A must read for baseball fans
581142
Sgt. Richard Simmons of the Meadows Place, texas Police Department told me to read this book.  It was a great find and a story well told.  Too bad Mr. Branch Rickey didn't keep his word.
4671098
As a die-hard Yankees fan and avid reader of Buster Olney's ESPN Insider blog, it took me far too long to get to this book. When I finally got the book in the mail, I finished it in less than a week. Buster weaves a web of interesting stories against the backdrop of the one game that was the last call of a decade of the greatest franchise in baseball history. Whether you like the game of baseball or you enjoy reading about the inner-workings of an industry-leading corporation, there's an incredible amount to learn from this book. I would STRONGLY recommend this book.
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.
3844347
This book is a great read. Steve Blass tells it strait from the heart.  From his 1951 Little league opening day, to his 5 high school no hitters, a super hero performance in the 1971 World Series with 2 complete game wins , and of course  the game 7 details, his loss of control, and triumphant return to baseball as a broadcaster for his beloved BUCs.  This book will make you laugh and gives you a behind the scene look at a great era of baseball.
2129769
I read this book in about 24 hours and could not put it down.  It gives great insight into Cubs history and is also very funny.  This book is a must for any Cubs fan (or baseball fan).  I have read dozens of baseball books over the years but this one is by far and away the best.

There are plenty of times when reading that I just thought to myself "oh ya" or "that is so true".  The only bad part was at the end when I knew that the chapters (reasons) were coming to an end.  Well I guess the good news, is that the Cubs will probably continue to lose and Chris Neitzel will hopefully give us more reasons for why they have not won the World Series.
4050567
This book is rich in history of the glory days of baseball told by the men who played it. A must read for fans of the game!.
3164704
For all baseball fans, this is required reading.
Do yourself a favor and read it. You won't regret it. I promise.
1864007
This is a very enjoyable book which all baseball fans will find gripping and thrilling, much the way the 1978 race shaped up. The book does a very good job at shaping the cultures and idiosyncrasies of both the Red Sox and Yankees and how that helped to shape a tumultuous pennant race. The author does a great deal of painting baseball's changing landscape and how this was impacting both teams as well as the game at large. Also, the book does a great job of shaping the final game around these events as the Red Sox /Yankees playoff game was as dramatic and exciting as the season, coming down to the final batter.

Obviously Red Sox & Yankees fans will find this book more interesting then other fans but regardless the book is worth the read for the moments of excitement and the feelings of nostalgia it is bound to bring up for a simpler time in the national pastime.
1286538
I love this book. Love it.

First things first: I'm a huge Cubs fan, and a huge baseball fan. So I can't review this book from the perspective if someone who hates the Cubs or even is ambivalent to them.

BUT, I read lots of baseball books, and I've enjoyed Moneyball (about the A's) and Boys of Summer (about the Brooklyn Dodgers), so it's not like I only liked this book because it's about my team.

Okay, that being said, this book is tremendously well written. It simultaneously tells the stories of the 2016 World Series (game by game) and the five year effort to build the Cubs team that finally overcame 108 years of futility.

This books reads like a novel. Even knowing exactly how the story ends, I was rivited. The book had me laughing and crying at parts.

Honestly, I can't recommend it more highly. If you love baseball books, put this one on your to-do list. And if you're a Cubs fan, stop reading this review and just read the book.
2057771
Ron Darling, a leader of the 1986 World Champion New York Mets, takes us inside the mind of a pitcher in different tough situations from his career, and also from what he has observed about other pitchers in his capacity as a Mets television commentator.  He shares with us the mistakes and his triumphs he and other pitchers made. For baseball fans, who want more than a ESPN knowledge of this great game, this book is a must. Ron Darling is so smart; he has chosen these situations well and has obviously done a lot of thinking about their significance. I particularly enjoyed his discussion of a spectacular pitcher's battle he waged against Frank Viola while an undergraduate at Yale. In a baseball era still dominated by the home run, Ron Darling reminds that the pitcher still is the most important player on the field.
4916498
I am a huge Mets fan, have been since I was old enough to understand baseball. I got this book from the library to read while I was on vacation this summer. I am not an avid book reader by any stretch. The most I read is either SI or the newspaper. But I read this book in just two nights. I couldn't put it down.

Rubin really takes you behind the scenes of what was going on from the Winter of 2003 until the Spring of 2005. I was stunned to learn some of the things in this book. For example, the Mets thought they had a 0% chance of landing Pedro, so they were content with going after Ramon Ortiz and Odalis Perez.

This book is a must-read for any NY Mets fan, or baseball fan for that matter.
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.
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.
232926
Old or new baseball fans should read this book.  Great insight from the one of the best baseball people to ever work in the game.
1431397
Great book for all Baseball lovers telling how the game evolved from its inception !
4242974
I suppose Moneyball is a "must read" for baseball fans.  I'm not one, though, and I enjoyed the book immensely.  It should be a must read for any sports fan who is interested in the business of professional sport.  I would also recommend it highly to anyone in any tradition-bound business, profession or other line of work.  The underlying theme about challenging conventional wisdom applies well beyond the world of professional sports.

The Kindle version I purchased also features a very interesting epilogue in which the author discusses the negative reaction his book received from the baseball fraternity.  It's well worth the read.  Don't miss it.
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.