Baseball Books

This book is a first class work of scholarship by a member of baseball's famed Hall of Fame that takes the reader through a day-by-day account of the transactions and events of the historic 1946. Mr. Levy corrects many of the mistakes that are found in common reference books of the season. His preface is a moving tribute to the returning wartime players great and small without being sentimental. Many players who are now just names in record books become human again as the author expertly tells their stories such as Pete Reiser misplaced courage that would led to his fracture leg, or Phil Marchildon courageous war record, and his harrowing experiences in W.W 2.

Bob Levy's work, "Major League Baseball Transactions, 1946", is a remarkable addition to baseball history. It adds invaluable data for a fascinating time in the game's history... the early post-War years.

What Mr. Levy has done is to provide the most extensive review of the '46 season available anywhere. Among other things, his unique "grids" display every single player's appearance in every single 1946 game. Until now, this data was available only to those very few fans who have access to the microfilmed 1946 boxscores.

In addition to the grids, there are extensive and fascinating tales sprinkled throughout, many of which reveal tales which even serious fans never knew.

Grab this book if you want a unique and insightful look at a year which changed the game forever.

We can only hope that Mr. Levy will produce more such books in the future.

I have read the book and I'd love to own it iv'e only every glanced through it when I went to AMERICA but in ENGLAND I cant find it do you know of an U.K stockists? if you do please E-MAIL me on the address below

My son is 7 years old. And like most other 7 year old boys it is difficult to get him to sit down and read. I bought this book for him about a month ago. It is now his favorite book. He reads it almost every day. It is so exciting to see him actually want to read.

covers everything in detail: all the players, all the managers, all the parks and number of minor leaguers too.

took forever for the Scouting notebook to ship this year.
Same format as always, great reading for the hardcore baseball junkie

This is an excellent oral history about the art of baseball managing. In the 1970's author Donald Honig interviewed 15 former baseball managers (many long retired), including Joe McCarthy, Al Lopez, Walt Alston, Billy Herman, Dick Williams, etc. We hear them speak passionately about their days as team skipper, and often as player too. These men differ somewhat on their recipes for success, but nearly all agreed that good managers handle players effectively, get their respect, and get them to hustle. Eddie Sawyer insisted that catchers and outfielders take infield practice to increase their skills - a valuable idea he attributed to Joe McCarthy. Paul Richards and certain others emphasized practice and preparation on every aspect of the game. Others promoted not becoming buddies with your players, basic fundamentals, and watching opposing players practice to learn their tendencies. Many of these ex-managers were elderly (Joe McCarthy was nearly 90), but each spoke clearly and from the heart.

This book is valuable reading for today's coaches/managers at both the amateur and professional ranks - wish I'd read it before becoming assistant coach in high school. Readers should also consider BASEBALL WHEN THE GRASS WAS REAL (also by Honig) and GLORY OF THEIR TIMES (by Lawrence Ritter), two excellent oral histories of baseball from long ago.

This is one more Donald Honig masterpiece that you should add to your baseball library. In this edition, Honig interviews player-managers Ossie Bluege, Roger Peckinpaugh, and Hall of Famers Burleigh Grimes and Al Lopez, among others. This time, you read the stories of a manager's point of view as well, which is very interesting.

This book is about a rookie third baseman coming up the line to tag out a lumbering Ty Cobb. About Early Wynn just walking into a tryout camp and announcing himself. About how the Chicago White Sox didn't always play to win in 1919-20.

One of the more memorable parts is Roger Peckinpaugh reflecting on how the illiterate Shoeless Joe Jackson had to listen to what his teammates ordered for dinner first because he could not read the menu. Jackson, by the way, was one of the greatest natural hitters of all time, showing how things were in those days and how they have changed so much.

Although I am a Noel Hynd fan, but not a baseball fan, I loved this book nevertheless. Hynd is such an excellent story teller, I read this book in one weekend not because I was interested in the subject matter, but because I found myself immersed in the story itself. Hynd has a way of doing that with his readers. The history was interesting, and I learned quite a bit about baseball and vaudeville. But the best part was the romance surrounding the main characters, and Hynd related this true tale with compassion and sympathy.

While I have never read Noel Hynd before, I got this book because it's subjects are of interest to me. (Blossom was my father's sister). I never expected it to be so easy to read. Noel writes as he might talk to you at a family outing. As if he were chatting over coffee. It was really a pleasure to read.

i thought this book was great! i loved how you got to solve the mystery....basically, you search the pictures and text to get the clues. it was really fun to read, and it also gives you a chance to test your detective skills!

THIS WAS A GREAT BOOK, IT HAD INTERESTING CLUES, AND IT REALLY MADE YOU THINK. IT WAS A FUN BOOK TO READ. IT MADE ME WANT TO READ THE REST OF THE SERIES.

This book is a must read for any mystery or sports fan. It is just a terrific book.

