One of the best baseball books ever written.
922732
If you eat sleep and breath baseball you have to read Rex Barney's Thank Youuuuuuuu

If you are from outside Baltimore you might not get the title. AS the PA announcer for the Orioles Rex Barney could conclude all of his announcements to the crowd by saying Thank Youuuuuuu in a long drawn out way. It was a great catchphrase. So that's what he named his book.

But Rex had been a baseball guy long before he sat behind the microphone at Memorial Stadium. He was a hard throwing pitcher in the Brooklyn Dodgers system in his younger days. He has great stories about getting instruction from Branch Rickey and meeting Jackie Robinson. He talks about how things were different back in those days, in ways you wouldn't guess, like how he got an old dirty Dodgers hat when he first came up to the majors and was told he had to earn a new one.

He just tells some great baseball stories from another era, and does so with a great perspective as a relatively unknown insider.

It's one of the best baseball books I've ever read.
524222
I remember watching Homer Bush when he was on what was arguably the greatest Major League Baseball team of all time, the 1998 New York Yankees. That team was dominant on all ends of the field, and won 125 games including the postseason, more than any team in history to date.

The team did it as a team, with a different hero every night, and people who followed that team will remember Homer Bush, the author of this book.

Homer had the difficult job of being someone who didn't play every day, yet despite not being a part of the daily lineup, he hit very well that season putting up an impressive .380 batting average in 78 plate appearances.

After he was traded to the Blue Jays the following year, where he earned the starting job, he hit .320.

He has since served as a hitting coach in the Padres organization, and basically, he knows hitting.

This book is written well, and goes into a detailed explanation about many facets of hitting, arguing that hitters should look for pitches low in the zone, as a means of upping their numbers. He talks about how sabremetrics can be overrated and why, and gives some thoughts on the shift that is hurting so many lefty batters today. He also gives some hitting tips as well.

The book is short, and definitely worth the time it takes because of the discussion it will generate.

I recommend it.
3509954
I am a collector of sports books (and a former college athlete). I have a number of books written by former major league players. While most are interesting, none provide the same insights as Doug Glanville's memoir. Without being a locker-room tell-all, the book informs the reader of the trials, tribulations, triumphs, and disappointments experienced by a baseball professional. An entertaining and instructional must read for any baseball fan.
388010
For the pure baseball fan, this book is a must have.  It tells short stories about players who used their heads to create new strategies, and it explains how some of the rules today were made. Besides laughing your head  off, you really learn a lot about the great game of baseball.
1116722
This is one of the best books I have ever read.  I won't repeat what others have already said.

If you like baseball or if you work with statistics, this is a MUST read.  It is all about metrics.

I work as a program analyst so this book was enjoyable from both a sports bars aspect and a problem solving perspective.

Moneyball should be a high school text book as it would give students a completely different and more exciting appreciation into the use and value of statistics.
1598712
This is one of the best baseball books that I have ever read.  Even though I was not born during this season, I was able to get into the players' stories.  The social history that it also provides  is what makes it an  important book.  In fifth grade in every suburban school, you learn that  Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, and are led to believe that it was  happily ever after.  Not so.  Just ask Elston Howard, who could not get a  house in the same towns in which the other Yankees lived.  Also, as a  Yankee fan, I thought it was a bad thing that the Yankees lost this series  and did not return there for a decade.  Reading this book makes you realize  that it was a monumental event for the diverse Cardinals to defeat what at  the time was the greatest, and perhaps most racist, dynasty in sports.
1077093
This is one of the best books about 19th century baseball I've ever read. Much of the appeal of the game  revolves around numbers, and two  pivotal numbers are in the title. "Fifty-nine in `84" refers to the number of games won by Providence Grays pitcher Hoss Radbourn in the 1884 season. Baseball was a different game in the 19th century, rawer and more hard-fought, but even by the standards of the day, 59 wins by a pitcher in a single season stood out as an outsized achievement, one which was never to be matched.

Edward Achorn has done more than recount what is arguably the greatest single-season pitching feat in baseball history; he's brought the man who accomplished it back to life. Radbourn strides across these pages in all his stubborn, quietly vain glory, along with his teammates and rivals around the National League. Achorn has also managed to capture the sights, sounds and smells of those times in vivid prose that keeps the reader engaged from start to finish.

