Baseball Books

What a great book for those parents entering into the Little League playing field. The camp suggestions are great and helpful for parents trying to navigate through what is good for their child. The behavior rules for parents were my favorite part though. Every coach should mandate parents reading it so there would be less trouble out on the playing fields. Great Book!!!!!

If you have a young child playing baseball, BUY THIS BOOK! My young son wanted to go to baseball camp and I found a great one in my state using this book. He's so excited to be going to a college for baseball camp this summer. The Little Book of Baseball has the most comprehensive listing of summer camps I've found anywhere. Without it I'd still be looking!

This book is wonderful for all parents of young baseball players! After seeing the book I bought, our coach plans to buy one for all the parents on the team. It has rules, diagrams, bleacher and umpire etiquette, important advice from coaches and lots more. My kids especially loved the jokes and trivia that is sprinkled throughout the book, and the websites. Next year, we're going to plan our vacation around one of the baseball hotspots listed in the book.

A great find! Nothing else like it out there!

Are you the smallest on your team? Well, I got a book for you. It's about a boy
who is the littiest on his baseball team. He tries and tries to help his team. Is he
going to win or lose the game? This book is recommended
for 2nd grade and up.

by
Tommy

In this 45-paged illustrated children's story, Harold is the shortest baseball player on his little league team. He rarely gets to play because of his size, and his teammates aren't very sympathetic towards him. But in the last important game of the season, he's called in as a replacement, in which he finally gets to use his small size to his advantage.

Just like how Harold used other short baseball players in the Baseball Hall of Fame as role models, other young readers (age 4 - 8) can read this story and find encouragement in its lesson: that size doesn't matter; it's how you play the game that counts.

While baseball was a popular game before the 1920's, during that era it became a true national icon. No person did more for a single sport than Babe Ruth, and it was in this decade that he did what is still an amazing feat. He transformed the sport from a one-base-at-a-time form of offense into a power game. Before his power changed the game, the league leader in home runs generally was in the 10-15 range. After that, it was often in the fifties.
However, there were many other major changes in baseball in the twenties. 1919 was a year of great scandal, when several members of the American league champion Chicago White Sox conspired to throw the World Series. Major league baseball was able to repair the damage, but only by engaging in draconian measures against players who were innocent of any physical wrongdoing.
This book is an excellent chronicle of these events, packed with pictures and statistics; it is a thorough description of a decade when baseball underwent dramatic changes, both on and off the field. It is a must-read for all fans of the history of baseball.

"The Lively Ball" volume in the World of Baseball series covers how Babe Ruth transformed the sport in the 1920's. James A. Cox's book sets the stage for the Bambino by looking at the Black Sox Scandal and the establishment of Kenesaw Mountain Landis as the "Competent Despot" installed as Commissioner. After chapters devoted to Babe Ruth and the fan's enthrallment with "Thunder at the Plate," Cox looks at manager John McGraw and Walter "Big Train" Johnson as well as the emergence of radio broadcasts and the minor league farm system. The final pair of chapters look at the most colorful team of the decade, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the most dominant, the New York Yankees. "The Lively Ball" features profiles on the great players such as Rogers Hornsby and Dazzy Vance, as well as sportswriters like Damon Runyon, ballparks like League Park and Yankee Stadium, with statistics for the 1920's tacked on at the end of the book. As with the rest of this imitation Time-Life series, the book is filled with illustrations, not just photographs but cartoons, magazine covers, and statistical charts. Obviously inspired by the interest in the sport following Ken Burns' classic "Baseball" documentary, the World of Baseball series is certainly in that same spirit of love for the game.

I am a HUGE yankee fan, and I thought I knew about Lou Gehrig and his Yankee career days. After reading the book, I found out what he was like to be a kid and growing up. It was super. I really enjoyed it - it was very informative and very exciting.
I highly recommend it!!!

THis is a good book for baseball fans all over. It's more of a kid's book, but it's got great info. It even has his "luckiest man in the world" speech in it!

Having grown up in the New York metropolitan area as a baseball fan, I was well acquainted with the story of Lou Gehrig. At least I thought I was until I listened to Carol Birch's spirited retelling of his life. I knew of his statistics and his tragic demise, but Carol brought this American hero to life. Too many baseball fans are unaware of those who so gracefully pioneered the game. However, Carol's story will be enjoyed not only by baseball aficionados but also by anyone who enjoys a good story - which covers everyone.

This is an excellent CD. It highlights the life of a man who started with humble beginnings and rose to true greatness. Carol Birch reveals not only the highlights that made Lou Gehrig a superb ball player, but she also paints a portrait of a man who understood humility and viewed his achievements as a gift he received.

