Spring Baseball Roundup Sneak Peek: The Scouting Report on 31 New Books
By Robert Cottrell, Rob Langenderfer, Gilles Renaud & Margaret Heilbrun Jan 20, 2011The baseball book lineup for 2011 includes veteran writers putting their special stamp on famous lives past and present, a veteran ump teaming up with the pitcher to whom he denied perfection, studies of the evolution of player groups from marginalized to MLB essentials, lost lives uncovered, long games given their innings, and a new model for appreciating runs denied. Featured in this spirited sneak peek are 14 additional titles. Read on and enjoy!—Margaret Heilbrun
BIOGRAPHY | HISTORY | COACHING | ANALYSIS | FICTION | BRIEFLY NOTED
BIOGRAPHY
Breslin, Jimmy. Branch Rickey: A Penguin Life. Viking. (Penguin Lives). Mar. 2011. c.147p. bibliog. ISBN 9780670022496. $19.95. SPORTS
Pulitzer Prize winner Breslin reveals much about the development of baseball, the Dodgers' last years in Brooklyn, and the struggle to overcome the national pastime's racism while tracing the life, deeds, and some (but not all) of Branch Rickey's warts. A breezy read, this "Penguin Life" is nonetheless insightful, humorous, and biting at times as it traces how the man dubbed "the Mahatma" by sportswriters emerged from obscurity as an Idaho lawyer to develop the baseball farm system, multiple MLB winners, Vero Beach spring training, the scientific teaching of skills, and the MLB expansion that brought New York the Mets. Breslin clearly admires Rickey. Lovers of the author, baseball, and/or Americana will be delighted to relive this trailblazer's life in this superlative gloss, which, owing to brevity, will not replace more extensive Rickey biographies.—G.R.Burgos, Adrian, Jr. Cuban Star: How One Negro-League Owner Changed the Face of Baseball. Hill & Wang: Farrar. May 2011. c.320p. photogs. index. ISBN 9780809094790. $28. SPORTS
Burgos (history & Latina/Latino studies, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Playing America's Game) delivers the intriguing tale of the Afro-Cuban-American baseball mogul Alex Pompez, a leading Negro League team owner, a numbers racketeer in Harlem, and the man most instrumental in opening up baseball in the United States to Latin American players. The story initially shifts back and forth between the United States and Cuba, following Pompez as he runs black baseball's New York Cubans, lands reluctantly into the arms of mobster Dutch Schultz, finally captures the Negro League title, and becomes the conduit for an infusion of Latino talent into the MLB. Working with the Giants, Pompez helped sign future Hall of Famers Monte Irvin, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Orlando Cepeda, and Juan Marichal, work that garnered Pompez himself a spot in Cooperstown. Highly recommended for those studying baseball and African American or Latino studies.—R.C.
Charyn, Jerome. Joe DiMaggio: The Long Vigil. Yale Univ. (Icons of America). Mar. 2011. c.192p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780300123289. $24. SPORTS
A child of the Bronx (i.e., Yankee Stadium), the versatile Charyn-novelist, short story writer, memoirist, critic, playwright-has written before about baseball, most notably in his novel The Seventh Babe. He also penned a novel about Emily Dickinson, and his ultimate praise of DiMaggio in this rumination is to compare DiMaggio's kind of poetry to Dickinson's. The book is not likely to change anyone's mind about DiMaggio, who remains a not particularly likable fellow here, as this is not a hagiography; it's much more thoughtful than that. This will be best savored by those who are already fans of Charyn, Joltin' Joe, the Yankees generally—or Marilyn Monroe. (Fans of Dickinson may be confused.)—M.H.
Galarraga, Armando & Jim Joyce with Daniel Paisner. Nobody's Perfect: Two Men, One Call, and a Game for Baseball History. Atlantic Monthly. Jun. 2011. c.242p. photogs. ISBN 9780802119889. $24. SPORTS
The blown call on June 2, 2010, by veteran ump Jim Joyce on what would have delivered Armando Galarraga the 21st perfect game in major league history made both participants celebrities beyond what would have occurred had the call been correct: Galarraga won acclaim for his grace and angelic smile in accepting the injustice, and Joyce did so for his ready and salty admission that he had deprived baseball of an immortal achievement. With veteran coauthor to celebrities Paisner, both men tell of their lives and their ascension to the scrutiny granted to present-day athletes. The fast-paced story explains the moment of loss—serious fans will think of Harvey Haddix, who lost a perfect game in the 13th inning in 1959—and provides valuable insight into the true meaning of sportsmanship. Sure to be an involving read for fans and nonfans alike.—G.R.