Radbourn went through amazing ups and downs during the 1884 season. He started the campaign not fully recovered from a sore arm and faced a rival for acclaim in young pitcher Charlie Sweeney. At one point, Radborn was even ready to walk out on the club; but then circumstances turned in dramatic fashion, and he made the audacious promise to singlehandedly pitch the Grays to the pennant. How it all played out unfolds in these pages.

This is also a love story, for Radbourn later married Carrie Stanhope, proprietor of a local house of prostitution. Unfortunately, no documentary record of their romance survives, so Achorn is forced to rely on informed speculation about what was happening off the field as Radbourn was accomplishing his great feat.

Although Radbourn had some more decent years on the mound, surpassing the 300-win mark for his career and eventually earning a plaque in the Hall of Fame, 1884 was clearly the highlight of his life and career.  The man, and his achievement, are done splendid justice in this book.--William C. Hall
1592406
I had heard favorable things about this book for years, so when World Series time rolled around, it was a logical choice for my semi-annual "baseball book" reading. It simply lived up to all my expectations. Khan, who reported on the Brooklyn Dodgers in the mid-1950s knowingly discussed the team organization, its players, and the newspapers who reported on them. In a touching epilogue, Khan interviewed key players years after their retirements to expand on the more mundane and human sides of these personalities. In short, if you're a baseball fan of any age, this book is a must-read.
2147393
A tribute to both Gehrig and Ripken, two major league baseball stars who are united by one baseball statistic: most games played consecutively. John Einsenberg is able to recapture the moments of Ripken breaking the record in vivid, emotional atmosphere that you could hear the crowd roar as you read the passages. He continues with his passionate and emotional love for the game as he brings alive the older years of baseball, briefly from its origin to the late 1800's and giving an in-depth look at George Pinkney who managed 573 straight games at the time, a record of his era. This was followed by Everet Scott, who played is more modern ball up to the mid-1920's and managed to eclipse Pinkney by playing 1,307 straight games, right around the time Lou Gehrig began playing for the Yankees.

The history Eisenberg reveals is a fascinating one, even if its a small part of the game itself. To focus on the "The Streak" is about as exciting as actually seeing it all unfold in real time.  Once Gehrig is in the scene, the author goes back and forth from the life of Gehrig to Ripken. Not so much to compare or find similarities, but their methods and core ethics that they respected the game, as well as loved the game. And this love comes out in the writing as well, not just of the players, but of the author, who seems to respect these humble giants of the baseball diamond.

If you love baseball, and have respect for these two Ironmen, you will certainly love this book, and probably pick up some new information along the way, as I have - primarily, learning about other men who have held the record at one point, even if for a short period of time. I had a lot of fun reading this. Even though Ripken's streak was created relatively recently, so much of the game has changed in our modern world, that it the Americana that was once there is been squeezed out. Reading this book rekindles that feeling for me that it comes across as the pure game that it once was.
2725421
Reading this book gives me a new perspective on baseball and the men that played it. Michael Lynch delves into the lives of the players whether it be good or bad, proving that they were human. The writing is well detailed on stats and personal lifestyles. Michael, has put a lot of thought into how he wanted to classify each and every player and manager. This is one great read and I recommend all baseball fans pick this book up and read it!! I can't wait for the next book to come out.
4504094
I bought this book in an airport and read it over several days on airplanes.  It held my interest pretty well.  It compares well to some of the best baseball writers and is a mix of story-line and analysis.  Basically it covers a 3 game series between the Cubs and Cards in August 2003.  There are several excursions into timelines of various players and events, but mostly the book is an analysis of the players and the games in this series.

One strength of this book is how it portrays the character of the teams involved.  Teams and stadiums have very distinct characters.  For example, when I lived in Chicago the Cubs games at Wrigley field were fairly laid back.  They were almost always day games because the community restricts how often the lights can be on.  This meant you had to take a day off work to see them.  Tickets were easy to come by, and you parked on some guys lawn for 5 bucks.  On the other hand, I never came home from a game at Old Comiskey Park without being drenched with beer.  The gestalt of a game at Wrigley vs. a game at Comiskey was completely different.

