Baseball Books

I have not received the book yet. I would like to think I came across this book by the hand of God. My father passed away this past May. He was a Red Sox fan his whole life, even though he had never seen them win a World Series. I have bought this book for my sons who are Yankee fans. I am going to write them a letter signing it Love Grandpa. So many of my father's friends and families could not believe that a man waits his whole life for his team to win and dies on the year it happens. My youngest son said that pop was in heaven asking God to take the curse off Boston and God seemed to have listened to him. Hoping pop did not ask God to put the curse on his Yankees. In memory of my dad, I hope this book will be a 5 star book to my sons.

George Higgins has done a great job of opening up the world of baseball, as well as tradition, life, and the passion the game holds. I thoroughly enjoyed this book

Not only the best book I've ever read about the Red Sox and what they mean to their fans, but the best book I've read about baseball and the significant place it has in our lives, whether we are aware of it or not. His referral to The Boss as 'King Steinbrenner the Odious' is as fitting a moniker of that man as I've ever heard. Simpy a shame so many of Higgins' books are out of print.

Brian Cooper's book, Red Faber, is more than just a biography of a great baseball pitcher. It is filled with insights into the baseball world of Faber's era -- the era of the spitball, Babe Ruth and the infamous "Black Sox" scandal of 1919, among other things. Cooper tells a story that begins in the little town of Cascade, Iowa, weaves its way through a baseball career that saw Faber win 254 games, and peaks when Faber was elected to the Hall of Fame. It is a thoroughly enjoyable book that makes the reader realize that Red Faber was one of those "what if" ballplayers. What if he had not been sidelined for the 1919 World Series? Would the White Sox have won, despite the fix? What if he had not played for such bad ballclubs in the 1920s -- would he have won 300 games? One thing is for certain. This book belongs on every baseball history buff's bookshelf.

This is an excellent book if a person is interested in baseball and how the game was played years ago. The author did a fantastic job of describing a real baseball talent, Red Faber and his life story.
It was a walk down memory lane for me as I grew up in the same neighborhood as his family on the Southwest side of Chicago. I loved going over to his house and seeing the signed baseballs, the trophies and the numerous signed letters he received over the years.
This is a fun read and the book contains some great snapshots!
Mary Jane Cole

I was born in Dubuue where my father was a sports reporter for the Times Journal. In later years he would relate stories, some of which are brought to life again by this story about RED. I also was in Chi town in August 1933 when the Sox and Yankes went 18. I sat through all 18 and often have wished that I could rememder more. I thought it was still light enough for more, but it was called anyway. I am sure that it was a get away day for the yankees and they had to rush to make the train. I also was a batboy for the Guttenberg Gaints in the late 30'3 when they played in Cascade. What great memories from this great story

This book is a young authors journey through those memorable years of his life following the Red Sox through the trials they endured to become champions. It reflects the "never give up!" attitude of die hard sports fans everywhere. A Must have for anyone who has supported there team thorugh good times and bad! This book is the heart of what a "True Fan" really is! I Highly recommend this to anyone who loves Baseball!

This book is amazing, it was funny, informative and touching all in one as it takes you through the rollercoaster ride of being a Boston Red Sox fan. If your a new lover of the Boston Red Sox or a diehard fan I highly recomend it. The author really hit this one out of the park!!!!!!!!

If your in love with the Boston Red Sox and are a part of Sox Nation then this book is ABSOLUTELY for you....Author does a great job describing how your life is changed FOREVER when you Really embrace the Red Sox...You will go on journeys of Sox Past all the way up to the Best Comeback in Sports History, the 2004 World Series.....Great Reading and brings back a lot of memories.....highly recommended......

I, too, know Ron Modra, and I always look for his credits in any issue of Sports Illustrated. His photos can be counted on to be the best in that issue. It is wonderful to have a book full of Mr. Modra's baseball pictures. The pictures are extraordinary, i.e. excellent photographs which are not the ordinary, garden-variety sports photos. The photos capture wonderful moments with the subject. The commentary is also extraordinary, describing the sport in ways we, as fans, may not have considered. I'll be buying at least two more copies of this book as Chrismas gifts this year.

I've worked on occasion as Ron Modra's assistant (including on one occasion pictured in the book) so I am a bit predjudiced. However, even I was pleasantly surprised by what an interesting and original book this is, which is not easy to do with a subject covered as often as baseball. The photos, as always with Ron's work, are great but it is the text which makes the book so original. Ron's insights and those of Pat Jordan and the players are what holds one's interest and make this book a great "read" as well as a great "see". I particularly recommend Ron's comments on Barry Bonds, Pete Rose and Wade Boggs. Well done.

