Baseball

by Society for American Baseball Research ( (Author)

In this issue . . .

Baseball lives in all seasons. So the first issue of The SABR Review takes a look at two of the newest works on non-regular-season baseball: A Baseball Winter and (on Spring Training) The Short Season. We cover Jim Kaplan's diary of '83 season, too. But we don't forget the history, with reviews of the two latest books on two of baseball's prime movers, Ban Johnson and A.G. Spalding, discussed by A.D. Suehsdorf and Luke Salisbury.

And what are the newest of the great baseball writers saying? In this issue we review the latest by Bill James, Roger Kahn, Peter Gammons, and Dan Okrent. Plus a special treat: a brief reminiscence of the immortal Red Smith by his teammate on the All-Time Great-Writers Team, Bob Broeg.

Two of the national pastime's oldest skills are also its most overlooked. Jack Carlson and Frank Boslett analyze what Bill Curran has to say about defense in Mitts, and what Kevin Kerrane learned about putting the Dollar Sign on the Muscle.

Most of us started loving baseball at an early age, and most remember the almost sinfully delicious feeling when we discovered that we could actually read about it, too. That's why this issue takes a special three-way look at those early books that first forged the magical link between the game and the imagination for many of us. Leverett Smith overviews what juvenile baseball literature has been about since its beginnings. Jack Kavanagh tells us about a star, Baseball Joe Matson, who lasted 16 years (and outlasted a writer or two). Next, Phil Bergen takes an in-depth look at how the works of John R. Tunis were clues to our society's mores, from pre-World War II to the Vietnam conflict.

Since much of the best of baseball writing occurs in shorter pieces, the anthology has long been a staple of baseball readers' libraries. Tom Jozwik looks at one of the newest, The Armchair Book of Baseball, edited by John Thorn, and has the audacity to compare it to Charles Einstein's Fireside Books. That's a tough league to hit in.

SABR researchers will be happy to hear about a new book that compiles baseball bibliographies in one volume for the first time. David Porter previews his Dictionary of American Sport Biography: Baseball.

In addition to single-book reviews, The SABR Review will also take on larger subjects. In this go-round, there are three great ones. First, if you've ever wanted to know which books tell the real story of Negro League baseball, you'll find out in the Jules Tygiel's essay, "The Negro Leagues Revisited." Mark Gallagher analyzes how the Yankees have served as fodder for baseball literature in a special way for a long time. And graphic specialist Mark Rucker looks at the more important illustrated works of baseball history, all the way back to 1831 (!)

A feature we'll make a regular member of The SABR Review's lineup is "Personal Favorites." In this issue, Darrell Berger sees Pat Jordan's A False Spring as baseball's "beat" (as in Kerouac) epic.

Another feature we'll continue is the phone survey. This time around we talked to people whose books we read to ask the deceptively simple question: What baseball book do you return to most often? Of course, they all answered The Macmillan Encyclopedia. But after probing Leonard Koppett, Lawrence Ritter, Peter Palmer, and some others had some intriguing things to say.

by Robert L. Minteer (Author)

by Todd Peterson (Editor)

How good was Negro League Baseball (1920-1948)? Some experts maintain that the quality of play was equal to that of the American and National Leagues. Some believe the Negro Leagues should be part of Major League Baseball's official record and that more Negro League players should be in the Hall of Fame. Skeptics contend that while many players could be rated highly, NL organizations were minor league at best.

Drawing on the most comprehensive data available, including stats from more than 2,000 interracial games, this study finds that black baseball was very good indeed. Negro leaguers beat the big leaguers more than half the time in head-to-head contests, demonstrated stronger metrics within their own leagues and excelled when finally allowed into the majors. The authors document the often duplicitous manner in which MLB has dealt with the legacy of the Negro Leagues, and an appendix includes the scores and statistics from every known contest between Negro League and Major League teams.

Author Biography

Visual artist and teacher Todd Peterson lives in Overland Park, Missouri. His work has been published in Baseball Research Journal and Black Ball.

by Filip Bondy (Author)

The New York Times bestseller--"a rollicking account" (The Kansas City Star) of the infamous baseball game between the Yankees and Royals in which a game-winning home run was overturned and set off one of sports history's most absurd and entertaining controversies.

Author Biography

Filip Bondy has been a sports columnist for the Daily News (New York) for more than twenty years, regularly covering the Olympics, World Cup, and Wimbledon. Before that, he was an Olympics writer for The New York Times. Some of Bondy's previous books include a look at the watershed NBA draft (Tip Off) and a lighthearted view of the worst players in Major League Baseball history (Who's on Worst?).

by Curt Smith (Author)

The Presidents and the Pastime draws on Curt Smith's extensive background as a former White House presidential speechwriter to chronicle the historic relationship between baseball, the "most American" sport, and the U.S. presidency.

Author Biography

Curt Smith is the author of eighteen books, including George H. W. Bush: Character at the Core (Potomac, 2014); Memories at the Microphone: A Century of Baseball Broadcasting; and Voices of The Game, named by Esquire magazine among "the 100 Best Baseball Books Ever Written." A senior lecturer of English at the University of Rochester, Smith has addressed the White House Historical Association, hosted the "Voices of The Game" series at the Smithsonian Institution and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and been named to the Judson Welliver Society of former presidential speechwriters.

by Jeff Hansen (Author), Aleyna Moeller (Illustrator)

Ana knows that today will be perfect. She'll lead her baseball team to their first ever championship and then meet her new baby brother Louis. But when problems arise both on the field and in the hospital, Ana must figure out what perfect means to her. Can Grammie's science lesson somehow inspire Ana to lead the Rascals to victory? And can the Rascals' struggle against the stronger Skippers teach Ana about genes, genomes, and her brother Lou? With home runs and hugs and genetics and grapefruit, Ana teaches us the meaning of perfect.

by Zane Grey (Author)