It is a fascinating dialog that reminds us that a true hero is one who gives of himself asking nothing in return and faces difficulty with courage. Quite a contrast to the shooting stars of today that receive so much undeserving praise. This CD was enjoyed by everyone in my family.

A very good book on a forgotten baseball warrior whose career was cut short due to his human frailities. One of many baseball players who have suffered from alcohol abuse. Mr. Fleitz has woven a very interesting biography of one of baseball's sad pasts. If you have ever heard of the legend of this Cleveland Indian, here is an opportunity to discover the real story. A must read for those interested in 19th Century baseball.

One of baseball's most tragic figures is the nineteenth-century outfielder, Louis Sockalexis, who rose to national fame in a few short months and fell just as quickly due to what David Fleitz calls "the pernicious effects of alcohol."

The handsome, likable Sockalexis was the best college athlete in the nation for two years, quickly attracting attention for his dazzling speed and powerful throwing arm. He was recruited by Cleveland in 1897. The first recognized Native American to play in the major leagues, Sockalexis had to endure taunting war whoops from the crowds and endless gibes from the press, even as he won over the fans who saw him play.

David Fleitz' compassionate, concise account is very readable and well-illustrated, covering Sockalexis' brilliant rise and tragic fall from the majors. With his talents, he could have been one of the greatest players of all time but caved in to pressure and high living.

If the Cleveland Indians really want to honor their first Indian, they could dump Chief Wahoo and award scholarships to promising Indian students. Or better yet, rename their park Sockalexis Stadium!

Millions of boys can identify with Martin, a boy who recently moved into a new neighborhood and wants to join the local baseball team. When he sees some boys practicing, he joins them, even though he does not have a glove. An older boy gives him a bat and glove and he gets to join the team. However, at first he does not play well, as his bat is stolen and he considers it to be lucky.
After Martin pulls a young boy out of traffic, he gets his bat back and circumstances immediately change. The bat is his lucky charm and his batting average rises over .400. However, one hit is costly, as his bat breaks, leaving him distraught. Suddenly, he cannot hit the ball, even though everyone tells him it is his skills and not any magic in the bat. A local woodworker brings him his lucky bat, telling him that he was able to repair it. The hits immediately come back and he helps his team win. This book has one of the nicest endings, where Martin learns that it is his skills and drive to succeed that make the difference. It is an excellent story of not giving up, always trying hard and having confidence in your abilities.

Martin was a good baseball player and an excellent batter. Martin had a bat he assumed was lucky. Is it really lucky? That is for you to find out. I enjoy many of Matt Christopher's books and this is one of the best chapter books for younger readers.Go find out what happens to Martin and his lucky bat in this exciting tale.

I can't recommend this book enough for Indiana fans, especially those like me with no memory of the 1953 championship. It was incredibly well-researched, with great information about the state of the game at the time (coming off the point-shaving scandals at CCNY, LIU, and Kentucky), the opposing teams and coaches, the individual players on the team, and the play-by-play action of each of the games. The play-by-play was especially exciting for me, because I went into the book without knowing which games we'd won and lost, so I didn't know the outcomes until the final whistle sounded. It is full of quotes by the players, coaches, and the press articles of the time. Buy it and read it - you won't be disappointed.

Here's a few anecdotes to whet your appetite:

- Indiana lost 3 games that season, and each of them were lost on the last-second shots.

- Branch McCracken told his players at the beginning of each season to avoid "drinking, smoking, and gambling." This worried the players, because they knew these were three of Bobby Leonard's favorite things.

- The Minnesota coach was Ozzie Cowles, who went to Minnesota from Michigan, where he led Michigan to their first ever NCAA tournament appearance. After returning from the NCAA tournament, here's what Cowles had to say: "We'd been gone for a week, but no one seemed to notice. A couple of days after we got back, Fritz Crisler [UM AD and head football coach] stuck his head in my office and asked me where I'd been. That was when I decided that Michigan was no place to coach basketball."

- Because of the draft for the Korean War, there was an exemption that allowed freshmen to play in 1951-52, which allowed Don Schlundt to play as a freshman. He was a sophomore in 52-53, and (answering my trivia question below) he broke the all-time B10 scoring record a bit more than halfway through his sophomore season. Remarkable.

- Though IU beat Kansas in the championship game, it was that Kansas team that really changed college basketball in the years that followed. Kansas had lost Clyde Lovelette the year before and weren't considered contenders. But they changed the way they played defense and adopted Iba's Oklahoma A&M pressure defense that Iba played in the final few minutes of the game when down by less than 6 points. This was a pressure defense that played passing lanes and guarded players without the ball (and new concept). That year's Kansas team decided to play that way for the entire game and almost road their defense to the title.