I've been a subscriber to Sports Illustrated for years, and often tear out great photos from the magazine to hang on my bulletin board. I first noticed Ronald C. Modra's photos when he was covering track and field at the Olympics. I still have a picture he took of Jackie Joyner-Kersee from the L.A. or Seoul Games (I don't recall which...) After that, I started looking for his credit line, and while he always took amazing portraits of men and women in a variety of sports, I soon realized his true love was baseball. I started watching the game with a fresh eye, through his photographs, and now that they've been collected in a single volume, I'm really thrilled to re-experience the pleasure his photos always gave me! This is a great gift for anyone in your life who loves the game of baseball. The text is straight from the hip, but it's the pictures that take your breath away.

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.

I was attracted to this book because Allie Reynolds, Vic Raschi, and Ed Lopat were the big three with the Yankees when I was a boy growing up a Tigers' fan in the early 1950s. I was surprised to learn that Raschi's record of 120-50 in eight years with the Yankees was the best won-lost record in Yankees' history to this day. Reynolds both started and relieved during his time with the team. Lopat served as a tutor for Whitey Ford. Their pitching coach during this time was the much respected Jim Turner. The villain in this book is clearly General Manager George Weiss who clearly alienated the players with his reluctance to reward performance, and took shameful advantage of the reserve clause which bound players to the team that owned them. Author Sol Gittleman states it was the big three pitchers who were the true leaders on these teams that featured five consecutive World Championships. Allie Reynolds states the best thing he ever did in baseball was to make the game better for the players through his representing the American League along with Ralph Kiner in the National League in beginning the players' revolution in negotiating with the owners. The Odd Couple in this book is manager Casey Stengel and GM George Weiss. Polar opposites they were together for nearly 30 years with the Yankees and Mets. I did find one minor mistake on page 95 when Alfonso "Chico" Carrasquel was referred to as "Alex". This book does a great job in bringing these Yankees back to life in addition to highlighting the stronghold the owners had over the players in regard to players' salaries. When the players could no longer serve the team at the pittance they received they were promptly dispatched elsewhere. GM Weiss had a chance to sign Willie Mays, but his bigoted attitude prevented that from occurring. There are numerous tidbits of trivia here, also. Hank Bauer was the only one to play on all of Stengel's nine pennant winners. Of the 12 players who played on these five championships, the manager, coaches, and GM, there were no divorces. This book brought back a lot of memories to me of the players who were on the New York Yankees during this time, and added considerable insight into what baseball and playing for the Yankees was like.

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

Uma Parameswaran's latest book is a compendium of three stories. The first two are set in Winnipeg, Manitoba and depict the strains of transplantation of peoples, particularly of women. The third is timeless and universal and an achingly beautiful depiction of family dynamics and the unique worth of each individual. The story of Mooga is so simple, yet it touches the heart and transcends the particulars of nationality and place. It has a timeless beauty and will be a source of hope and strength to those who peer in on this depiction of everyfamily.

This book is a good read!

In a beautifully performed ragam in Carnatic music each phrase leads into the next, yet seems to go back to the beginning; the patterns developed are intricate, but done with such skill that they appear transparently simple. "Mooga" is indeed a ragam which is so rendered. It should be included in every anthology of Indian short stories of the present time.

Those familiar with Uma Parameswaran's writings will be happy to see that at least one of her books is at last available on Amazon. This book has three stories - two of which are new. One of the new stories, "Mooga" is a moving story about a man who had an ailment, "a fever" when he was a child, and so divides his memories into BEFORE and AFTER. Rushdie says in one of his novels that the women characters took over his story. Here too the cook, Rukkamma, almost takes over the story with her philosophical tales about her way of seeing life. Even the minor characters who make cameo appearances come alive.

This is a wonderful book. This book is great for all ages. The book deals with many issues which are important for children to start dealing with. The book also stirs a love for the game. I highly recommend it!

I enjoyed it cause I found out more about Roberto Clemente.

A well-written, almost poetically spare introduction to the life of Roberto Clemente. Starts with his life of poverty in Puerto Rico to his climb to the top of the major leagues. Ends with Mr. Clemente's untimely death in an airplane crash when he was transporting relief supplies to earthquake victims. Illustrations capture the feel of the times and experiences as well as the excitement of the sports action. This excellent picture book will introduce another generation to a real hero. Karen Woodworth Roman, Librarians.info

This is a really good story about how Sammy Sosa grew up in the Dominican Republic. There are lots of pictures from his home in the Dominican Republic, and it tells a lot about how he learned to play baseball and went to the United States to play professional baseball.

This was, without a doubt, the best Sammy Sosa book I have read. The author did an great job telling every aspect of Sosa's life from his childhood in the Dominican Republic to his success as a baseball player. Reading this, I felt as if I were talking to Sammy himself. Excellent writing and a must-read for any Sosa fan!

I read Latinos in Baseball (Sammy Sosa) by Carrie Muskat. This book was full of information and excitement. It tells everything anyone would like to know such as his batting averages, homeruns, teamscores, childhood, and problems in his life. I liked this book because it reminded me of all the obstacles that go on in other people's lives. People who are baseball fans would like this book. I really admire Sammy Sosa because of the way he plays the game; he plays for fun, not for money or fame. I'd recommend this book to baseball player's and fans of Sammy because it tells how he expected more out of himself and didn't expect his teammates to make up for him.