There was Delaney's red-haired trio-Red Gilbat, left fielder; Reddy Clammer, right fielder, and Reddie Ray, center fielder, composing the most remarkable outfield ever developed in minor league baseball. It was Delaney's pride, as it was also his trouble. Red Gilbat was nutty-and his batting average was .371. Any student of baseball could weigh these two facts against each other and understand something of Delaney's trouble. It was not possible to camp on Red Gilbat's trail. The man was a jack-o'-lantern, a will-o'-the-wisp, a weird, long-legged, long-armed, red-haired illusive phantom. When the gong rang at the ball grounds there were ten chances to one that Red would not be present. He had been discovered with small boys peeping through knotholes at the vacant left field he was supposed to inhabit during play. Of course what Red did off the ball grounds was not so important as what he did on. And there was absolutely no telling what under the sun he might do then except once out of every three times at bat he could be counted on to knock the cover off the ball. Reddy Clammer was a grand-stand player-the kind all managers hated-and he was hitting .305. He made circus catches, circus stops, circus throws, circus steals-but particularly circus catches. That is to say, he made easy plays appear difficult. He was always strutting, posing, talking, arguing, quarreling-when he was not engaged in making a grand-stand play. Reddy Clammer used every possible incident and artifice to bring himself into the limelight.

by Charlie Bevis (Author)

This book delves deep into the history of the New England League, whose years of operation spanned six decades during the pivotal early years of minor league baseball. Author Charlie Bevis, an expert on New England's baseball past, explores the complex ties to the regional economy, especially to the textile industry, and discusses the pioneering experiments with playoffs, night baseball, and integration.

Author Biography

Charlie Bevis, a member of the Society for American Baseball Research, is a retired adjunct professor of English at Rivier University. He has written for Nine, The Cooperstown Symposium, The National Pastime and Base Ball, and is the author of several baseball books. He lives in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.

by Bob Luke (Author)

Never one to mince words, Effa Manley once wrote a letter to sportswriter Art Carter, saying that she hoped they could meet soon because "I would like to tell you a lot of things you should know about baseball." From 1936 to 1948, Manley ran the Negro league Newark Eagles that her husband, Abe, owned for roughly a decade. Because of her business acumen, commitment to her players, and larger-than-life personality, she would leave an indelible mark not only on baseball but also on American history. Attending her first owners' meeting in 1937, Manley delivered an unflattering assessment of the league, prompting Pittsburgh Crawfords owner Gus Greenlee to tell Abe, "Keep your wife at home." Abe, however, was not convinced, nor was Manley deterred. Like Greenlee, some players thought her too aggressive and inflexible. Others adored her. Regardless of their opinions, she dedicated herself to empowering them on and off the field. She meted out discipline, advice, and support in the form of raises, loans, job recommendations, and Christmas packages, and she even knocked heads with Branch Rickey, Bill Veeck, and Jackie Robinson. Not only a story of Manley's influence on the baseball world, The Most Famous Woman in Baseball vividly documents her social activism. Her life played out against the backdrop of the Jim Crow years, when discrimination forced most of Newark's blacks to live in the Third Ward, where prostitution flourished, housing was among the nation's worst, and only menial jobs were available. Manley and the Eagles gave African Americans a haven, Ruppert Stadium. She also proposed reforms at the Negro leagues' team owners' meetings, marched on picket lines, sponsored charity balls and benefit games, and collected money for the NAACP. With vision, beauty, intelligence, discipline, and an acerbic wit, Manley was a force of nature--and, as Bob Luke shows, one to be reckoned with.

by Joe Meglio (Author)

In the Parent's Guide To Strength Training For Baseball you'll discover everything you need to know about how your son can start throwing harder & start hitting the ball with more power with proper strength training. You'll also discover exactly the right time to start strength training and everything you need to know about getting faster.

by Jessica Marin (Author)

I was the single dad baseball star living my dream life filled with family pride, thrilling games, and a community that cheered me on. But when a surprise trade to Nashville whisked me away from everything I knew and loved, I found myself struggling with my new normal and questioning my career.

Then I went and did something I haven't done in years-I surrendered to a wild, impulsive one night stand with a gorgeous redhead, whose blue eyes mesmerized me the moment she glanced my way. After the numerous games my ex played on me, I was anti-relationships. So I took advantage of a lonely night to have some consensual fun.

But fate has a wicked sense of humor and threw me another curveball: the woman from that steamy night walked back into my life, this time as a candidate interviewing to be my daughter's nanny. Hiring Cassie Warner might be the wrong decision, but I'm desperate to find someone, so I make it clear to her there will be no repeat performances of our hook up. Problem is that every time our eyes meet, I'm pulled back to that memorable night, which leaves me wanting more.

Seeing her love and protect my daughter as if she's her own makes me question if I'm doing the right thing by keeping her at arms length or is Cassie Warner the perfect catch?

The Perfect Catch is the third book in a series with ten amazing authors about the Tennessee Terrors baseball team. All books have crossover characters but are standalone novels and can be read in any order.

by Eric Rosenberg (Author)

Scientific Essay from the year 2011 in the subject History - Miscellaneous, grade: 93.00, Vanderbilt University, language: English, abstract: With almost utmost certainty, the sun will rise in the east, set in the west, and Major League Baseball will begin a new season in the spring. Such has been assured since 1871, as professional baseball first complemented everyday American life by virtue of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Player's (NAPBBP) inaugural season. The formation of the NAPBBP denoted a fundamental separation of amateur and professional baseball clubs, and the eternal intertwining of sport and business. This moment in history would more broadly beget a critical juncture in the development of the modern American identity as this era of the nineteenth century is characterized by a generation of citizens who have only known an autonomous United States, thereby distinguishable as the first purely born and bred American population. With this new status came the need to comprehend what constituted wholly American values beyond just regional, economic, and social distinctions, the remnants of a fractious colonial past. Baseball quickly became part of this new sense of American similitude, labeled the "national pastime" for nearly its entire existence. As baseball grew from a regional game into a nationwide phenomenon, more drastic change accompanied, by means of money permeating the sport. The five seasons of NAPBBP play from 1871 to 1876 transpired during a decidedly dynamic period of American history. The societal identity formation occurring during the early stages of the Gilded Age corresponds both in time, and essence, with baseball's maturation process, culminating in a purely professional NAPBBP. Through analyzing these simultaneous processes, their relation to one another, and the notion of baseball as a microcosm of American society, what characteristics became inherently American, who had the power to actually establish these alle

by Baby Professor (Author)

