Baseball Books

THIS BOOK IS ABOUT THE ALL-TIME TIGERS TEAM, POSITION BY POSITION. I REALLY ENJOYED READING ABOUT GREATS LIKE PRINCE HAL, KALINE, GIBSON, GREENBERG, LOLICH, COBB, CASH AND MANY MORE. THERE ARE SOME GREAT PHOTOS AND ALOT OF NOSTALGIA. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS FOR THE TRUE BASEBALL FANS WHO REALLY HAVE FOLLOWED BASBALL OVER THE YEARS. THESE TIGERS COVERED IN THIS BOOK EARNED THEIR STRIPES, INDEED. SOME GREAT GREAT MOMENTS RELIVED IN THIS BOOK.

Our national pastime is the one constant reminder that everyone kid can grow up to play in the major leagues. I have been a long time Philadelphia Phillies fan and as such seldom read books about other ball clubs. After finishing this book I will have to rethink that policy as the Detroit Tigers are one of the most storied franchises in baseball history.

Starting off with the greatest ballplayer to ever put on spikes, Ty Cobb, the book begins to tell more than a story about the Tigers but also about the fans in Detroit. Men like Charlie Gehringer, Sparky Anderson, Hank Greenberg, and Al Kaline, Alan Trammel ands many others are all in the true baseball fans collector book.

The book had Kirk Gibson in the outfield over the great Harry Heilmann and while I wouldn't have made that choice the writers do make a fairly convincing argument for the selection. I enjoyed the inside look into Al Kaline and his often tumultuous relationship with the people of Detroit.

Finally the book is more that the best Tigers it also includes the near misses, the ones that should be there as well and even the weird and funny characters of the teams. Overall a great book for those interested in the game as well as the "true" Tiger fan.

This is a very good book about all of the great Tiger players. They name their all-time team and have stories about some of their great pitchers. Several of their great managers are also included. McLain, Lolich, Newhouser, and Trout are some of their better-known pitchers.

It seems that Mr. Cluck has hit upon his focus points in such a way that coaches, parents, and the players can all take something away and, consequently, grow in their understanding of the game.

"Think Better Baseball" is an easy read. Mr. Cluck uses a well organized approach, simple language, ample pictures and diagrams, and a generous number of situations for all players at bat or on defense. Mr. Cluck provides ample thoughtful material that I will revisit in February, just before our season starts.

This is excellent for high school and college. Although much of it can be used for lower levels as well, most of it caters to more experienced players. There are many examples of how to get the best out of practice and out of a team. Well laid out and easy to read, very good information, recommended.

Bob Cluck must be the greatest all-around Instructor in baseball. I have read all of his books and used them as my bibles to teach baseball at the high school level. I have won 8 consecutive league titles using the fundamentals and advanced mechanics found in Play Better Baseball and Think Better Baseball. Think Better Baseball is just what I needed to advance my coaching skills to the next level.

I thought Play Better Baseball helped me as a coach, Think Better Baseball takes it a step further. This baseball genius breaks down the game as never before. I would recommend anyone to buy all of his books. They have become my "baseball bibles".

If you read the title of this book you might think you are getting a detailed account of the the life of Norman "Turkey" Stearnes and the Detroit Stars, like you get from other books dedicated to a player's life, but this book is different. The story is more about the general environment of the Negro Leagues and race relations in the United States from 1919 to 1933. Great interviews with former Negro Leaguers and fans abound in this book, and the reader will get an idea of what life was like for both players and owners at this time. Readers will not only see Turkey Stearnes, but other greats such as Oscar Charleston, Ted Radcliffe, Andy Cooper, James Bell, Bill Petway, and Josh Gibson. The rosters and season stats for the Detroit Stars at the back of the book will be particularly interesting for anyone researching these players, and there are plenty of great photos as well.

Mr. Bak provides the reader with an insightfull, yet entertaining historical account of a segment of Americana that is too often over looked. A must read for diehard baseball fans, or anyone sincerely interested in either the history of Detroit in general or of baseball in Detroit.