Officially licensed by NASCAR, The Sands Of Time: Celebrating 100 Years Of Racing At Daytona by journalist and sports writer Bill Lazarus is the rip-roaring multimedia combination of a splendidly photographed, coffee-table book with an informed and informative text recounting the history of the Daytona 500 automobile race from 1903 to 2003, and enhanced with an exclusive, 60-minute companion DVD of rare Daytona footage. The informative history is brought to life with pictures ranging from rare and vintage black-and-white photographs to dazzling color pictures of exciting races in progress. An excellent gift book especially for anyone who enjoys Daytona racing.

Being a huge fan of racing I have read many books that deal primarily with NASCAR. Most of them can't even get close to this book. Not only is it interesting to me as a racing fan it is also full of historical information that I have never seen compiled in one place before. The side bars are both interesting and informative, if you have the slightest interest in the "birth of speed" I suggest you read this!

I bought The Sands of Time at a book signing with Geoffrey Bodine in Daytona. I really just wanted to meet Geoff and didn't know anything about the book. But it turned out to be great! I really enjoyed all the photos from the early 1900s. (There is sand flying everywhere and the grooves around the corners are so deep. And some guys complain about track conditions today!)

But this is not a book that you'll merely flip through to look at its pictures. I started reading and did not want to stop. I've been a NASCAR fan for a few years now but have never really thought about its history..and didn't even know I cared till I read this book. I have a greater appreciation now of why Daytona and racing are so popular. Coincidently I read most of the book while sitting in 500 traffic on Sunday!

I recommend Sands of Time to any race fan. Not only because it covers a subject you love, but because I think it will make you love it even more.

One cannot help but be moved by this little book of various sayings of and articles about Satchel Paige. Yet this is one of the most delightful reads I have experienced in quite a while. David Sterry and Arielle Eckstut have put together a collection of witicisms and rare articles that will delight the baseball fan and history buff.

Beautifully illustrated with vintage photographs and pictures, this book is a gem. A reader will learn about the spirit of a man who looked Jim Crow in the face and won!

I'm not much of a baseball fan, and Satchel Paige has always just been a name to me, but a friend showed me this book and I couldn't resist reading it. I do like history, philosophy, and stories about people with integrity who overcome obstacles to do what they love and live by their own standards, and Satchel Sez pleased me on all of those levels. For those of you who are as uninformed as I was before I read this book, Leroy "Satchel" Paige started out with a job carrying suitcases at the age of seven and went on to become the greatest pitcher baseball has ever known, with stats that far outshine the records set by white players who were allowed careers in the big leagues. Satchel played in the Negro Leagues for almost his entire career - he spent a few years in the Major Leagues. He was eventually named the oldest rookie when he was in his sixties. "Age is a question of mind over matter," he said. "If you don't mind, it don't matter." The book is colorful, fun, and easy to read, pairing quotes and anecdotes by and about Satchel with lots of photographs of the man himself. Satchel's humor and easy-going nature are captured here, but at the same time the book portrays his grace and dignity, a side of him that has often been overlooked due to racial stereotypes. Satchel has lots of advice to give on everything from baseball to aging to women to stomach trouble. Some examples are: "Slow down, you last longer," "Be satisfied in your own world," and "Just take the ball and throw it where you want to. Home plate don't move." He also offers inspiration, such as, "You have to believe in yourself. When you believe, you do." One of my favorite quotes could be applied to the racism he faced: "It's not what you don't know that hurts you. It's what you know that just ain't so." I'm also impressed by Satchel's goodwill. For sure, he trash-talked and was never modest about his genius, but he was generous at the same time. Once he didn't show up to the Negro League equivalent of an All-Star game because the owners of the teams refused to donated all of the proceeds to returning wounded GIs. When he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame (Negro League players were supposed to be recognized separately), he said, "There were many Satchels." I am simultaneously impressed, informed, and inspired by Satchel Sez, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Satchel Paige. Just saying the name brings to mind a personality as vibrant and singular as any seen in the world of baseball. This short, effective book presents a glimpse into the truly marvelous wit and wisdom of the pitcher who seemed terminally young, throwing baseballs with purpose and precision into his 60s. A pitcher who once struck out 24 batters in one game. A player many claim was the ultimate master of the pitched ball. A competitor with constant chatter and quips. A man who was relegated to second-class citizenship because he was African-American, yet with whom all the white teams of the 1930s wanted to play against in the barn-storming games because he was such a draw. Take a peak at this book and you'll glean a new insight into the man who became a legend. The authors have captured the essence of Satchel via quotes about and by Paige, lots of photographs, stats, stories, and memorabilia all wrapped in a wildly successful graphic design.