Baseball Books

honestly, my favorite baseball book of all time. chock full of anectdotes, and written in a snarly style. i hunted this down after Dick Williams got his due call to the Hall, and I am glad I did. This is a long tome too, no shirking here. very enjoyable, worth a grab.

Dick Williams writes the way he managed - honest, to the point, and in your face. 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' reads with the passion that he felt for the game and leaves you with a bit of sadness at, not only the way the game has changed, by how the Dick Williams's of the world have gone unappreciated. He took three different teams to the World Series, he perhaps saved the Padres from being sold, he took the Expos (yes the Expos) to winning seasons, he delivered nothing short of a miracle in 1967 with the Red Sox and he even pushed a couple of teams to winning even the players themselves weren't sure if that's what they wanted. This isn't to mention two rings with the Oakland A's.
It's sad the Hall of Fame has overlooked this guy. Not only is it a case of what more do you have to do, in the case of Dick Williams, it's what more could he have possibly done?

Rich Westcott & Allen Lewis went above and beyond in compiling all the pertinent data on each of the baseball no-hitters thrown from 1893 (the time when the pitching mound was moved to its current 60' 6" from the plate) through 1999. Each no-hitter's box score is included as well as a comprehensive narrative about each, including the date and day of the week, the ballpark it happened at, and even the size of the crowd. A photo of almost all of the pitchers who threw the no-hitters accompanies each entry (with the exception of the 4 Federal League pitchers who tossed no-nos). The back of the book has four informative appendices : A) Combined No-Hitters , B) Eight-Inning No-Hitters, C) No-Hitters pitched before 1893, & D) No-Hitter Facts & Figures. The last of which is loaded with info such as first no-hitters by team, pitchers with multiple no-hitters, and no hit anomalies (most and fewest walks, strikeouts, etc). This 418 page book is packed with stats and facts presented in an enjoyable and concise fashion and I would highly recommend it to any fan of the game or stats hound. A great book.

No-Hitters: The 225 Games, 1893-1999 discusses each no-hitter baseball game, including a brief profile and career record of each pitcher. Each game is recapped, with details on what happened to that batter. A box score for each game is also featured, as is a photo of almost every no-hit pitcher. No-Hitters is enhanced for the baseball enthusiast with appendices that list no-hitters in which more than one pitcher participated; complete game no-hitters of less than nine innings; and no-hitters pitched before 1893 (when the mound was only 50 feet from home plate). An informative foreword by Jim Bunning (who pitched two no-hitters and one of the only eleven perfect games in baseball history) is a true informational treasure for the baseball fan. No-Hitters is a highly recommended addition to personal, school, sports bar, and community library baseball reference book collections.

I would recommend this book for any kid who is a baseball fan; this guy has overcome a physical challenge to become a baseball player. And just the stuff I read about him is great. A great book about a great guy.

A terrific book about someone who has overcome his disabilities with style

I admit that I had to put this one down and come back to it later because on the very first page something happened that I didn't want to happen. Once I pushed myself through it, though, it was wonderful to get reacquainted with all the memorable characters the author has created (channeled?) in and around the Beymer Buffalo baseball team. Definitely take yourself out to this ballgame.

Well at the outset I should admit to being a little biased here; Marsh is my little brother. But even so this is a good book. We follow the people we got to know in Year of the Buffalo for another great season of minor league play but there's a bit more this time. A couple of plot threads woven skillfully in between pitches.
Marshall has a fine ear for dialog and includes some great quotes and quips. A very enjoyable read, as they say, you won't want to put it down!

a must read for any aspiring college baseball player or his parents. from funny anecdotes to insightful suggestions from a non-expert's perspective of the journey of college baseball recruiting.

Ben Harrison does a great job of explaining how "official visits" to colleges work during the recruiting process. He offers insights into how and what he might have done differently as well as "do's and dont's" during the process. I couldn't put it down, and in fact, finished it cover to cover within a few hours. I have even found myself picking it up since to re-read passages. Overall, we are now much better equipped to embark on our first Official Visit this fall. Thanks for sharing Ben!

There are now several excellent books out that document the history of this league. This book, which was among the first is no exception. The PCL during its first half century signed and "farmed out" its own players and sometimes made money by "selling" the contracts of some players to interested major league teams.

