Baseball Books

This book has it all: A real-life message to that elderly that life is not over just because the latter years have arrived. A white/black friendship. (The black lady gets to be the heroine.) Baseball and the nostalgia of the way the game used to be....and just plain silly fun in the personalities of some of the people (including Babe Ruth, who makes an appearance by sliding down a flag pole). When I finished reading it, I wanted to remain connected with these characters so much that I turned to the front of the book and read it over again. I have never done that before or since. I read it in the Reader's Digest Condensed Book version. I tried to buy the book, but could not find it several years ago. Now I see that it is out of print. What a shame. It was a first book for Mr. Littlefield. I wonder if he has written any others? If so, I would certainly eagerly buy and read them

Prospect is a perfect mid-summer, screen-porch, grass-stained, barefoot kind of read. If you are a true lover of the game of baseball, you absolutely must read this book.
To be honest, I'm not sure how Prospect would read to someone who isn't a baseball fanatic. Littlefield's writing is concise and rich (unlike many sports writers who decide to try their hand at novel writing), but so much of the magic of this book is a product of how well he captures the humanity and spirit of the game. In many ways, this book is so much about baseball that it is somehow more. Like the game of baseball itself, Prospect is a beautiful human drama.

Effa Manley was seemingly yet another "lost" pioneer in Negro Leagues Baseball before being posthumously honored in 2006 with induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. She was part of a class of players and executives selected by a special committee chaired by former baseball commissioner Fay Vincent.

But a plaque for the only woman inducted in the Hall of Fame barely touches the surface of an oftentimes controversial life. Author James Overmyer does an excellent job in piecing together a story that is as interesting as any you will read.

Compared by some as the George Steinbrenner of her day, Effa Manley and her husband, Abe Manley, operated the Brooklyn/Newark Eagles and were major figures in the behind-the-scenes operations of NLB.

She was relentless in her battles with other owners, players and sportswriters to make NLB a viable professional sport and business. Effa Manley was also a civil-rights advocate, who led several successful protests in Harlem for equitable job opportunities at white-owned businesses.

She was also critical of how NLB was beholden to white booking agents - who oftentimes became club investors by advancing struggling team owners money for percentages of ownership - and the white Major League Baseball teams to utilize stadiums.

It was at the height of the Eagles greatest success, a 1946 championship, where even Effa Manley's passion and business acumen could not save the league. During that championship season, Branch Rickey had started a new league to compete against NLB. That league lasted only one year, but it was a major opening move against NLB that presaged the future.

And when MLB - through the Brooklyn Dodgers and Rickey - began to integrate its league through the signing of Jackie Robinson, it opened up a raid on NLB rosters, with the best players being signed to contracts with little or no compensation to the NLB teams.

Though Effa Manley successfully challenged Rickey on his attempt to sign (steal) Monte Irvin, the die had been cast. It was an end of an era when the Manleys divested themselves of the franchise that had mounting financial loses.

The final chapter (Appendix A), Effa's Competition: The Other Owners of Black Teams, is a nice summary of the personalities, egos and conflicts that are comparable with the maneuverings and manipulations within any pro league.

This is a story of triumph, as a woman demanded and grudgingly gained respect in a male-dominated sport, sought through protest equality in a racist-dominated society & worked tirelessly to the end for the recognition NLB truly deserved.

One of the better books giving insight into the challenges of running a Negro Baseball team. The players were banned from playing with white players. This book gives an insight what the tough challenges the owners faced. Some of the owners of Negro League teams were white just like Effa Manley. That did not help them at all. It is interesting to see her problems because she was also a woman in a man's sport. An excellent read to give you insight on the history of the game.

Compiled by Fred McMane (a lifetime member of the Baseball Writers Association of America), Quotable Casey is a collection of memorable sayings from the famous baseball manager Casey Stengel, nicknamed the "Old Perfesser". Both Casey's own words and other folks' memorable impressions of him are preserved in this golden nugget of timeless wisdom. "Why should I be old-fashioned just because I'm old?"

In recent years Yogi Berra has been the leader in quirky baseball quotes in the public eye, but he learned it all from his manager Casey Stengel. Casey's folksy, sometimes nonsensical, oddly sage style of speaking left behind a wealth of quotable statements. In this nicely packaged hardcover, QUOTABLE CASEY puts together the most delightful and best of Casey's head-scratchers. The book makes a good gift for any baseball lover, especially fans of either the Yankees or Mets (Casey managed the Mets, too). To quote Stengel himself : "There comes a time in every man's life at least once, and I've had plenty of them." This book's another.

My son is a highly recruited college and pro pitching prospect. I've brought him up on Randy Johnson's mental side of the game. This book is short and to the point, perfect for my son's reading attention span...but, he read this book cover-to-cover in one setting. It's good to read one time over, but like my son said, this is a book to go back to time and again to remind him of setting the right mind set during a game. Randy also stresses the importance of mechanics and physical conditioning. It's just a good reference book, a Pitching Bible brought to you by the Unit...

A great all around book with a great story and great pictures. I really enjoyed reading this book because it showed techiques about pitching. Johnson gives great stratagies on pitching and life. The book sheds light on some of Johnson's other talents such as basketball and takes us into a world where Johnson's erradic pitching gets transformed into fine techique. I also liked the way Nolan Ryan was put in this book. His HOF comments in the foreward serve the book well.


A GREAT READ

This book is great for fun for little Red Sox fans. My son is an avid Red Sox fan, who knows all the players and their stats. He loved this coloring book. We took the book with us on a recent trip and it kept him entertained for a long time.

