I, like you, am starving for sports. My fantasy baseball team is waiting for the season to start and no one knows when that will be. I can’t watch Netflix for hours on end because that will burn out the few brain cells that still work (not to mention some of the trash featured on Netflix – Tiger King no thanks!).
Photo by Kourosh Qaffari on Unsplash
It’s time to actually read a book. You people under 40 remember books right? You carried them around in high school and pretended to read them. Well, it is time to dive back into the analog world and read something old school!
Here are five excellent baseball books to get you started.
“The Glory of Their Times” by Lawrence Ritter. Simply the best baseball book I have ever read. He brings to life baseball in the early 20th century using accounts by the players themselves. Just a tremendous read from start to finish.
“The Boys of Summer” by Roger Kahn. This book helps us to understand why the 1950’s Brooklyn Dodgers were so popular. One of the first baseball books I read and one of the best.
“Ball Four” by Jim Bouton. This account of Bouton’s life in baseball caused a major uproar when it was published because it pulled back the curtain and showed what baseball players were really like. We also learned (gasp!) that Micky Mantle was human, and a lot of people never forgave Bouton for that. This book is rough around the edges but still holds up well today.
“The Best of Baseball Digest” This is a collection of the best stories from the venerable magazine of the same name which goes all the way back to the 1940s. An easy read with loads of insight into the game as well as a look at how baseball reporting has changed over the years.
“Superstars of Baseball” by Bob Broeg. This a collection of stories about baseball superstars that appeared in The Sporting News in the late 60s and early 70s. Broeg does a wonderful job of humanizing the stars of the past. Unfortunately, I doubt you can still get this book. I bought my copy at the Baseball Hall of Fame in the 1980s.
Well, there you are. I suppose you can get the Kindle versions of these books if you must. But do read them if you can. Lord knows we have the time! Be careful and be safe!
Today’s classic rock song is “Hideaway” by John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. It features a very young Eric Clapton back when he was great.
I just checked and “Superstars of Baseball” is not available on Amazon. Too bad.