- Kentucky was banned from playing the entire 52-53 season because of recruiting violations and point-shaving. Kentucky chose not to penalize Rupp, though. At all.

The book starts by laying an excellent historical foundation prior to the '53 seaon. The GI Bill, growth in big state universities, increased emphasis on college sports and the invention of the point spread all led to corruption that threatened the legitimacy of college athletics in the early post WWII years. Hiner goes into fascinating details involving Godfather-like characters with names like Sollazzo to illustrate how the great New York City basketball colleges were brought down by gambling scandals.

Game fixing struck not only the east coast but migrated out to the heartland. Hiner discusses the corruption that forced Kentucky to give up its 1953 SEC season.

The next chapters involve the individual players and how they ended up coming to IU.

There was Leonard, the deadend runt from the railroad tracks of Terre Haute who grew from 5'4" as a sophomore to 6'3 in high school. Rangey Charlie Kraak, whom Branch McCracken snagged from Illinois' Harry Combes' backyard. Dick Farley , the poor kid from a huge family in southern Indiana (Winslow). Burke Scott, the gym rat from Tell City who never really quite believed that McCracken wanted him, and had to decommit from Western Kentucky to attend Indiana. And Don Schlundt, the "rich kid" from South Bend. Schlundt was rich because his family could afford to give him a basketball, which was a rare possession in those days. As a young kid Schlundt was so fat, dumpy and lacking in skills that he needed that basketball so that other kids would play with him.

The following chapters deal with Branch McCracken. Starting with him as a boyhood neighbor of John Wooden to Branch's excellent playing career as a high schooler, collegian and pro. Terrific background on the things that shaped McCracken's philosophies on coaching. Through every phase of his playing career, McCracken loved the running game and couldn't wait to implement as a coach.

To use the running game effectively, McCracken was a stickler for conditioning and Hiner does a good job of describing all the things he did to keep his players in shape, including having them spied on if necessary.

The rest of the book effectively weaves the games of the great '53 IU seaon with wonderful personal stories involving players, coaches, family and friends. The details on the games themselves are very thorough and greatly appreciated by an IU basketball historical nut like me. But since I knew a lot of those details, I liked the personal stories even more. I loved reading about what a scoundrel Bobby Leonard was, and it was all McCraken could do to keep him in line. There are a lot of other nice gems, but one that sticks out is how a few college kids, with no money or a plan to speak of, get themselves to the champioship game in Kansas City and end up storming the court in victory.

If you have much interest at all in the tradition of Indiana University basketball, then you'll enjoy this book.

I remember Scott as a baseball trivia genius from our times in John Dewey HS in Brooklyn NY.. He'd always call in and win the Sportsphone trivia questions.. I was fascinated when I saw this book and realized who the editor was, I had to buy it.. It was well worth it.... Scott, If you ever read this, hope you remember Kevin who used to hang out with you in the lunchroom going over baseball stats and history... Good luck to you...

Of all the baseball trivia books that I have read, this has to be the best. Its questions are superb and run the gamut from being relatively easy to very hard. The book does not insult your intelligence nor does it make you never to want to read another baseball trivia book in the future. Just a great book. Mark Kanter

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This book, written in rhyme, tells the story of a magical cap that flies around the country giving young ballplayers the ability to fill their dreams and build their confidence. The Magical Baseball Cap begins its journey by flying off the head of an old pro. The magic begins when the magical cap flies to New York and lands on Steven's head as he steps up to bat. This gives Steven the confidence he needs to knock the ball out of the ballpark. Then, just like that, in the blink of an eye, the cap was gone as it took to the sky.

It soars past the Statue of Liberty, heading to Maryland. It lands on the head of Bobby Dunn. Bobby tries but can't seem to catch a fly ball. He shuts his eyes tightly and starts to pray. Now with the cap on, he opens his eyes, and picks the baseball out of the sky. Since his hidden talents at catching were found, the cap left Maryland without a sound.

It flies to Florida to sit on Allison's head giving her the courage to watch the pitcher make his throw. With a grip and a grin and a swing like no other, she got her first hit to the cheers of her mother.

It flies to Missouri and circles the Gateway Arch. Then on to Iowa where it lands on Cory who plays second base, but his throws often went at a slow pace. Well he reached up and touched the cap with his hand, and his very next throw traveled where he planned. All the players on both teams began to cheer, shouting Cory's name for the whole town to hear.

The story ends as the baseball cap returns to the old pro. This magical book will open the door for discussion between you and your child concerning confidence and self-esteem. Parents, teachers, and coaches can use this story to hit home the power of positive thinking to young ball players.