Let's meet some of the most popular baseball players in this sports book for kids! Learn about their lifestyles, where they came from and how they became really popular in this outdoor sport. By knowing these sports stars, your child may be encouraged to take on a more active lifestyle by first leaving the consoles and computers behind. Get a copy of this book today!

by Mickey Mantle (Author), Robert W. Creamer (Author)

As a man who played baseball brilliantly despite near-constant pain from a succession of injuries, Mickey Mantle knew something about courage. In The Quality of Courage we find Mickey's opinion on some of his widely-recognized associates including Jackie Robinson, Roger Maris, Casey Stengel, Joe DiMaggio, and Ted Williams. Here also are Mantle's opinions on some lesser known but equally meritorious candidates: war hero and pitcher Lou Brissie and umpire Bill Grieve. And then there is his opinion of those with whom he probably felt the strongest bond: players such as Roy Campanella, Don Zimmer, and Jimmy Piersall whose principal asset of physical excellence was suddenly taken from them. Much is made of the need for role models in our society, but it is perhaps as instructive to learn which qualities the role models themselves find worthy of respect and emulation. Mickey gives us his list in his characteristic straightforward style, leavened with humor and a wealth of good stories.

Back Jacket

As a man who played baseball brilliantly despite near-constant pain from a succession of injuries, Mickey Mantle knew something about courage. In The Quality of Courage we find Mickey's opinion on some of his widely recognized associates, including Jackie Robinson, Roger Maris, Casey Stengel, Joe DiMaggio, and Ted Williams. Here also are Mantle's opinions on some lesser known but equally meritorious candidates: war hero and pitcher Lou Brissie and umpire Bill Grieve. And then there is his opinion of those with whom he probably felt the strongest bond: players such as Roy Campanella, Don Zimmer, and Jimmy Piersall, whose principal asset of physical excellence was suddenly taken from them.

Much is made of the need for role models in our society, but it is perhaps as instructive to learn which qualities the role models themselves find worthy of respect and emulation. Mickey gives us his list in his characteristic straightforward style, leavened with humor and a wealth of good stories.

Author Biography

Mickey Mantle played for the New York Yankees, leading the team to twelve World Series between 1951 and 1968. Robert W. Creamer is the author of a shelf of fine baseball books including Babe: The Legend Comes to Life and the following Bison Books: Stengel: His Life and Times, Jocko (with Jocko Conlan), and Rhubarb in the Catbird Seat (with Red Barber).

by Paris Review (Editor)

For a half-century, The Paris Review has published writing and interviews from the world's most brilliant authors. To commemorate the anniversary, a breathtakingly diverse and illuminating anthology has been assembled. The greatest writers here write and speak upon the greatest subjects of our time:
*Lorrie Moore and Raymond Carver on "Heartbreak"
*Vladimir Nabokov on SEX
*Kurt Vonnegut and Susan Sontag on "War"
*Jonathan Franzen on "Betrayal"
*Jeffrey Eugenides and Norman Mailer on "Death"
*Philip Roth on "God"
Inspiring a dizzying range of thought and emotion, the collection holds a mirror to the world we live in and to the reader's own hopes, dreams, fears, and joy.

Author Biography

The Paris Review has published fiction, poetry, interviews, essays, and art since 1953. They have published the work of Philip Roth and Seamus Heaney, William Styron and Truman Capote, Toni Morrison and Alice Munro, among others, and have interviewed everyone from Vladimir Nabokov to Ralph Ellison to Richard Ford.

by David W. Vincent (Author), Lyle Spatz (Author), David W. Smith (Author)

Since its inception in 1933, the All-Star Game has become an integral part of baseball. Yet there has been no truly comprehensive source for researchers that includes both a narrative and a play-by-play for each game. Nor have there been more than perfunctory lists for historians to use in determining who among baseball's greats have had an impact on the games. The Midsummer Classic covers each of the All-Star Games and examines All-Star history more extensively than ever before. It not only discusses each game in great detail--with play-by-play, complete roster information, and expanded box scores--but also breaks new ground with a series of itemized lists never before published. The book also includes information on the ceremonies surrounding the games, along with an explanation of how these ceremonies have changed over time. In addition, it explains how the All-Star Game has been influenced by the significant changes that have occurred in baseball over the years, such as the breaking of the color line, expansion, the shifting of franchises, and the introduction of the designated hitter.

Author Biography

David Vincent is the editor of SABR Presents the Home Run Encyclopedia. Lyle Spatz's works include Yankees Coming, Yankees Going: New York Yankee Player Transactions, 1903-1999. David W. Smith is the founder and president of Retrosheet, an organization devoted to the collection and free distribution of play-by-play accounts of major-league baseball games.

by United States Congress House of Represen (Created by)

The BiblioGov Project is an effort to expand awareness of the public documents and records of the U.S. Government via print publications. In broadening the public understanding of government and its work, an enlightened democracy can grow and prosper. Ranging from historic Congressional Bills to the most recent Budget of the United States Government, the BiblioGov Project spans a wealth of government information. These works are now made available through an environmentally friendly, print-on-demand basis, using only what is necessary to meet the required demands of an interested public. We invite you to learn of the records of the U.S. Government, heightening the knowledge and debate that can lead from such publications.

by James Buckley Jr (Author)

Officially licensed by the National Baseball Hall of Fame, this revised and updated volume gathers the biographies, statistics, and photos of over 175 members of the most exclusive club in the sport.