Kurlansky, Mark. Hank Greenberg: The Hero Who Didn't Want To Be One. Yale Univ. (Jewish Lives). Mar. 2011. c.192p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780300136609. $25. SPORTS
This new Yale series hinted at its breadth with its first three subjects: Moses Mendelssohn, Sarah Bernhardt, and Solomon. Now stepping up to the plate is one of the Detroit Tigers' all-time greatest players. Kurlansky (Cod) shows how the American Jewish experience can be a secular one, that playing baseball served as part of the Americanization process for immigrant families, an act of assimilation. Hyman Greenberg, born in New York to Romanian Jewish immigrants, became Hank Greenberg, the American baseball hero, perhaps idolized by American Jews precisely because he operated against Jewish stereotypes. Kurlansky has interviewed members of the Greenberg family, as he also places his story in a broader cultural context. For fans of baseball's golden greats, of interpretive biographies, and of this series.—M.H.
Lanctot, Neil. Campy: The Two Lives of Roy Campanella. S. & S. Mar. 2011. c.560p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781416547044. $28. SPORTS
The first clue that this is not the usual account of a baseball great is the cover photo depicting a forlorn if not troubled soul. Indeed, as the subtitle makes plain, there were two Roy Campanellas: the public one, best known for his multiple MVP career with the Brooklyn Dodgers, after years in segregated baseball, whose life was marked by a courageous battle after a paralyzing 1958 car accident, and the private one who confronted teammate Jackie Robinson and lived a long life after the car crash, an event that Lanctot (Negro League Baseball) describes from a fresh perspective. Richly documented and meticulously compiled, this definitive biography bares the soul of a boy of summer who symbolizes a distant period but who lived through an epochal transformation of the game and the country. Compelling reading for all baseball and biography fans.—G.R.
O'Connor, Ian. The Captain: The Journey of Derek Jeter. Houghton Harcourt. May 2011. c.336p. photogs. ISBN 9780547327938. $26. SPORTS
This objective and unauthorized book is the most complete account yet of this signal player's life and career, which has brought him five World Series rings. Jeter has become emblematic of talent, teamwork, and tradition, not to mention charitable endeavors (funded in part by his off-season work as a pitchman). The author reveals a lot of new information about Jeter's rise to stardom and the influence his parents continue to have as he maintains his reputation as the best-known scandal-free sportsman in America—although Jeter may not like the descriptions of some of his dating habits. Insightful about Jeter's minor league days and touching on his personal life, the book tantalizes with predictions about possible position changes and the length of Jeter's career. An excellent selection for those interested in baseball generally and in pinstripes particularly.—G.R.
Singletary, Wes. The Right Time: John Henry Lloyd and Black Baseball. McFarland. May 2011. c.248p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780786435722. pap. $29.95. SPORTS
Notwithstanding the welter of books that have appeared on the Negro Leagues, biographies of many of black baseball's greatest participants have yet to be published. This work partially rectifies that omission in the case of one of the game's legendary figures, John Henry Lloyd, often referred to as the "black Honus Wagner." Singletary's account demonstrates some of the strengths and weaknesses of research into and writing about the Negro Leagues. At times, Lloyd disappears from the book for extended periods, which can undoubtedly be attributed to a paucity of archival resources. Nevertheless, Singletary makes a real contribution, having extensively delved into black newspapers to cull information. For serious baseball fans.—R.C.
Wakefield, Tim with Tony Massarotti. Knuckler: My Life with Baseball's Most Confounding Pitch. Houghton Harcourt. Apr. 2011. c.256p. photogs. ISBN 9780547517698. $26. SPORTS
One of the oldest active MLB players, Boston pitcher Wakefield tells his life story (with sportswriter Massarotti, whose A Tale of Two Cities: The 2004 Yankee-Red Sox Rivalry and the War for the Pennant, with John Harper, is the best book on the Sox-Yanks rivalry). The ups and downs of Wakefield's career mirror the movements of his unfathomable pitch that he has harnessed into MLB wins dating back to 1992. Facing his last season, Wakefield seeks to surpass the win records of Cy Young and Roger Clemens, and his memoir provides valuable insights on perseverance, professionalism, and the ability to forget the last pitch. A typical sports autobiography in some ways but from an un-typical athlete whose charitable work and two series rings mark him as a contributor on the field and beyond. Recommended especially for Red Sox fans.—G.R.