But the funny thing about this book is that I keep remembering parts of it as I watch games and the insights in it are incredibly useful.  I live between a rookie league team (Ogden Raptors - Dodgers) and an AAA team (Salt Lake - Angels).  Over and over some insight in this book will come to mind as I watch some future major-leaguer.  Ex-manager Tommy Lasorda is at the Ogden games fairly frequently and after reading this book I can more often figure out just what it is in some minor-leaguers play that gets Lasorda swearing.  And as I see the bonus babies from Ben Sheets to Prince Fielder come through the rookie league I can better evaluate the players and see what their managers are looking for.  The net result: the game is more enjoyable.

I'm not into fantasy leagues.  I don't pay attention to the new esoteric stats.  I just love to spend summer evenings watching baseball with my sons with the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop to some awesome minor league stadiums.  In the book, the author uses a phrase - "Beautiful.  Just beautful baseball."  And after reading this book, I find myself muttering this to myself as I watch a well-executed bunt or a heads-up base-running play that brings in a run.

This book is not a statistical primer.  It does almost have a little too much hero worship of Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa.  But you don't have to be a fanatic to enjoy this book which has the pacing of a good ball game - sometimes up, sometimes down but just right in the end.
347354
This piece of work along with the follow-up "Over the Edge" is a must read for any baseball afficianato, especially in need of a few genuine good laughs.  The way Jay tells a story really puts the reader in the moment and captures the unique humor of the game that seems to have graced years gone by.  There are very few characters of the game left in what has become more of a business, but if you ever read "Snake", or Joe Namath's book, you'll love this one.
4891257
This is one of the best books on the Cardinals I've ever read. Dan Moore's complete grasp on Cardinals history, from Pujols to the St. Louis Browns, is impressive, and he does a masterful job of making a book on statistics far from boring. This book is exciting and easy to understand, even for the casual fan, and really makes you appreciate the talent and tradition of this team. I would highly recommend this book for any Redbirds fan.
4841721
I strongly disagree with another persons review of this book. This book is not at all about a Moneyball vs. Old School Baseball Mentality. Yes the author does state that he does disagree with a statistics only mentality of the game. However I believe that the authors real purpose is to share the hidden gems of this wonderful game.

Anyway, I just finished reading this book and I can honestly say that this is the best baseball book that I have read in a while. I am a huge baseball fan and I was consumed with the intimate details that Bissinger provides of some of the Cardinal players and their opponents (Cubs) during this crucial three-game series in late in August.

I've always said that if you don't like the game of baseball, your not paying attention. This book is great at pointing out the strategies and the behind the scene moves that make up a baseball game.

I highly recommend it for all baseball fans and those that want to know more about the game.
1333885
Class A was a very good non-fiction account of minor league baseball, small towns and the challenges of fading away. In my opinion Mann's style fits the material perfectly. Part old school
News hawk part modern documentarian; Ken Burns meets Perry White. Not only does he bring together the players and fans but also the sweat, dirt, cramped travel and the feel of one last season, one last hope.

If you love the pace and feel of baseball, you get the excitement as well as the long slow boredom of a pitchers duel. You do need to be able to tolerate a lot of pastoral interlude.

This is a book for people who do not believe baseball takes too long. I definitely recommend this to all baseball lovers.
659839
Quite simply one of the best sports-related books ever written. Although Hornby writes about football (or, as we call it over here, soccer), that it merely a jumping off point to so much more; his rememberances of his relationship with his father, and his thoughts on the duality of fanaticism -- how one doesn't so much enjoy one's obsession but live and die with it -- are brilliant. With "Summer of 49" and "Ball Four" -- baseball books both -- one of three must-read sports books. (Hornby's novel "High Fidelity" also highly recommended)
3078074
Pitch by Pitch was a thoroughly entertaining book by Hall of Famer Bob Gibson. What made this book such a joy to read and different from any other baseball books was it's told from Gibson's perspective and what he was thinking on each pitch and his progression. He also provides awesome side stories for prominent players in the 50s, 60s, and 70s and each player in the starting lineup for the Tigers and the Cardinals. From Curt Flood to Hank Aaron to Denny McLain, there are a ton of awesome stories that Bob tells with his own flare, and he's not shy about sharing his opinions. Inside the mind of one of the fiercest competitors in sports, I read this incredibly quickly and now hope that Bob will inspire other great sports icons to write similar narratives about their astounding feats. A must-read for any fan of the game.