Baseball Books

Baseball haiku is indeed a genre of which I was unaware. This is a wonderful book for fans of the lore of baseball, history, and the art of Haiku.

For a book of haiku --about baseball no less-- to break out into wider readership the way this book has is reminiscent of Dave Brubeck and Stan Getz bringing jazz into the popular music charts in the 1960's. My sister gave me this book for my birthday and, as Thomas Merton wrote, as long as it talks, I'm going to listen.

Cor van den Heuvel and Nanae Tamura have assembled a tour de force of baseball haiku. America brought baseball to Japan and Japan gifted this country with haiku. There is a most enjoyable introduction about the history of baseball haiku in both countries. The book has a long section of haiku by well-known, and less well-known, haiku poets in the United States, followed by a rich collection of translated Japanese haiku featuring the game. Van den Heuvel concludes with an appreciative essay on baseball in the United States and Japan.

Here are some samples which reflect moments which come in the world of baseball:

walking home
with his glove on his head
shrieking cicadas
Imai Sei

summer afternoon
the long fly ball to center field
takes its time
Cor van den Heuvel

dog days of summer
twenty-three games
out of first
Michael Ketchek

This last poem sounds the tone of melancholy, called wabi in the classic Japanese haiku tradition, which many of the haiku in this book capture beautifully and hauntingly, and which is certainly is eventually present for any young or aging participant (or observer) in the game. Here are a few more evocations:

while playing ball
it becomes time to go home
to supper
Kawahigashi Hekigoto

calm evening
the ballgame play-by-play
across the water
Jim Kacian

Baseball haiku, because of their brevity, will not provide the same kind of reading as Jimmy Breslin's writing about the 1962 Mets in his chapter "They're Afraid to Come Out," nor Ed Linn's reporting on Ted Williams' last game in 1960.

But they make their own special offering. Speaking of melancholy, in my case I grew up in the 1950's in Kansas City, which gives a certain meaning to the term Kansas City Blues. By the way, Cor van den Heuvel loves jazz too. Get the book.

The flyleaf of Baseball Haiku begins "there are moments in every baseball game that make fans catch their breath...Haiku captures these moments like no other poetic form..." and there you have it.
If I had to choose the quintessential kigo (season word) for "summer", it would have to be "baseball". Although played in spring and autumn, nothing for me says "summer" like a baseball game (and at the beach, listening to a game on the radio).
Jim Kacian slyly elevates the game to a religion:

October revival
all hands lift
to the foul ball

while Brenda Gannon has some wonderful plays (!) on sex:

handsome pitcher
my eyes drift down
to the mound

Many of Van Den Heuvel's own haiku deal with the anticipation of the game:

baseball cards
spread out on the bed
April rain

a spring breeze
flutters the notice
for baseball tryouts

as well as my favourite:

lingering snow
the game of catch continues
into evening

The Japanese haiku have a definite and different expression but the feel and impressions are similar.
My only wish is that there could be more!

when i was a kid larry gilbert was mr. baseball in new orleans. everyone was really surprised when he left for nashville. the pelicans are featured in this book but also a lot of baseball history that i didn't remember, like shoeless joe jackson and the yankees in new orleans for spring training. but this for yourself, but get another one for your grandpa. he'll appreciate it.

Mr. Gisclair's romance with New Orleans baseball is clearly expressed in this book, with glimpses of amateur, intercollegiate, and professional outings to the city.

For my preference, I would have preferred Mr. Gisclair to have expanded the scope of the book to include all of Louisiana, rather than limiting to New Orleans. There is virtually no information on the old Sugarcane League, for example, a semi-pro league designed and sponsored mainly by oil companies, which competed throughout rural Louisiana and Texas from the 1920s to the 1950s.

In addition, a heavy emphasis lies on Tulane. While Tulane has understandably been a power in the last 20 years, there is less about the careers of UNO players, Loyola University's love-hate relationship with athletics, and other college traditions.

Perhaps the largest criticism is that the AAABA teams, which were long coached by the late Rags Scheuermann, are given only scant attention. Likewise, the city's contributions to the Negro Leagues are also covered only sporadically.

These are, however, piffling criticisms in what is clearly a well-researched labor of love, and any enthusiast should be interested in the book if only for the pictures and the bibliography.

Seeing all of the old New Orleans Pelicans brought back a lot of fond memories from my childhood! Larry Gilbert, Eddie Rose, Lou Berger, Al Milnar -- they're all there. I'm an old baseball fan, but I didn't know a lot of what was in the book. It packs a lot of history into a small space, but it's really more of a photo book. The captions are like little stories and are very interesting. Anyone who loves baseball will like this book.