HISTORY
Baldassaro, Lawrence. Beyond DiMaggio: Italian Americans in Baseball. Univ. of Nebraska. Mar. 2011. c.520p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780803217058. $34.95. SPORTS
This is an almost encyclopedic study of the role performed by Italian Americans in organized baseball in the United States, a story conveyed in a largely chronological fashion, enlivened by vignettes involving some of the game's greatest and most colorful figures. Baldassaro's sweep ranges from Ed Abbaticchio, one of the first Italian Americans in the game, and Ping Bodie, who, born Francesco Stephano Pezzolo, was the first Italian American who came close to baseball stardom, to general managers, team owners, commissioner Angelo Bartlett Giamatti and, most movingly, the rise and fall of Red Sox slugger Tony Conigliaro. He also offers enjoyable accounts of Tony Lazzeri, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, and Roy Campanella. For all baseball fans.—R.C.
Barry, Dan. Bottom of the 33rd: Hope, Redemption, and Baseball's Longest Game. Harper: HarperCollins. Apr. 2011. c.288p. photogs. ISBN 9780062014481. $26.99. SPORTS
Barry tells the story of the longest game in baseball history, an eight-hour and 25-minute affair between two Triple-A teams in the spring and early summer of 1981. He explores the lives of the players (many career minor leaguers but also such future stars as Wade Boggs and Cal Ripken Jr.) on the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings, along with others associated with the game, focusing more on the Pawtucket team as the game was held there. He tries, not entirely successfully, to show special spiritual meaning in the game's progression from Holy Saturday to Easter Sunday. Unfortunately, Barry does not write well enough to make the topic of a very long game deserve a long book, additionally because the 33rd inning of victory did not in fact take place until more than two months after the other 32 innings. Still, it may appeal to some baseball fans, notably of the Red Sox or Orioles.—R.L.
Felber, Bill. Under Pallor, Under Shadow: The 1920 American League Pennant Race That Rattled and Rebuilt Baseball. Univ. of Nebraska. Apr. 2011. c.256p. index. ISBN 9780803234710. $26.95. SPORTS
Felber (executive editor, Manhattan Mercury, Kansas; A Game of Brawl) conjures the complex world of the major league season of 1920-the year after the Black Sox series, when word of the fix finally hit the press, culminating in grand jury hearings and the naming of the first commissioner of baseball (a man aptly named after a Civil War battle) to bring team owners into line. All the while, it was a season both exciting and tragic. Felber's story gives us Babe Ruth, Tris Speaker; both Smokin' and Shoeless Joes, Eddie Cicotte, and Carl Mays and the man tragically paired with him, Ray Chapman. And here are Damon Runyon and Ring Lardner. Both tasty and nutritious, entirely satisfying for all fans of baseball history.—M.H.
Hample, Zack. The Baseball: Stunts, Scandals, and Secrets Beneath the Stitches. Vintage: Random. Mar. 2011. c.368p. illus. index. ISBN 9780307475459. pap. $14.95. SPORTS
This one isn't about baseball; it's about baseballs. Hample (Watching Baseball Smarter) is not simply an articulate and accessible baseball writer, he's a zealous collector of game balls. He gives readers every perspective on baseballs, from their game use to the historical and cultural. And he literally deconstructs them, from the early lemon-peel variety to today's Rawlings. His advice on how to catch a ball at the stadium shows how meticulously he hones his hobby. Along the way there are lots of personalities and top-ten lists at the end for every active fan. All ball buffs should try to catch this one.—M.H.
Humphreys, Michael A. Wizardry: Baseball's All-Time Greatest Fielders Revealed. Oxford Univ. Mar. 2011. c.402p. illus. index. ISBN 9780195397765. pap. $19.95. SPORTS
Humphreys takes a detailed look at the defensive baseball statistic he developed, which he calls Defensive Regression Analysis (DRA), designed to indicate how many runs a fielder saved from crossing the plate. Because his system uses existing statistics, RDA can be applied to players past and present. Humphreys skillfully reviews the best players at each position throughout baseball history (e.g., he rates Mark Belanger as best defensive shortstop according to DRA). It would have been helpful if he had included some average defensive statistics in his charts as a basis for comparison. The author also examines research done by other statisticians in analyzing players defensively while bringing up issues that affected how specific players performed. Humphreys writes capably and makes the math-heavy parts as readable as anyone could. The outcome should attract all dedicated baseball fans and stat hounds.—R.L.