I first read this book when I was about 7 years old, and it started a lifelong interest in mystery stories. I practically squealed with joy when I found it again at the library recently.



The story is pretty simple, but it really encourages kids to think as they try to solve the clues to the mystery along with the heroine, Meg. Meg is visiting her grandfather when he tells her about a sort of treasure hunt that his cousin, Alice, created for him years ago that he was never able to solve. Alice took his prized possession, a baseball signed by Babe Ruth, and refused to tell him where it was. Instead, she left him a series of clues leading to the place where it is hidden. Although her grandfather was unable to find the answers to any of the clues, Meg is determined to solve the mystery and find the baseball. To add to the challenge, Meg's brother is also trying to solve the mystery, and she is trying to find the baseball before he does. At each stage of the mystery, the book asks readers to consider the clues Meg finds and to study the pictures to find the answers before turning the page to find out what Meg's conclusions are.



All the clues in the treasure hunt are based upon popular nursery rhymes, which kids can easily recognize. From personal experience, I know that kids are impressed when they realize that they know enough to figure out the meanings of the clues on their own. This is a good book for kids in early elementary school, especially ones who enjoy mysteries and puzzles.

You don't have to be a baseball fan to enjoy MENTAL TOUGHNESS. The premises, examples and advice are universal for anyone seeking to improve the game of life. It is a book that can be read many times and each time the reader will gain insights to help reach their potential be it as an athlete, or a professional or amateur in any field. It is a must read for anyone trying to improve their game. The examples of real baseball experiences bring home the importance of the mental aspect of any challenge.

The mental part of the athlete's game will determine their personal success and development. This book teaches individuals how to learn control over the dynamics of life. There is great insight into areas of character, values, focus, concentration and confidence. This book is required reading for the ASU Softball team and has helped all of us make positive adjustments in our lives both on and off the field.

ýMickey Mantle Day in Amsterdamý is another gem from the pen of Jim LaBate, author of the tender ýLetýs Go Gaelsý. Once again, the author draws on his love of sports and the fond recollections of his childhood to evoke a bygone era, the pre-video era of wholesome heroes and hot summer afternoons when kids everywhere swarmed the baseball diamonds, gear in hand, and every patch of grass was its own field of dreams.

The generous heart of this story beats loudest and strongest in the young narratorýs exuberant admiration and respect for the singularly great Mickey Mantle and in the vicarious joy the reader experiences as twelve-year-old Jumboýs ordinary world is transformed by an unexpected overnight visit from the extraordinary Yankee slugger.

This is not a story of hero worship for LaBateýs Mantle is life-sized and as common as a next-door neighbor as he plays ball with Jumbo and his gang of friends. Instead, what is ennobled is the broad hearted zeal of youth and its passionate embrace of a game that once defined everything that was great about small-town America. And therein lies the magic and the pleasure of this timeless tale. It captures the beauty and joy of a young boyýs heart without pretence or precocity so that, after reading it, I felt as if these boys, and the Mick himself, might have even been a part of my own childhood.

But there is a bittersweet cloud behind the joy of LaBateýs silver-lined fable. Two weeks ago I made a pilgrimage back to my hometown and visited what had been my field of dreams, a broad green expanse with four full ball diamonds, one in each corner, and four full outfields converging and blending together in the middle into one calm sea of grass. It was a beautiful summer day, about two in the afternoon, when I pulled into the lot beside where the dugouts and the water bubbler used to be. On any given summer day when I was twelve, back in 1963, we might have had to rise early to be certain we could get an open field for our daily pick-up ballgames, choosing new sides throughout the day just to make it more interesting. The fields still looked healthy and well-maintained. I got out of my car, walked to home plate and gazed across the fields. There was not a soul in sight.

All right, every red-blooded American male baby-boomer dreamed sometime of having Mickey Mantle come and spend the day at his house and impress the other kids in the neighborhood. It takes an author with the incredible skill of Jim LaBate to transform that fantasy into one of the most charming books of the era. Each character is so cleverly crafted, and the dialogue so genuine, that you almost feel he is writing about real people. No single neighborhood could possibly boast of so many genuine eccentrics! (Could it?)

Exceptional photos of Mike Piazza. Tells of his impact on the Mets from his arrival to now. Easy, fun reading.

What team was averaging 18,100 fans before his arrival and after his arrival over 35,000? The New York Mets and the person to whom this attendance-doubling feat goes to is Mike Piazza. Watching the way the Mets have performed since his arrival is one of the reasons they are one of the top ball teams in the National League.

Since his arrival in New York, Piazza has taken his team from mediocre to the NLCS and nearly pulled off one the biggest upset in baseball. Piazza abilities behind the plate are as impressive as his interaction the fans of New York outside the gates.

Over 125 pages packed with stories and photos, this is one book for every serious Mets or Piazza fan. The book only covers Mike's time in New York, so if you are looking for the definitive biography this is not he book. Price under $25.00 this book is certainly a good value for the money.