I work at the ballpark where the Padres play, and I've met the author. When my family moved to San Diego in 1956, we just missed the closing of Lane Field, and saw Padres' games at Lane Field, San Diego/Jack Murphy/Qualcomm Stadium. Now we have Petco Park.

The book describes the rich history of baseball in San Diego, and price of the book is well worth my money.

I lived in San Diego from 1994 to 2004 and got to see many of the Padres' famous names, from Tony Gwynn and Ken Caminiti to Trevor Hoffman and Sean Burroughs. I saw the championship teams of 1996 and 1998, as well as Tony Gwynn's farewell and Dave Winfield's Hall of Fame induction. I even remember the old PCL Padres from the early 1960's and listened on the radio as the Padres won the 1984 National League pennant. This book is a treasure trove of reminders for those who remember the past as well as a good introduction to younger fans. And I will say this: the Padres and Padre fans do try to keep alive the memories of times gone by, constantly reminding us that there was good baseball in San Diego (especially with Ted Williams) before the major leagues came to town.

Bill once again shows his stuff as San Diego's premier baseball historian. With great photos and lively commentary, Bill paints a picture of nearly 70 years of baseball in America's Finest City. It's a must for any baseball junkie or San Diego history buff and holds a prominent place on my bookshelf.

Though this book comes in encyclopedia format listing all 1560 players alphabetically who appeared in the major leagues during the 1950's it's a great read. I went thru the more than 440 pages finding great pleasure in seeing pictures of these players and reading anecdotes about them. I grew up with early to mid 50's baseball and this really brings back the memories. Superb work!!

Over 150 years ago, John James Audubon published his classic book, "The Birds of America". In it, he cataloged the feathered creatures inhabiting the United States by painting exquisite portraits of every species of wild fowl he could find.

Each painting - whether that of a majestic eagle, or that of a common crow - was a work of art. At the same time, each painting conveyed far more than just a photographic image of its subject matter: They each conveyed the essence of its subject.

Taken as a whole, Audubon's work is nothing less than an encyclopedic portrait of America's myriad feathered inhabitants, and it continues to be appreciated and enjoyed throughout the world to this day.

What Audubon did for North American ornithology in paint, Rich Marazzi and Len Fiorito have done in words for baseball (as constituted by the players from the "golden age" of baseball) in their recently published book with the unassuming title of "Baseball Players of the 1950s".

Whether writing about a famous hall-of-fame baseball god, or a marginal journeyman who did nothing more than show up sober for a couple of innings in the "big leagues" between January of 1950 and December of 1959, Marazzi and Fiorito have breathed life into each of the 1,560 (!) biographies that make up their tome. And remarkably, Marazzi and Fiorito have somehow managed to find fresh and engaging things to say about players whose careers have been written about and analyzed in countless books and articles over the last 50 some odd years. At the same time - even more remarkably - they've also managed to come up with wonderfully readable and insightful blurbs on players whose brief time in the major leagues was not only short, but virtually invisible. And everyone in between is covered and accounted for in equally expert fashion.

Without a doubt, Marazzi and Fiorito's achievement - in its own way - is just as impressive as Audubon's, and "Baseball Players of the 1950s" is a book that baseball fans everywhere - as well as fans of good writing in general - will love and enjoy.

I was so happy to see this book come out! I still have a dog-eared copy of the original version of this (Aaron to Zuverink) published about 20 years ago- talk about fascinating stuff!

I recently embarked on a project of my own to try and obtain the autographs of some of my boyhood idols- I'm 52 now- and this book has proven to be an invaluable source in terms of tracking these gentlemen down. The exhaustive research and amusing tidbits that Messrs. Marazzi and Fiorito have chosen to share give a true insight into the world of baseball at the time- 'Golden Age' indeed!

These authors are gifted and insightful in ways that the average baseball writer can not even begin to comprehend. They get inside the numbers and situations of players. Their forecasts are intriguing and provoking -- and often right. The intellectual horsepower of the editorial staff is amazing; these are the same guys who have been sharing their wisdom on rec.sport.baseball for years to all of our enjoyment. Play ball!

If I had to choose one baseball book for next season, this would be the one. It offers thought provoking statistical analysis -- whether you agree with all their conclusions or not. The information and writing is not the same old stuff. Conventional wisdom is never "just" accepted -- a wonderful book. I haven't read analysis like this since the Bill James Baseball Abstacts. Ever since James stoped writing his book, I've been looking for a replacement, after reading the 1997 edition this book is it. I have to start clearing off shelf space for future editions.

Top-notch and cutting edge statistical analysis is paired with sharp and witty writing. If you spent springtime in the 1980's waiting for the new Bill James Baseball Abstract to come out, you won't be disappointed. (Disclaimer: an essay I wrote appears in this book.

