers a rhetorical question from Ted Williams, and enjoy his insights into human behavior. It's enjoyable story telling, whatever your gender or interest.

I enjoyed Snake Jazz immensely. The book moved very well, not a boring paragraph. Sprinkled with humor throughout, it is replete with a sense of discretion and healthy self-effacement that many memoirs lack. The bold "section" headings are convenient for an individual who is short on reading time and needs handy breaking points. There are photos, pertinent quotes heading each chapter, poetry and even a glossary and appendices! Interesting and amazing aspects of the history and lore of baseball are plentiful. Baldwin details his "voyage" and struggle from overhand pitcher to the "throws funny" type expertly! He's writes fluently from beginning to end but his skill soars describing his playing days in Hawai'i. The roommates and various "characters" one meets on Baldwin's journey are memorable! I don't think I'll ever get the razor blade chewer out of my mind. His accounts of minor league life, bus rides (the anecdote about the one-eyed driver is wonderful), food (e.g., mobster lobster in Reading, PA, "grease soaked" box lunches) and fans ring authentic. Accounts of his encounters with the legendary Ted Williams are priceless! I loved his words on Billy Goodman, Frank "Hondo" Howard and Gil Hodges as well as lesser known, Max Surkont who supplied valuable and lasting advice early on in Baldwin's career. The inclusion of the author's genetics expertise and mindset studies only add to the appeal of the memoir! He covers his off-season college and graduate school efforts as well as his stint in the military service. He doesn't dodge the reality of the times. He deals honestly with teammate reactions to the civil rights and anti-war movements. A reader might find him or herself visiting a baseball card show to pick up a Dave Baldwin to send to him for autographing!

One of the best baseball books ever written and one that makes an important contribution to the history of baseball. This book belongs on any fan's shelf along with Ball Four, The Boys of Summer, The Summer Game, and The Glory of Their Times. Well written and easy to read it brings to life the author's 1973 season on the road with the Indianapolis Clowns. While it is a diary of one of the last seasons of one of the last great barnstorming teams, it is really a book about an earlier era of baseball. It is filled with entertaining stories about colorful characters that probably can not be found anywhere else. Without rhetoric, the book also looks at race in society, through baseball. I highly recommend it.

I have read this book 4 or 5 times over the last 20 years. It is right up there with Jim Bouton's Ball Four and Sparky Lyle's Bronx Zoo. If you can find a copy of it I highly recommend it.

I first read "Some Are Called Clowns" as a teenager when it came out in the 1970's, and I still have my original copy. It's a diary of Bill Heward's 1973 season pitching and managing the Indianapolis Clowns, the last surviving Negro League team from the 1930's and '40's. It's extremely engaging and well-written and you'll get a lot of baseball history along the way, but this book goes well beyond sports. It's an outstanding social piece, too, a very non-judgmental study in race relations from within a sports setting. Tons of great stories (funny and sad), and lots of genuine characters...some of whom appeared in the Bingo Long traveling All-Stars movie in 1976. I have literally read hundreds and hundreds of baseball books, and this one is easily one of my ten favorites. I can't recommend it highly enough, even if you're not a baseball fan.

A little-known but terrific read. The reader can taste, smell, and feel the experience of the tour. Highly recommended.

This is one of the top 5 baseball books ever written. Lighting in a bottle. If you can find a copy, buy it and read it to your kids.

I get my kicks researching Baseball statistics. This product is the most complete Baseball compendium I have ever read. It answers remember when questions (who played third base for the 1963 Cleveland Indians?). It answers where a prominent player got his start. It has every team back to the early history of the game and each player on it and their year by year statistics (batting average, stolen bases, number of wins, ERA, etc.) A must have for the true Baseball nut.

One doesn't need esoteric statistics and error-laden formulas based on assumptions -- some valid and some false -- to evaluate players. This reference book was the best. It is still the best. Why? Because it contains all that is important.

It took quite a while, but I actually read "Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball 2007" from cover to cover. I have gone through quite a few other baseball encyclopedias in the past and this one is certainly "different." Instead of just an alphabetical list of each player, the book goes season-by-season and lists the rosters and statistics of every player that played on the team each year. League leaders in an individual category are highlighted in bold. This gives a different perspective of how, say, a superstar like Willie Mays or Ted Williams fit in with the stats and accomplishments of the rest of the team.
The book is divided into eras (1900-1919, 1920-45, etc.) and for each year, there is a comprehensive summary of key events that took place. At the end of each "era," the players' full lifetime statistics are given.
Every line score of every post-season game is also included and the composite statistics of the players.
At the end of the book are pages of lifetime and season leaders in the major statistical categories, although for post season records, only the World Series ones are included and not the Divisional or League playoff stats.
There is also an interesting two letter code for players' injuries or career interruptions like MS - Military Service or DD - Died During the season.
I can see this book being very helpful for someone putting together a fantasy league for any specific past season as the focus is on that year's rosters and stats only. Or, you can play the 1927 Yankees against the 1969 Mets, for instance.
In essence, while other baseball encyclopdias need 1500 -2000 pages to fit in all the players' statistics, "Baseball 2007" succeeds in doing it in only several hundred pages.
The only thing I think this work is lacking is a magnifying glass to read the quite small print.

Although I no longer buy the annual editions (I am down to every other year now), this is still the most indespensible and most referred-to baseball reference I own. With an essay for each baseball season from 1901-2006, individual statistics grouped by year and team, career statistics and leaders, annual leaders, active leaders through the 2006 season, and much more, this is a great browsing book as well, and the price is always a bargain.

I never get tired of this book. It features every team with every stat of every player from 1901 to the present. If you want to know what Dimaggio batted in 1938, you can look it up, as Casey Stengel once said. Every league leader in his category is highlighted. The most fascinating revelation is that back in old days, players stats often took a drastic downturn after they reached 30, and even before that. Is is better nutrition, training or steroids? Probably all of the above. Anyway, if you're a stats nerd, you will call this your "Baseball Bible". Essential and the ultimate argument settler.