• Profiles of more than 175 legendary Hall of Famers
• Photo explorations into rare memorabilia, including replica tickets, scouting reports, scorecards, and contracts
• Notable awards, records, stats, and a complete list of over 300 Hall of Fame members
• Full-color photos and informative sidebars throughout

Author Biography

James Buckley Jr. has been writing sports books for adults and young readers for more than 25 years after working for Sports Illustrated and NFL Publishing. Among his most popular titles are National Baseball Hall of Fame Collection, America's Classic Ballparks, Ballpark Bucket List, Perfect: The Story of Baseball's Perfect Games, Unhittable, Eyewitness Baseball, The Visual Dictionary of Baseball, and Obsessed with Baseball. He is the author of more than 20 sports biographies for young readers, including the graphic nonfiction title Babe Ruth: Baseball's All-Time Best. His company, Shoreline Publishing Group, produces dozens of books each year for major publishers including Penguin, Scholastic, DK, National Geographic Kids, Simon & Schuster/Aladdin, and many others.

by Mitch Lutzke (Author)

The Page Fence Giants, an all-star black baseball club sponsored by a woven-wire fence company in Adrian, Michigan, graced the diamond in the 1890s. Formed through a partnership between black and white boosters, the team's respectable four-year run was an early integration success--before integration was phased out decades ahead of Jackie Robinson's 1947 debut, and the growing Jim Crow sentiment blocked the Page Fence Giant's best talent from the major leagues. This book tells the the story of a long-ignored team at the close of the 19th century, whose Hall of Famer second baseman Sol White was but one of their best players.

Author Biography

Mitch Lutzke was an award-winning radio reporter before beginning his second career as a high school history teacher and coach in Michigan. He has had history themed articles published in newspapers, magazines, web pages and with SABR. He lives in Williamston, Michigan.

by Ben Lindbergh (Author), Travis Sawchik (Author)

Move over, Moneyball -- this New York Times bestseller examines major league baseball's next cutting-edge revolution: the high-tech quest to build better players.
As bestselling authors Ben Lindbergh and Travis Sawchik reveal in The MVP Machine, the Moneyball era is over. Fifteen years after Michael Lewis brought the Oakland Athletics' groundbreaking team-building strategies to light, every front office takes a data-driven approach to evaluating players, and the league's smarter teams no longer have a huge advantage in valuing past performance.

Lindbergh and Sawchik's behind-the-scenes reporting reveals:

• How undersized afterthoughts José Altuve and Mookie Betts became big sluggers and MVPs
• How polarizing pitcher Trevor Bauer made himself a Cy Young contender
• How new analytical tools have overturned traditional pitching and hitting techniques
• How a wave of young talent is making MLB both better than ever and arguably worse to watch

Instead of out-drafting, out-signing, and out-trading their rivals, baseball's best minds have turned to out-developing opponents, gaining greater edges than ever by perfecting prospects and eking extra runs out of older athletes who were once written off. Lindbergh and Sawchik take us inside the transformation of former fringe hitters into home-run kings, show how washed-up pitchers have emerged as aces, and document how coaching and scouting are being turned upside down. The MVP Machine charts the future of a sport and offers a lesson that goes beyond baseball: Success stems not from focusing on finished products, but from making the most of untapped potential.

Author Biography

Ben Lindbergh is a senior editor for The Ringer and hosts the Effectively Wild podcast for FanGraphs. The coauthor of the New York Times bestseller The Only Rule Is It Has to Work, he lives in New York, NY.

by Robert K. Adair (Author)

Blending scientific fact and sports trivia, Robert Adair examines what a baseball or player in motion does-and why. How fast can a batted ball go? What effect do stitch patterns have on wind resistance? How far does a curve ball break? Who reaches first base faster after a bunt, a right- or left-handed batter? The answers are often surprising -- and always illuminating.

Back Jacket

Blending scientific fact and sports trivia, Robert Adair examines what a baseball or player in motion does-and why. How fast can a batted ball go? What effect do stitch patterns have on wind resistance? How far does a curve ball break? Who reaches first base faster after a bunt, a right- or left-handed batter? The answers are often surprising -- and always illuminating.

by Fay Vincent (Author)

The 1930s was the era of such baseball legends as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Hank Greenberg, and Joe DiMaggio. In The Only Game in Town, pitcher Elden Auker recalls what it was like to face these sluggers, while Red Sox outfielder Dom DiMaggio remembers how he nearly ended his brother Joe's record hitting streak. Then, in the 1940s, baseball underwent tremendous change. First came World War II, and stars such as Bob Feller and future star Warren Spahn -- both among the ten ballplayers who discuss their playing days in this book -- left the game to serve their country. When the war ended, integration came to baseball. Jackie Robinson was soon followed by other outstanding African-American ballplayers, including Larry Doby and Monte Irvin, both of whom recall their pioneering experiences in Major League Baseball. Buck O'Neil describes scouting and coaching the next generation of African-American ballplayers and helping them make it into the major leagues. Johnny Pesky and Tommy Henrich recall great Red Sox-Yankees rivalries, but from opposite sides, while Ralph Kiner remembers his remarkable ten-year stretch as the most feared home-run hitter of his day.

by Frank Deford (Author)

In The Old Ball Game, Frank Deford, NPR sports commentator and Sports Illustrated journalist retells the story of an unusual friendship between two towering figures in baseball history.

by Society for American Baseball Research ( (Author)

The National Pastime offers baseball history available nowhere else. Each fall this publication from the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) explores baseball history with fresh and often surprising views of past players, teams, and events. Drawn from the research efforts of more than 6,700 SABR members, The National Pastime establishes an accurate, lively, and entertaining historical record of baseball.

A Note from the Editor, Robert L. Tiemann:

Baseball intrigues its followers on many different levels. Its statistics lend themselves to endless interpretations and speculations, spawning SABRmetrics, the Baseball Research Journal and numerous offspring. In this journal we examine not the statistics but the lives and careers of players and teams of the past and them game and times in which they performed.

In an uncertain and changing world, there is comfort in the timeless patterns of baseball. When a team like the Hitless Wonders can upset an apparently invincible squad like the 1906 Cubs, underdogs can forever take heart. And with the right formula and attitude, surprise teams like the 1894 Orioles and 1961 Reds can leap from the second division to the pennant. Whole communities can come together in support of the local ballclub in times of need, as happened in Amsterdam, N.Y., in 1942, but the pressures of the pennant race can also cause some performers to do strange things, like Flint Rhem's allegations of kidnapping in 1930. Promising youngsters like Christy Mathewson and Rube Waddell often struggle before emerging as stars, while proven performers like Hack Miller may find their careers derailed by changing managerial strategy. But even after their fabled skills have faded, some old heroes are able to stay in the game as managers, executives, or, like Harry Heilmann, as broadcasters.