The ONLY negative I can see with this book is that it doesn't come in pocket size for you to use at games. Buy it and you'll agree!

This is a wonderful book. I use it to umpire little league, and it covers everything you need to know in good detail. Everyone who coaches or umpires should have this book and read it every year that they're involved with baseball.

I have the Official Baseball Rules (OBR) book and also use some online resources when trying to determine if my umpiring calls were correct (and what they should be in the future!). However, none of the other resources lay things out as clearly as this book does.

The reader is taken through a logical sequence of coverage that a typical umpire will encounter. It also is useful for coaches, players and spectators, but I find it most useful for umpiring and making calls on rules.

Each section lists the appropriate section of the OBR, so it is good to have OBR at your side as well. The reading is easy, well laid out and printed nicely.

This book was certainly worth the price.

Hi, I am biased because I am the author, but this is a hilarious book about baseball's all-time great characters from Casey to Yogi and everyone in between. There are so many great characters in baseball that this book had me laughing from beginning to end during compilation of this book. If you would like more information about this book or any of my books, contact me at glennliebman.com. Thank you for your time.

This is the funnest baseball book I have ever read! With quotes on every thing for fielding "First I pray to God that nobody hits a ball to me. Then I pry that nobody hits the ball to Steve Sax." Pedro Guerrero. To autograph signings "It was fun until a kid came up to me and said, 'my dad says you're getting old, you're going to die, and your autograph will be Valuable.'" Warren Spahn, on autograph shows. With all the funny quotes in this book you will have a stomach ache for days. Buy it now!

As a longtime baseball fan I felt that I had to comment on Mr. Liebman's tome. I have received countless hours of enjoyment from reading the quotes. I have also given the book as a gift to many baseball buddies of mine and they have been equally impressed. Well done Mr. Liebman - Casey salutes you!

After reading BASEBALL STRATEGIES and knowing it's available as a valuable reference, I'm looking forward to referring to it during the playoffs and World Series. BASEBALL STRATEGIES provides insight into the finer points of the game. It provides the rationale for the strategies used, and the decisions made regarding all of the individual match-ups in countless offensive situations that make baseball such a "complex simple game".

Besides baseball fans, the book is obviously written for coaches and players who want to develop their understanding of the game and improve their ability to react and anticipate in any given situation. Contributors to the book are successful college coaches who, as life-long students of the game, have brought their own experiences and perspectives to this well-written, informative book of offensive and defensive strategies and tactics. Pitching is also explained, from fielding the position to developing mental toughness to developing a plan for getting the batter out.

This book contains a wealth of information for "students of the game". If you play, coach, or just enjoy watching, BASEBALL STRATEGIES can provide valuable information for many seasons to come. There are so many pearls of wisdom, it should be guaranteed to improve the quality of play and understanding of everyone who reads it.

Tim Smith

Bought for my husband. Reports this is an excellent book for the strategy of the game.

I highly recommend this book to any coaches that want to take their game to the next level. The one thing that this book does is break down every aspect of the game and gives you many, many ideas on how to implement the strategies explained.

I have been coaching baseball for 7 years at the high school level and have attended many baseball coaches clinics throughout the United States. I have learned many things at these clinics.

The beauty of this book is that it something that you can continue to reference back to again and again. This book has definitely aided to my players development. From defensive strategies to times to use the run game, this game covers it all.

I have also loaned this book out to other coaches and they have enjoyed it also.

If you are looking to take your coaching to the next level, I highly recommend this book.

I bought this for a baseball fan who wants to go to all of the stadiums and it was a huge hit. It's amazing that they got so much info on one map. They have phone numbers and websites for pro and minor league stadiums. You can't beat this for the price!!

PRODUCT WAS AWESOME!!! THIS MAP WAS PERFECT!!! SHIPPING WAS SUPER SUPER FAST!!!!! WILL HOPEFULLY BUY FROM AGAIN AND AGAIN!!!!!

I bought this Map along with the Ultimate Baseball Road Trip series (major league and minor league) and all three products have been extremely helpful. The map is great for plotting driving distances and trip scheduling and the books are great for planning what to do, where to sit, and what to eat, once you get to the ballparks.

I agree with the first review...these books are 'priceless'! I, too, used to 'covet' the "Feats 'O Magic' Chemistry Set!! My 9 year old son is just getting into reading this series out loud to me; (he's homeschooled)...and I am enjoying the memories!

After reading the books in this series, you'll never forget the smell of wet sneakers, and you'll secretly run off and buy yourself a chemistry set in the hope of something magical happening. I loved these books as a kid.

Am I the only one who knows of these books? As a young boy (9 or 10) I read the whole series about witchcraft and baseball. Even inspired me to join little league. If you get the chance, get these books to read for yourself or your children!