I am Turkey Stearnes' oldest daughter and I think that the book clearly shows that these guys were very great and my dad was the greatest of all time and deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. This book helps to give him the recognition that he so justly deserves. I'm sorry that he is not here to see all that is happening with the Negro League players. This has been a long time coming. Thank You Mr. Bak.

My son has post-it notes all over this book so that whenever either (or both) of us travels out-of-town for work or pleasure we can plan which team(s) to visit. The directions are mostly accurate, the descriptions vivid and history very interesting. Our main comment is that the author should have made this a loose-leaf edition and issue updates periodically. Highly recommended to baseball fans of all ages.

My husband and I just used this book for a week-long trip around the Carolinas and it was absolutely invaluable.

Clearly a labor of love, this books gets to the heart of the minor league experience, rating the food, mascots, seats and campy promotions that make the bush leagues so special...and it does all that in the framework of a helpful travel guide, while also providing the full history of every minor league team and ballpark. I also really enjoy looking at all of the great photos of the minor league parks across the country. A must read that was long over due for baseball fans...enjoy!

i didn't buy this book. i got it at the libray. i have read every book in the series!

My daughter is working her way through all of these. They flow well, have a great storyline, and yet leave some clues for the kids to solve at the end. I don't know what she will read when she gets to Z.

This is one of the best books I have ever read! This series is about three kids who like to solve mysteries. In this book one of Ruth Rose, Dink, and Josh's friends autographed baseballs are stolen and they need to find out who stole them. If you love mysteries read this series! Ages 6-9.

I put down Prelude to War to start Brian Jensen's book. It's a great book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a terrific human interest story and it's interesting for Yankee fans, Yankee haters and non-sports fans alike.

Plain and simple, this book is just a lot of fun to read. While some of the stories of what happened to these once great ball players had me near tears, others had me laughing out loud. And still others had me shaking my head, wondering how some of these guys made it to the ballpark on game days. Jensen's easy-to-read style and dry humor that leaks through now and again makes Where Have All Our Yankees Gone a must have for any sports reader who wants to know what life is like once the lights go out.

The Yankees are a metaphor for America. They are the best of all time. People who do not like them feel that way just because they do not want one single team (or country) to be so much better than everybody else, which does not change the fact that they are. People who grow up in New York and still hate the Yankees are like liberals in America who still hate their country.

STEVEN TRAVERS
AUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN"
STWRITES@AOL.COM

Tom Jones is apparently this author's real name, and he has an ear for the real people who bring us the real game of big-league baseball. Done in a Studs Terkel style, "Working at the Ballpark" lets us know what it's really like behind the scenes on game day in the voices of the people who make the games possible. A must for any baseball fan.

This is an entertaining book. I like how the author preserves the speaking styles of the 50 baseball people interviewed. This makes for very enjoyable reading. I especially enjoyed reading about batting, hitting, and coaching techniques from people like Leo Mazzone, Ron Jackson, and Mike Hargrove. I also enjoyed peeking into clubhouses to see what really goes on, to read about the tensions between ballplayers and the media, and to read how plain folks like ushers, beer vendors, and mascots make their living. I recommend this book strongly.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in readking about baseball from a different perspective. If Studs Terkel had written a baseball book, this is probably what it would have read like.

50 interviews with people with ALL SORTS of careers at a ballpark--players, clubhouse workers, mascot, landscaping, announcer, ballpark vendors (food, beer, etc.).
My favorite interviews were the ballpark architect, the umpire, the shortstop who goes to art galleries when he travels around the US, and the "from Connecticut" ticket hustler.

I like that I can read one interview at a time or several in a row.

This would be a good gift for any man. I will keep it in mind for the impossible-to-shop-for 15-25 year old. It also strikes me as a good graduation gift because everyone in the book talks about how they came to have that job.

I am female 32 years with limited interest in pro sports...