Although baseball's continuity is vital in explaining its stature as our national pastime, the game is constantly, if subtly, changing. It took pioneers like Dickey Pearce to define how the game is played both on offense and defense. And an examination of the 1901 Boston Americans reveals differences in nearly all aspects of the game. Yet not all apparent innovations are new. Indeed, the first midget pinch-hitter was used in 1905, not 1951 as generally believed.

At its best baseball teachers us larger lessons of life. Batboys take their clubhouse experiences into the outside world with a greater understanding of humanity. And one former batboy and amateur club organizer had gone on to world renown as an historian of the game. Bobo Newsom's brilliance in the face of personal tragedy in 1940 aroused the admiration of the entire nation, not just that of the fans. Andy Cohen and Jackie Robinson had to overcome social prejudices as well as the normal pressures to establish themselves as big league performers.

by Dan Schlossberg (Author), John Thorn (Foreword by), Al Clark (Preface by)

A comprehensive tome of baseball facts, figures, and did-you-knows--​newly updated!
For fans of baseball trivia, this updated version of The New Baseball Bible, first published as The Baseball Catalog in 1980 and selected as a Book-of-the-Month Club alternate, is sure to provide something for everyone, regardless of team allegiance. The book covers the following topics: beginnings of baseball, rules and records, umpires, how to play the game (i.e., strategy), equipment, ballparks, famous faces (i.e., Hank Aaron vs. Babe Ruth), managers, executives, trades, the media, big moments in history, the language of baseball, superstitions and traditions, spring training, today's game through the 2019 season, and much more. Veteran sportswriter Dan Schlossberg weaves in facts, figures, and famous quotes, discusses strategy, and provides stats and images--many of them never previously published elsewhere.

Author Biography

Dan Schlossberg, a former AP sportswriter, is the author or coauthor of nearly 40 baseball books, including When the Braves Ruled the Diamond; Making Airwaves: 60 Years at Milo's Microphone; Designated Hebrew: the Ron Blomberg Story; and The 300 Club: Have We Seen the Last of Baseball's 300-Game Winners? A national baseball writer for forbes.com since June 2018, he also contributes to USA TODAY Sports Weekly, Sports Collectors Digest, Latino Sports, Boston Red Sox Diamond Days, and numerous other outlets. A Bronx native raised in New Jersey, he has won awards for his work from the Garden State Journalists Association and the North American Travel Journalists Association, which he co-founded in 1991. He once announced baseball games over Syracuse University's WAER with Len Berman and continues to do freelance broadcast work in addition to writing and public speaking.

by Ben Lindbergh (Author), Sam Miller (Author)

The New York Times bestseller about what would happen if two statistics-minded outsiders were allowed to run a professional baseball team--now includes a new afterword by the authors.

It's the ultimate in fantasy baseball: You get to pick the roster, set the lineup, and decide on strategies -- with real players, in a real ballpark, in a real playoff race. That's what baseball analysts Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller got to do when an independent minor-league team in California, the Sonoma Stompers, offered them the chance to run its baseball operations according to the most advanced statistics. Their story in The Only Rule is it Has to Work is unlike any other baseball tale you've ever read.

Author Biography

Ben Lindbergh is a staff writer for FiveThirtyEight and, with Sam Miller, the cohost of Effectively Wild, the daily Baseball Prospectus podcast. He is a former staff writer for Grantland and a former editor in chief of Baseball Prospectus. He lives in New York City.

by Philip Seib (Author)

Christy Mathewson was baseball's first superstar--a beloved turn-of-the-century pitcher who was among the initial group of five players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He also defined moral excellence, bridging sport and national culture at a time when pro ballplayers were perceived as louts, and was the first to bring respectability to the game. This is a thoughtful and inspiring story of a singular American life that had a profound and lasting influence on our national identity.

Author Biography

Philip Seib is a professor at Marquette University and an award-winning journalist.

by Alan Schwarz (Author), Peter Gammons (Foreword by)

The Numbers Game is the first-ever history of baseball statistics - the keeping of them, the study of them, the people who devised them, the cultural phenomenon of them, from 1845 until today.

Most baseball fans, players and even team executives assume that the National Pastime's infatuation with statistics is simply a byproduct of the information age, a phenomenon that blossomed only after the arrival of Bill James and computers in the 1980s. They couldn't be more wrong.

Author Biography

Alan Schwarz is the Senior Writer of Baseball America magazine, a weekly columnist for ESPN.com, and a frequent contributor to The New York Times. His work has appeared in Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, and more than a dozen other national publications. He lives in Manhattan.

by Joseph Ross (Author), Richard M. Renneboog (With)

Think "Babe." Who will you associate that with? Most people will say, "Babe Ruth." But there are 32 players whose nickname is Babe. And that is not the most prolific nickname.

There are 42 BUDs, 46 BUCKs, and 35 WHITEYs.

Most popular is the nickname of LEFTY. Nearly 190 players were nicknamed LEFTY, most of them pitchers. Position players tend not to carry that moniker.

RED appears more than 140 times, presumably when the player had hair. DOC or similar names appeared 100 times; some of those player were actually doctors.

This book explores nicknames for players who performed on the major league level. For those who like food, there is everything from BUTTERMILK to YAMS. Whether your taste runs to breakfast, dinner, snacks or treats, a nickname is here to describe it.

There are animals from ANT to WEASEL; birds from BIRD to WARBLER; fantasy characters from DRAGON to WEREWOLF.

The law is amply represented from CAPTAIN to COLONEL, even to the LONE RANGER.

No matter which player or which nickname, the reader is sure to enjoy the look into the pastime of the game and the names bestowed on those who have played the game at the highest level.

This book shows major league baseball players from the early days of professional baseball to the present. The front section of the book shows the players, their nicknames, the origin of those names if known, the teams each player played for, and the first and last year of major league play. The second part of the book is an alphabetical listing of nicknames and the players who used them.

by Kevin Baker (Author)

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK - Sports Illustrated #1 Book of 2024 - A hugely entertaining history of baseball and New York City, bursting with larger-than-life figures and fascinating stories from the game's beginnings to the end of World War II.