This book describes the league's history decade by decade through the late 1980's. It also discusses the PCL's attempt to become the "third major league" in the early 1950's, only to have that dream dashed forever when major league baseball "moved" to California in 1958, and how the league eventually "rebounded" in the 1980's.

The book also talks about some of the PCL's greatest teams, including the 1934 Los Angeles Angels (who some claim was the best minor league team ever), some of the great San Francisco Seals teams, the 1948 Oakland Oaks team, etc.

The book finishes with an extensive section of individual PCL yearly leaders. This book is a fascinating read. Any baseball history and or minor league fans will find it enjoyable.

My first experience with the PCL was in 1955 when my father took me to an Oakland Oaks vs. L.A. Angels game at the old Oaks ballpark in Emeryville. I was immediately "hooked" on Coast League ball and I spent the rest of the summer with my buddies attending as many games as possible. Unfortunately not too many other fans went to the games so at the end of the season the Oaks moved to Vancouver. My team moved away before I really got to know them but the memories of that one summer still spark an interest in the old Coast League to this very day. Bill O'Neal's book is well written as it chronicles the history of the Coast League decade by decade. For someone like myself who was exposed to Coast League ball for such a short period of time, Mr. O'Neal's book fills in a lot of the history that I missed out on. The statistics throughout the book are impressive and in my opinion the most complete of any book I have read on the PCL. One other area of the book that I found to be unique was the section that discusses all of the cities that had PCL franchises. I didn't realize there were so many. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about the history of the PCL and our baseball heritage on the West Coast.

Having grown up in the suburbs of Philly, I have memories of going to the Palestra to watch Big 5 basketball doubleheaders on Saturday nights.
For those of us who lived it, it is nostalgic book....
For those of us who love the game of basketball, it is a historical account of an amazing time, with amazing players, and a passion that is too seldom seen in today's game ..

This comprehensive and compelling book makes me long for my playing days again. I never followed the Big 5 (except for ESPN highlights), but now I am a fan because of it's richness and depth. The rivalries in the Big 5 are fascinating and hearty. This book captures how deep basketball waters run in Philadelphia and how deep collegiate loyalty can be. The author has crafted a rare treat that any fan of sports, history, and life will love. If you want to read about sports in its finest, purest form, then read this book.

I have a great time reading the stories in this collection both for myself and my son. The stories are short enough to keep his attention and it can be read in snippets so it is perfect fo those times when you are just looking for something to fill some down time. It is also fun to take the ballpark for in between innings. It is pefect for the fan who likes to learn about the little stuff that goes on in baseball both behind the scenes and in the newspaper.

I have a great time reading the stories in this collection both for myself and my son. The stories are short enough to keep his attention and it can be read in snippets so it is perfect fo those times when you are just looking for something to fill some down time. It is also fun to take the ballpark for in between innings. It is pefect for the fan who likes to learn about the little stuff that goes on in baseball both behind the scenes and in the newspaper.

I am a writer by trade and the writing in this book is so fresh and original -- so silly and clever -- that it's one book my sons and I love equally. (Amazon says it's for up to 2nd graders, but my very sophisticated 4th grader also loves it as well as my kindergartner.) Mind you, the art direction is also nothing short of brilliant, full of tactile 3-D appeal, including yarn grass, vintage graph paper backdrops, and real cotton clouds. It's a treat for the eyes and the ears. I'm buying several copies to give to all my son's T-ball friends on their birthdays.

My kids love this Pecorino book as well. They want me to read it to them every night, and they just laugh and laugh at all of Pecorino's silliness. We can't wait to read about his next adventure/

Beautiful photos of baseball folk art and an informative text which discusses the specific pieces of art shown and the artists who created them -something many art books don't do- this book is a treat for baseball fans and art lovers, as well as a deserving CASEY Award Finalist for 2003.

I don't usually buy "art" books, but as a baseball fan I couldn't resist this one. I'm glad that I didn't, since I don't remember when I had so much fun with a book. Page after page surprised, entertained, and informed me. I don't know which I enjoyed more, the illustrations or the text. One intriquing aspect of the book is the way in which it ties the changing folk art and ephemera of baseball to a changing American society.

Would I have enjoyed the book if I weren't a baseball fan? Probably. I lent my copy to a friend with an interest in art, but absolutely no interest in sports. She liked it enough to visit the show at the American Folk Art Museum. (But not enough that I could talk her into attending an actual baseball game.)

In summary, I strongly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in EITHER baseball or folk art.