The kids loved it and we spent a lot of time working through the games and puzzles. It was nice to find Red Sox memorabilia that we could afford for a change. It makes a great gift - I think there is a Yankee Book too.

This is a wonderful collection and I picked it up again on the night of 10/27/04. One of the many books I have about the Red Sox which are now, blissfully, out of date! This collection has such fine writing and it certainly captures that "old" feeling that this team was never going to get it all done, somehow. Hub fans bid curse adieu!

Red Sox Reader is a wonderful collaboration of the best articles written on the Sox. It includes stories from the most significant events in Sox history, ranging the Babe's move to the Yanks to the 1986 Series. It also includes an interview with Bill Lee, a couple of articles by the editor (who was an English teacher in my hometown for years), and perhaps the greatest article on a Boston event - "Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu" by John Updike. I would recommend this book to any Boston fan who appreciates good writing.

I find this book extremely useful as a reference tool, as well as an entertaining read. In addition to reporting daily happenings of the Reds throughout their storied past, Rhodes and Snyder sprinkle insightful and entertaining essays throughout the book. RedLeg Journal is the prized possession of my Reds library.

Before I began reading this book I considered myself an exceptional Reds fan. After finishing this book, I realize that I have forgotten more about my beloved Reds than I can remember. This is an excellant book, and I highly recomend it to all Reds fans or baseball fan everywhere. Greg Rhodes and John Snyder have written great books about the Reds before, but I truly believe that they have saved the best for last. It was sad when I finished the book, I can't wait to see what they write next.

what a great deal. perfect condition and great price. my son loved it. thanks!!!!!!!!

Reel Baseball book a joy to read. Lots of great photos. The DVD is a treasure, it brings back a lot of memories of baseball when I was a kid. Hope there is a DVD part 2.

This is a wonderful book, and Sports Illustated should take notice. Professor Gittleman is not sports beat reporter, so he avoids their frequent self-importance (Roger Kahn) nor does he do this stuff for a living, so he is not unnecessarily verbose (John Feinstein). He's a college professor with wisdom, understanding, and a love for his subject.
His intuition leads him to the real themes of his story (making Jim Turner, the pitching coach, the central figure) and he understands what details are meaningful (all of his three pitchers spoke a second language in their childhood homes). He gives us as much sociology--without preaching--as we get from Jules Tygel's "Time Out," another excellent baseball book.
If you are old enough to know who these guys are, the book is a must--probably perfect for a holiday or birthday gift. If you just love baseball, nothing does a better job of summing up the early 50s, and I realize many authors--not Gittleman's equal--have tried.
This is a real gem.
Wight Martindale

It's curious that the only baseball team to win five straight championships is mostly given the brushoff when discussions of "Great Dynasties" begin. The 1949-53 Yankees are generally considered a series of flukish winners, with no regular position stars in their primes except Yogi Berra and Phil Rizzuto. Oh, and then someone will remember a trio of "pretty good" pitchers named Raschi, Reynolds and Lopat.

Yeah, those were pretty fair country hurlers, all right. In successive Octobers, they shut down the mighty Boys of Summer three straight times, stopped The Little Miracle of Coogan's Bluff in its tracks, and turned the Philadelphia Whiz Kids into Cheeze Whiz. And then went quietly home to their families and waited for the Yanks' General Manager George Weiss to try to chisel them out of every penny in their next contract. Sol Gittleman brings us their story in one of the more gripping baseball books I've read in the past few years.

The "Big Three," as they were called, were the heart of this unparalleled dynasty. Not Dimaggio--he was gone after three years. Not Mantle--he only played a significant role in the last two titles. Not Ford--he was only there for a year and a half. Not Rizzuto--he faded quickly after 1951. And not even Berra, though from 1950 on he could fairly be included in the mix--before that the pitchers told HIM what the next pitch was to be.

Ted Williams called Raschi "the best pitcher alive--there just can't be anyone as good." Unless, he added, it was one of "those other two," by which he meant Reynolds or Lopat.

The Big Three embodied the concept of TEAM. If Allie Reynolds pitched a complete game one day, he might be warming up in the bullpen the next, in case he was needed to save a game. Vic Raschi threw his arm out for the Yankees, led them to five straight titles, and then was unceremoniously dumped for his trouble. And all Eddie Lopat did was to beat the Yanks' archrival Cleveland Indians 80% of the time he took the hill against him. They even tried throwing a black cat in front of him one day, so great was their frustration. By contrast, it was a snowy day in July when the great Warren Spahn even took to the mound against the Braves' main rival, the Brooklyn Dodgers, so thoroughly did they dominate him.

These three magnificent aces were collectively handled not by Casey Stengel, but by the veteran pitching coach Jim Turner. And then when Whitey Ford came into the picture, he was coached by Eddie Lopat himself. With the help of the veterans Hank Bauer and Gene Woodling, they made sure that nobody ever loafed on the field. One word to any potential slacker was sufficient.

I could go on for many more paragraphs about this terrific book, but suffice it to say that if anyone wants to know how a unit that NOT ONCE in five years had a player who led the league in ANY offensive category, and yet could still manage to be the ONLY team to win five straight World Series, this is the book for you. It's the perfect complement to David Halberstam's "Summer of '49". Like that great Yankee dynasty itself, this book is an underrated champion.

Very much looking forward to reading this book - I, too, have a love of baseball - it's a true talent that can connect words and tell a story - congratulations!

I love the title of this book of baseball poems. They show a great knowledge of the history of baseball and sensitivity towards the players.