Author Biography

KEVIN BAKER is a novelist, historian, and journalist. He has been a professional writer since the age of 13, working originally for the Gloucester Daily Times as a stringer covering school-boy sports. He is the coauthor of Reggie Jackson's Becoming Mr. October. His work as appeared in Harper's, where he is also a contributing editor, New York Observer, The New York Times, and The New Republic. He lives in New York City.

by Curt Smith (Author)

The Presidents and the Pastime draws on Curt Smith's extensive background as a former White House presidential speechwriter to chronicle the historic relationship between the "most American" sport--baseball--and the U.S. presidency.

Author Biography

Curt Smith is the author of eighteen books, including George H. W. Bush: Character at the Core (Potomac, 2014); Memories at the Microphone: A Century of Baseball Broadcasting; and Voices of The Game, named by Esquire magazine among "the 100 Best Baseball Books Ever Written." A senior lecturer of English at the University of Rochester, Smith has addressed the White House Historical Association, hosted the "Voices of The Game" series at the Smithsonian Institution and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and been named to the Judson Welliver Society of former presidential speechwriters.

by Nicollette Ausschnitt (Illustrator), Daniel Liberthson (Author)

How does it feel to love, play, and watch baseball as a kid and as an adult? After a Foreword by Peter Magowan, ex-President of the SF Giants, 50 poems and 21 professional illustrations depict the players and the plays; the challenges of each position; the ups and downs of hitting and fielding; the role of support staff like umpires and coaches; and baseball's fabled history. Poetry can be fun--especially these vividly imagined poems with straightforward language that tell spell-binding stories about baseball. "In his baseball poems Dan Liberthson turns the diamond this way and that to reveal the many facets of the game and of our varied relationships to it. He does so with sharp images and wit."--Bill McGill, ex-Editor, Spitball: The Literary Baseball Magazine "I could not put this book down. The insight is incredible! I literally could feel, see, smell, and be in each poem. Dan Liberthson has poetically found the essence of our great game. I had a grin on my face reading each and every poem."--Brian Doyle, New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics infielder (1978-81) and hero of the 1978 World Series (batted .437 for the Yankees)" "Anyone who knows and loves baseball will enjoy this remarkable collection of poems."--Peter A. Magowan, ex-President, SF Giants "Liberthson does for baseball what Robert Frost did for New England. Though I'm not a baseball fan, this book distills the game's mystique so powerfully that I long for summer and the ballpark."--Nancy Etchemendy, Award-Winning Author and Poet "I have reviewed your book and, quite frankly, it is a joy to read. You certainly capture the passion of the sport and the sociological influence on many millions of people over the past 130 years."--Allan H. (Bud) Selig, ex-Commissioner of Baseball

Author Biography

Born in Rochester, NY, I attended Reed College, Northwestern University (BA, history) and SUNY at Buffalo (PhD, English), and now live in San Francisco. My poetry and writing are driven by a few core beliefs: the importance of telling a story, the need to tell it in a disciplined way, and a belief that the sound of the language, too often neglected, is a forceful agent of expression. Most of my books of poetry are illustrated, as I believe poetry is made stronger presented in combination with visual images. My work been published in small magazines, professional reviews, and newsletters. My newest book, A Poetry of Birds: Poems About Birds and the Photographs that Inspired Them (2017), comprises 38 poems about various bird species paired with photographs of the birds by naturalist and wildlife photographer Ron LeValley. The poems reflect on the beauty, lives, and behaviors of the birds, both in themselves and as they relate to human life. Prior books of poetry include The Pitch is On the Way: Poems About Baseball and Life (2008), which explores baseball and what the game means to its fans, and Animal Songs (2010), a book of poetry that delves into the powerful presence of animals in our lives. Intimates in our homes, predators or prey in the wild, and inspirations in both worlds, they help us realize what it means to be alive. A Family Album: Living with Schizophrenia (2006), comprises poems about my childhood in and growth out of a passionate American Jewish family with a schizophrenic younger sister. Morning and Begin Again (2012) explores ambiguity and ambivalence in human life, with sections on childhood, love, transience, depression, nature and art, places lived in and visited, and remembrances of loved ones lost. I have also written The Golden Spider (2012), a fantasy/science fiction novel created primarily for children aged 9-14, but, because I don't "dumb down" either the story or the vocabulary, also a good read for older kids and adults. The cosmic battle of good versus evil and life against death plays out in the adventures of Jeremy Taylor, his friends Sandy and Zack, his wise and telepathic cat, and the golden alien who leads them on a cosmic journey.

by Merrie A. Fidler (Author)

This in-depth treatment of the organization and operation of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League draws on primary documents from league owner Arthur Meyerhoff and others for a unique perspective inside the AAGPBL.

The study begins with a brief history of women's softball, an important precursor to, and talent pool for, women's professional baseball. Next the book investigates league administration and organization as well as publicity and promotion. Later chapters cover team administrative structures, managers, chaperones, player backgrounds, and league policies. Finally, discussion focuses on the activities of the AAGPBL Players' Association from 1980 onward. Informed by many years of research and insights from former players, this exhaustive history contains 149 photographs.

