Baseball Books

This book is the cutest, most adorable book about Eric Gregg and his experiences in life and baseball. Marty Appel has once again done a great job of bringing baseball to life in a wonderfully amusing way. Eric Gregg is no slouch in the amusing department, however. He sounds like the nicest guy in the world with a great attitude about the world. This book provided great entertainment for the plane ride to and from Quebec. I would say that all baseball fans should read this. The book gives such interesting insight about the game. Marty Appel fans should also read this. Like him, it's a very very fun book.

This is a book offering a great perspective -- not only from the viewpoint of one of a very few black umpires in Major League Baseball (MLB), but from a good person with a positive outlook on life. No, the author did not lead a charmed life, but reading the book made many of the big worries of day-to-day life seem much smaller.

The reading is fairly easy and certainly entertaining. Many of the stories are new (some of the other books about MLB umpiring can tend to repeat the same stories. Although the author sticks mostly to his professional life, we get a few glimpses into his personal life as well.

Occasionally you stumble across a writer with a natural gift, not only for putting words together in a pleasant way but for hitting a personal mark, for just plain making sense. This is a terrific collection of Sigars' ongoing streak of pertinent columns in the Mukilteo Beacon. It's a column I read religiously (and so should you) because Chuck speaks for the everyman, the everyman who knows he can be, and is, more than that.

Although these essays are often personal to the author's experience and family, they present tales of everyday occurances, challenges, joys, love, pain, parenting, and just plain life experiences that translate into truths that all of us can relate to. Among the these pearls are some more "editorial" type essays that make you think.

The book, with it's many essays, is great to have handy to read when you have a few minutes to relax.

Play by play of each World Series game; including pitch by pitch of Don Larsen's perfect game in 1956. A must if you can find this book!

There are only two sad aspects about The World Series: Complete play-by-play of every game 1903-1989. First, it does not include pitch-by-pitch accounts of every game, and second, it has not been updated since the 1989 World Series. But, for its time, it is a masterful work. Even before interest in play-by-play accounts of games made their way to the internet, Neft & Cohen go into great detail of each individual Series game. Want to know who the first batter and pitcher to appear in a series were? (Pitcher: Cy Young, Boston; batter: Ginger Beaumont, Pittsburgh)? Need to know how many pitches Don Larsen threw in his 1956 no-no in game five (97) and who was the last man retired (Dale Mitchell, struck out looking)? Wondering who was on base when Carlton Fisk homer hit the foul pole in game six of the 1975 series (no one, he led off the bottom of the 12th)? Have a bet with a friend on who scored the winning run on Bill Buckner's error in the 10th inning of game six of the 1986 series (Ray Knight)? It's all here, with recaps, box scores and composite statistics from every series. The only thing better than this book for tracking the series would be an update. Hopefully, one will be on the way within my lifetime.

Wrigley Field may be one of the oldest arenas in the world of sports, but its one of the most legendary. The building was once called an "edifice of beauty" by Charles Weeghman, its designer. The stadium was originally named Weeghman Park when it was built in 1914, then to Cubs Park in 1920, and finally to Wrigley Field in 1926. It has undergone numerous renovations over the years since being built as a single-decked structure in 1914. It was the original home of the Chicago Whales, or Chi-Feds, of the Federal League before the Cubs moved there from West Side Grounds in 1916. It is famous for its ivy-covered outfield wall and its manually-operated scoreboard, and more recently for stirring renditions of Take Me Out To The Ball Game during the middle of the seventh inning. Wrigley Field is to baseball what the Boston Garden was to basketball and the Montreal Forum was to hockey. It may be considered a modern-day version of the Colosseum in Rome. It truly is a structure of amazing design and shows no sign of going obsolete as it is constantly being improved and updated. Colorful photographs of this sports palace abound in this entertaining and informative book. It is considered a landmark alongside all the other buildings that have made Chicago one of the world's great cities. The stadium was also home to the Chicago Bears of the National Football League for many decades before moving to Soldier Field in 1970. A must-read for baseball fans or sports fans in general, and especially for Cubs fans who have endured a losing baseball team for so many years.

If you've ever been to Wrigley, few words can describe the feeling you get as a baseball fan. This book manages to capture a lot of those images and feelings, tracing the history of Wrigley Field and getting lots of insight from fans, players, coaches and more about what makes it special. Gorgeous photos throughout punctuate an excellent narrative. A must for fans of ballpark books.

Stuart Shea does a fantastic job in this "unauthorized biography" of Wrigley Field of telling the entire story of the Lake View neighborhood, not just the ballpark. From the founding of the area in the mid-19th Century, to the area we know today as Wrigleyville.

Plus, it is filled with details of the Cubs on-field experiences as well. Yes, those wanting to know about how Wrigley went from a small grand-stand at Clark and Addison in 1914 housing a Federal League ball club to one of the most revered parks in the country; double-decked, and with the ivy covered walls, will not be disappointed. However, Shea also tells the story of the teams that played there as well. For, what is a ballpark without a ball club? (Bears fans should note that a chapter is dedicated to non-baseball related activities. There is also a note in this chapter about the Chicago Sting soccer club.)