Written in 1941, much of the context of this book will be incomprehensible to the modern teenager. And yet, the basic story is timeless. Baseball is baseball, whether it was played fifty years ago or last summer. The Brooklyn Dodgers managed by Dave Leonard and starring Roy Tucker, "The Kid From Tompkinsville" are in the World Series, having won the pennant on the last day of the season. They are a battered team, their first string catcher split a thumb and cannot play. The Brooklyn pitchers are worn out from the long season and everyone else is hurting. In his first at bat of the series, Roy Tucker is hit in the head by a fast ball and is suffering from dizzy spells.
This is a story about the drive to succeed and the desire to win. It is also about teamwork, all members working together to achieve a common goal. Manager Dave Leonard takes over the catching duties and by sheer will power, forces his forty-year old body to perform like it is once again twenty-something. He is leveled at the plate and holds onto the ball to save a run and get the vital out. I first read this story when I was in middle school, loved it then and enjoyed it just as much when I read it this time. It takes you back to an age when people played the game hard, for only a few thousand dollars a year and where winning was the only thing.
This is a sequel to "The Kid From Tompkinsville" and Tunis is once again at the top of his writing game. It is a classic sports story that can still excite and inspire the modern child.

In some ways, this is an even better read than "The Kid From Tomkinsville" because Tunis keeps the story within the framework of a series as opposed to two seasons in "The Kid." In "World Series" you get to see how a battered and bruised Roy Tucker handles his first postseason, although the novel also puts a lot of time in on Brooklyn manager Dave Leonard (who shows himself to be a lot more complex than in the first book). Tunis is very good at getting the feel of what baseball was like in the 1940's, and "World Series" contains perhaps his best game-situation writing of all the novels. And the banquet scene is priceless. Very much a companion piece to "The Kid," and it's well worth buying them both and reading them one after the other.

I first read this book as an eleven year old and it made a strong impression on my young mind. Now, as a 44 year old, I thought I would reread this book to take a stroll down memory lane. I wasn't disappointed. This story of the Brooklyn Dodgers in the late 1930's is the sequel to The Kid from Tomkinsvile. The "Kid" chonicles the season that leads up to the World Series and this book disects the seven game classic against the Indians. At eleven, I cheered and cried for the heroes in the story; and at 44 I did the same. This is a wonderful book, and a great look back into time, for any young boy or girl.

An excellant book to digest every World Series though 1989. One can read what happened every play in every World Series game. Each years Worlds Series is given a short narative about a memorable moment or questionable managerial decision. This book contains a box score of every World Series game played, Players stats for each year's World Series and the preceding season. Yes it is away to remind oneself of a World Series seen on TV years ago or to become aquainted with a World Series before television.

I think the first World Series I ever watched on TV was the 1973 World Series. The World series roster had 8 pitchers for Oakland and 9 for the Mets. Six ptchers had over 240 innings pitched that season. yeah one can look up this stuff over the internet but this book is nice presentation of the facts.

Where else would become perplex about Bob Gibson batting for himself in the 8th inning with his tean down 3 to nothing. Perplexing until one looks over the stats of potential pitch hitters on the bench. Maybe Mr. Gibson's bat was as good as the alternatives. A good way to scratch ones head and think about baseball and question other managerial decisions of years gone bye.

I have had this book since 1990. In the last 7 years, I have been able to visually recreate almost any series game. This is a valuable tool in my baseball library. If you are lucky enough to find one, buy it!

First published following the brilliant Reds-Red Sox Series of 1975, this book gives the play-by-play for every game of every World Series it covers. By elevating these games to such minute study, serious baseball fans can deconstruct strategies and performances for observations useful in many other contexts.

The Neft-Cohen team also puts together "Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball," which (with the Macmillan and Total Baseball series) is a cornerstone of baseball analysis. The only improvements that could be made: -- More pitch counts, for the recent Series for which these are available. -- Play-by-play for old League tie-breaking playoffs (NL 46, 59 and 62; AL 48; AL East 78; NL West 80).

For anyone who enjoys APBA and its recreating of old World Series, this is a must.

This book tells all about Jason Kidd, you know legendery Dallas Maverick now a Sun that player, well the book tells all about his life and carreer goals (achieved)

The pictures are awesome and so are the stories. Like him running into a mailbox, and all kinds of other interesting and amusing stories. I give it a nine because maybe it could have been more informative. But it was definitly worth the nine!