Author Biography

Retired teacher and coach Merrie A. Fidler has published several articles regarding the history of women in sports. She lives in Trinidad, California.

by Hank Patton (Author)

Are you looking for the perfect baseball book?

by Society for American Baseball Research ( (Author)

The National Pastime offers baseball history available nowhere else. Each fall this publication from the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) explores baseball history with fresh and often surprising views of past players, teams, and events. Drawn from the research efforts of more than 6,700 SABR members, The National Pastime establishes an accurate, lively, and entertaining historical record of baseball.

by Society for American Baseball Research ( (Author)

by Susana Hurlich (Translator), Brian Gordon Sinclair (Author), Oscar Blas Fernandez Mesa (Author)

Oscar Blas Fernandez Mesa played baseball for Ernest Hemingway's team in Cuba. In this unique memoir, he writes: "For twenty years now, I have been recording my memories. I commit these memories to paper to honor Ernest Hemingway and the kindness he showed to me when I was a child. I also write to share many of the factual details that have never been fully known about his involvement with Cuban children, especially from a totally Cuban point of view."

by Doc Fletcher (Author)

This book is a fan's love letter to baseball played at the Corner of Michigan and Trumbull, in downtown Detroit, first at wooden Bennett Park (1896-1911) and then at its steel and concrete replacement known by three names: Navin Field (1912-1937), Briggs Stadium (1938-1960), and finally, Tiger Stadium (1961-1999). The Cathedral at The Corner was where-together with our great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, siblings, children, godchildren, and friends-we have cheered our Detroit Tigers. Although the structure is gone, the memories remain. This book is a tribute to the characters on the field, in the stands, and those in the neighborhoods surrounding the ballpark, as well as to the broadcasters who brought the action to us when we couldn't be there. It is from those characters and those who knew them, loved them, or both from which many of the book's stories come from. Baseball is a game of statistics, their inclusion critical to the history told, but it's the back stories that give the book its humanity, humor, and liveliness.

by James S. Currie (Author)

Jesus used parables to teach his disciples certain truths about the gospel. The parables employed word pictures, such as of planting seeds and other agricultural images, that were familiar to his listeners. What kind of imagery could be used today to talk about the gospel? Baseball, "America's pastime," might be one source of such familiar images. In this book Currie has attempted to find theological themes and to describe the gospel in the sport of baseball.

Author Biography

James S. Currie has been a Presbyterian minister since 1979 and currently serves as pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Pasadena, Texas. He is the author of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary: Completing a Century of Service (2002) and Planting Trees: A History of the Presbyterian Pan American School (forthcoming).

by W. Nikola-Lisa (Author)

W. Nikola-Lisa explores a fascinating corner of baseball history in The Men Who Made the Yankees, which traces the rise of the New York Yankees from the origin of the American League to the Yankees' first world championship title in 1923. Less a history of players, The Men Who Made the Yankees focuses on a handful of powerful club owners and the political and financial pressures that dramatically shaped the arrival of an American League team in New York City. A baseball enthusiast from a young age, Mr. Nikola-Lisa is also the author of Dear Frank: Babe Ruth, the Red Sox, and the Great War, a work of historical fiction set in Boston during the waning days of the first world war.

by Paul Aron (Author)

Focusing on the ten most influential baseball books of all time, this volume explores how these landmark works changed the game itself and made waves in American society at large. Satchel Paige's Pitchin' Man informed the dialog surrounding integration. Ring Lardner's You Know Me Al changed the way Americans viewed their baseball heroes and influenced the work of Hemingway and Fitzgerald. Bill James's Baseball Abstract transformed the way managers--including those in fields other than baseball--analyzed numbers. Pete Rose's My Story and My Prison Without Bars exposed and deepened a cultural divide that paved the way for Donald Trump.

Author Biography

Paul Aron is an editor and writer for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. He lives in Richmond, Virginia.

by W. Nikola-Lisa (Author)

W. Nikola-Lisa explores a fascinating corner of baseball history in The Men Who Made the Yankees, which traces the rise of the New York Yankees from the origin of the American League to the Yankees' first world championship title in 1923. Less a history of players, The Men Who Made the Yankees focuses on a handful of powerful club owners and the political and financial pressures that dramatically shaped the arrival of an American League team in New York City. A major league baseball enthusiast from a young age, Mr. Nikola-Lisa is also the author of Dear Frank: Babe Ruth, the Red Sox, and the Great War, a work of historical fiction set in Boston during the waning days of the first world war.

by Demie Mainieri (Author), Paul D. Mainieri (With)

Many young coaches, over the years have asked me, " How does one climb the ladder in the baseball coaching profession?" This book will give you examples, through real life stories, on how you can move ahead in a coaching career. Someone has coined the phrase, Apples don't fall too far from the tree" or " He comes from good genes or good stock". These statements seem to indicate some successful endeavors are related, to some degree, to genetics. O the other hand, some doors may open because of the success of someone in the family. Not being an expert in genetics, let's leave this to speculation! In addition, networking and what it is and how it works will be discussed in The Mainieri Factor, and how it may open doors for you in the coaching profession. Getting your foot in the door is only the beginning, being successful and proving yourself at each level is paramount to moving up the later. This book will give general insight into ways in which you can prove yourself as successful coach. You will be judged as having been a successful coach if you are able to substantially improve the players ' skills from the time the players initially come under your tutelage. In the final analysis, the ultimate evaluation of you as a coach and leader will be directly related to your win-lost record! In addition, it is essential that you develop the total person so that your players have the tools to meet the vicissitudes of their daily living. The game of baseball is a great laboratory for developing these skills. After reading The Mainieri Factor, you should understand better how the road to success in coaching works. You should find these life stories to be practical, helpful, interesting and entertaining.

by Philip Von Borries (Author)

Though long associated with fine bourbons, riverboats and champion Thoroughbreds, Louisville, Kentucky, is home to another icon--the Louisville slugger. The Louisville Baseball Almanac presents the first-ever comprehensive look at the rich history of professional teams, ballplayers and managers, a history that runs deep within the city. Originally a major-league city that won a pennant in 1890, the early Louisville teams gave rise to a host of legends and eccentrics, in equal measure. And ever since, Louisville has maintained a strong position in baseball history as a top-flight minor league city. Red Sox, Yankee, Dodger, Reds and Cardinals fans--baseball fans --have Louisville to thank for launching the careers of some of the game's most memorable players. Louisville baseball historian Philip Von Borries recounts the breadth of Louisville's ballplaying heritage, his text complemented by numerous vintage photographs.

by Fay Vincent (Author)

Francis T. Vincent, Jr., was the eighth commissioner of Major League Baseball, serving from September 13, 1989, to September 7, 1992. Before that, he was Chairman and CEO of Columbia Pictures, and an executive vice president of the Coca-Cola Company. He is now a private investor and president and chairman of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, a summer league that uses wooden bats. He lives in Greenwich, Connecticut, and Vero Beach, Florida.

by Marshall Garvey (Author)

The story of California baseball truly starts in the very heart of the Central Valley, in the capital city of Sacramento. It was here that the first complete game of baseball in state history took place in 1860, the same year Abraham Lincoln was elected President and the Pony Express was established. At decade's end, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first professional team in baseball history, came to town in September 1869 for a historic (albeit lopsided) exhibition game against local amateur players.