I would agree that this book could have used more photographs. I'm not asking for a coffee table book (there are plenty of those already available) that takes away from what the book is trying to accomplish... Rather that, since the book is trying to point out (and at times refers to photos used researching the Wrigley renovations through the years), that additional historical photos would enhance the already deep wealth of information available in this book. This minor detail, however, is not enough to detract from a top recommendation for this excellent book on the Friendly Confines.

Stuart Shea has written an intelegent and well researched book on the crown jewel of baseball parks.

The book illuminates not only the park but more over the vibrant and diverse personalities that gave Wrigley Field its character. From its comprehensive analysis of early Lake View, to the lights, Shea shares the details and yes even the foibles of those who call the Friendly Confines.

I encourage all that are fans of Wrigley to use this as a resource.

If the book were to be lacking, it would be in the actual paper quality and the lack of unique photos. Photos can be found in countless other books claiming to be definative on the park, but you will not find the facts and amazing narative content that Shea provides. This is a great baseball book.

I thought this was a great book about growing up and it inspires kids to keep trying...

I thought this was a great book about growing up and it inspires kids to keep trying. My favorite part of the book was when Applebaum got a hit playing baseball.

Every young baseball fan (especially a young Red Sox fan) needs to read "Zachary's Ball". You can't help but get the goosebumps while reading this book. It's a great book for a parent to share with their son/daughter at bed time. You both will go to sleep with a smile on your face, and it will quickly become a favorite in your home (as it is mine).

I dare you to read this and not get a tear in your eye. This is a touching inspirational story that has become a favorite for my seven year old son who LOVES baseball. I read this to his first grade class and it was a HOME RUN ( girls, boys baseball fans and non sport fans alike really enjoyed it). You need not be a Red Sox fan to enjoy this but if you are it is a must have for your library..GO RED SOX

My son and I have read the first 3 books in the Hank Zipzer series together. We enjoyed each one, especially the underlying theme of hope for children who learn differently. This fourth book, was the turning point where my son actually is reading the book alone. If I could contact Mr. Winkler I would like to thank him for being such a great role model for kids who are bright and creative but have difficulties in areas that the rest of us take for granted. The print is large and the vocabulary is not overwhelming yet the stories are fun and meaningful for the tween age group. We can't wait for the 5th book to come out in May 2004.

My son enjoys the entire Hank Zipzer series. He struggles with learning disabilities as Hank does, and enjoys the creative ways that Hank tries to get around them. My son also admires Hank's sense of humor and his loyal friends, Frankie and Ashley. And who wouldn't want a grandpa like Papa Pete?

On P. 205 of 1001 Reasons To Love Baseball, Danny Peary and MaryTiegreen list 17 classic books which have become iconic reverences to baseball. They could have included one more - their own magical, wondrous, can't put it down adoration of the game. 1001 Reasons to Love Baseball is different from any other baseball book I've ever seen. I found myself not just reading it but carrying it around, stealing chances to forge on to the next batch of reasons among the 1001 to love baseball. It is a book to read, and ponder. You take in a "reason" and then have to sit with it for a moment or two - for example, Reason # 431 "a fastball smacking into a mitt" or # 440 "that you don't need strikes, just the `illusion of strikes,' to get batters to swing."
These nuggets are interspersed with riveting encapsulated biographies of the majestic figures of the game: Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Nolan Ryan, Barry Bonds - 30 "Greats" each of whom is offered as a reason to have this passion about the game. This is a book with appeal to new converts and seasoned fans alike - You suspect a postcard, but it turns out to be a textbook of the history, the geography, the ambiance, and the aficionado appeal of baseball. It is spiced with information which is too special to be called mere trivia - for example Reason # 381 chronicles the only mother-son duo to play professional baseball (you'll just have to check it out with your own copy to learn who these two people are). 1001 Reasons To Love Baseball is adorned with photographic treasures so deftly chosen and with such artful layout that even pictures you've seen before take on a new texture. There is a shot of Van Lingle Mungo's (Reason # 478) windup which is both statuesque and is also an impossibility as far as throwing a baseball. And to top it all off are quotes which have become part of baseball's music. Hank Aaron (Reason # 29) said "The pitcher has got only a ball. I've got a bat." I didn't know he had said that. And now I can't imagine him saying anything else. Peary and Tiegreen's book captures that kind of sensibility - the shared, unspoken, wise, and very pure reasons why so many of us love baseball. It is a must have.

A history of major league baseball during the 1940's, told mainly from the perspective of the St. Louis Browns. WW II had taken its toll on team rosters, leaving only "the lame, the too old, the too young, and the too slow" behind to play the National Pastime. Mead has researched thoroughly the time period and conducted interviews with many of the players. The interviews are, as usual in books like this, the best parts of the book. There are even a few chapters dealing with some of the big name pros (DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Hank Greenberg) who were in the service and what life was like for them.

Major league baseball sold millions of dollars in war bonds and helped maintain a certain amount of normalcy during tough times. Mead's fondest memory is of the 1944 Browns, usually in the cellar of the American League, who that year won the Pennant and played their cross-town rivals in the World Series. (They lost.) Mead, to his credit, stays critical and honest in his reportage and doesn't stoop to nostalgia. An interesting account, and a book that baseball enthusiasts with an eye on the game's past should enjoy.