From thereon, Sacramento continued to pioneer the game's evolution in California long before Major League Baseball arrived in the late '50s. It was in the River City that the first Pacific Coast League game was played in 1903, a league that forever reshaped minor league baseball and still operates today. That game was also the beginning of the Sacramento Senators, who would become the much-loved local team and brought night baseball to the minors. After changing their name to the Solons, they reached their golden age when Branch Rickey's St. Louis Cardinals brought them into their game-changing farm system. It all culminated with their 1942 PCL pennant victory, a story right out of a picturesque baseball movie. After the decline and departure of the Solons by 1961, Sacramento baseball remained dormant for decades, save for two Giants-Indians exhibition games in 1964 and a short-lived second version of the Solons in the '70s.

The story continues to this very day, thankfully, with the River Cats winning just as much as they create major league-ready talent almost every year since 2000. The book ends with two more vital chapters. The first profiles 50 of the most notable MLB players, managers and coaches with a connection to the River City, among them Dusty Baker, Steve Sax, Larry Bowa, Brad Lidge, the Forsch Brothers, and Josh Donaldson. The second, and final, chapter regales the magical story of local hero Ron King, who went from Solons ball boy to award-winning scout for the Dodgers and Pirates.

"The Hidden History of Sacramento Baseball" is an assiduously researched, passionately written look at the entire sweep of this vital yet overlooked story. The miraculous pennant victories, the heartbreaking losses, the bottom-feeding last place seasons, the ambitious owners, the bucolic stadiums, the fascinating in-between exhibitions, the dozens of elite players and coaches from the area, and more are captured in great detail.

by Lee Lowenfish (Author), Robert W. Creamer (Foreword by), Lee Lowenfish (Introduction by)

From the introduction of the reserve clause in 1879 to the lockout and new basic agreement of 1990, baseball players have been engaged in one of the longest and most colorful labor struggles in our nation's history. The Imperfect Diamond tells the stories of the players and their opponents, the powerful owners: how John Montgomery Ward led the Players League Rebellion of 1890; the rise and fall of David Fultz and the Baseball Players Fraternity (1912-18); the iron-fisted regime of Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis; the case of Danny Gardella vs. Happy Chandler and the blacklisting of the players who jumped to the Mexican League; the founding of the Baseball Players Association in 1953 and the tempestuous but triumphant reign of Marvin Miller; the struggles of Curt Flood, Andy Messersmith, and Dave McNally, and how they brought about the demise of the reserve clause; the unprecedented midseason strike of 1981 and the collusion cases of the late 1980s. In the epilogue for this Bison Books edition, Lee Lowenfish guides the reader through the turbulent 1990s and first decade of the twenty-first century, covering expansion teams, the monumental 1994 strike, and performance-enhancing drugs. Listed by the Society of American Baseball Research as one of the fifty essential baseball books, The Imperfect Diamond will stand for years to come as the source for the real story behind America's national pastime.

Author Biography

Lee Lowenfish, a historian, journalist, broadcaster, and jazz commentator, is the author of Branch Rickey: Baseball's Ferocious Gentleman, available in a Bison Books edition. Robert W. Creamer, formerly a writer and senior editor for Sports Illustrated, is the author of several books, including, Stengel: His Life and Times and Baseball and Other Matters in 1941, both available in Bison Books editions.

by David Aretha (Author)

"If you like Matt Christopher, you'll love David Aretha." - Million-selling children's book author Dan Gutman

From "Bugs Bunny change-ups" to "going full gorilla," David Aretha instills excitement, humor, and inspiration into The Mad Dash. Jacob's Little League team, Morey's Funeral Home, is a perennial loser. But this ragtag squad of 10-year-olds has a new coach and a "ya gotta believe" attitude for opening day. Standing in the way of a championship is the best team in the league, the "invincible" Bankees. To beat their nemesis, Jacob's team will need help from everybody, including the emotionally troubled Rupa, the club's worst player. Can the underdog Morey's Funeral Home team storm to victory?

David Aretha, a two-time Moonbeam Children's Book Award winner, has written and edited dozens of baseball books and documentaries, including movies screened at the Baseball Hall of Fame Film Festival in Cooperstown. He also has written player bios for thousands of Topps baseball cards.

by Chuck Hildebrand (Author)

"The Last Baseball Town" is the story of an otherwise-ordinary middle-class suburban California community that became the youth baseball capital of America without any of the trappings usually associated with a sports dynasty. From 1960-87, the Campbell youth baseball system sent 14 teams to World Series play, including four Little League World Series, winning six and finishing second in five. Yet there was no master plan, and Campbell never intended to become what it became in youth baseball. It happened because of qualities beyond talent, facilities, money and obsession - personal qualities and altruism that were translated into baseball excellence. This book chronicles the history of youth baseball in Campbell from its origins before World War I through the late 1970s when it won four national championships in four years. It examines in detail Campbell's greatest teams and achievements, and the individuals whose accomplishments and personalities shaped Campbell baseball. It also details some of the reasons that the magic dissipated, and offers insights about the nature of youth baseball that will resonate with anyone who has children involved in the sport.

by Walter the Educator (Author)

The Little Baseball Poetry Book brings together the love of baseball and poetry; it will make the perfect gift for the baseball fan and add to your baseball sports collection.

Educator, Author, and Poet Walter the Educator created The Little Baseball Poetry Book for all baseball lovers across the world.

The Little Baseball Poetry Book includes unique poems representing baseball topics associated with the lovable game, making it the perfect gift for the baseball lover. Creating a poetry book about baseball can be a unique way of exploring the game. Poetry can give a fresh perspective and bring an imaginative approach to understanding and appreciating the game of baseball. Moreover, it can bridge the gap between sports and art and appeal to a larger audience. Overall, a poetry book about baseball can be an appealing and creative way to engage with the game that so many people love.