Kaplan, Jim. The Greatest Game Ever Pitched: Juan Marichal, Warren Spahn, and the Pitching Duel of the Century. Triumph Bks. Feb. 2011. c.256p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781600783418. $24.95. SPORTS
On July 2, 1963, the Milwaukee Braves met the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park, with Warren Spahn, who dominated pitching in the 1950s, facing Juan Marichal, who would dominate in the 1960s (together with Bob Gibson). Spahn, a decorated veteran, was 42; Marichal was 25-both future Hall of Famers and both known for their high leg kicks. For 16 innings they dueled and amassed a pitch count greater than 400, eschewing relief help, motivated by the desire to win and the duty to teammates and fans to end what they had begun. A single run ended the game. Kaplan, formerly of Sports Illustrated, succeeds in weaving an enaging and at times captivating tapestry in which old and new are contrasted, the past debunked, and the future debated. A thoroughly enjoyable account of a game never to be repeated.—G.R.
Rosen, Charley. Bullpen Diaries: Mariano Rivera, Bronx Dreams, Pinstripe Legends, and the Future of the New York Yankees. Harper: HarperCollins. May 2011. c.288p. photogs. ISBN 9780062005984. $25.99. SPORTS
Rosen (NBA analyst, FOXSports.com; The First Tip-Off) sought to craft a detailed game-by-game look at how the Yankees bullpen fared during the 2010 season, including analysis by different MLB scouts on the relievers' stuff. Rosen's occasional personal stories about the Yankees and growing up in New York are as effective as they can be in breaking up a narrative that, while often dramatic in describing close game situations, can also drag because the game and relief stories start to sound repetitive. While this book will strongly appeal to Yankee fans, there are times when general baseball fans may yawn.—R.L.Ruck, Rob. Raceball: How the Major Leagues Colonized the Black and Latin Game. Beacon, dist. by Random. Mar. 2011. c.288p. photogs. index. ISBN 9780807048054. $25.95. SPORTS
Ruck (history, Univ. of Pittsburgh) explores the transformation of baseball as played in the shadows of organized ball in the United States and in Latin America, tracing the development of the game in the Caribbean, crediting Cuban emissaries with its spread in the region and recounting the barnstorming that pitted great Latin players against those from the U.S. mainland. His book also sweeps through what Ruck refers to as "Blackball's Heyday," with rapid-fire looks at magnates Rube Foster, Cum Posey Jr., Gus Greenlee, and Alex Pompez. Ruck then discusses integration's catastrophic impact on the Negro Leagues, as well as an attempted insurgency emanating from the Mexican League and Jorge Pasquel and the now-diminished role of black players. Strongly recommended, like Burgos, above, for avid baseball readers as well as those studying African American or Latino studies.—R.C.
Silverman, Matthew. Baseball Miscellany: Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Baseball. Skyhorse, dist. by Norton. Mar. 2011. c.180p. illus. ISBN 9781616081966. $14.95. SPORTS
Baseball writer Silverman (Mets Essential) pens a volume that answers 27 intriguing questions about baseball, patterned after the 27 outs required to win a game, a format that limits the book's length. This is unfortunate, for the author writes with skill and could have added many more questions (the subtitle exaggerates). The galley also suffers from factual errors, which may be corrected in the finished book (e.g., the galley omits the 1975-76 Cincinnati Reds from a list of teams who won back-to-back World Series). In spite of the book lacking both a bibliography and index, for what it does contain it is highly recommended for all baseball fans.—R.L.
Silverman, Matthew. New York Mets: The Complete Illustrated History. MVP: Quayside. Mar. 2011. c.208p. illus. index. ISBN 9780760339602. $30. SPORTS
Silverman gives the Mets their due-and you can take that both ways-from their infamous beginnings as laughable losers to their triumphs and 2010 mediocrity. He includes colorful sidebars throughout, each with a "baseball card" image and write-up of one of his "top 50" Mets. There are also nicely presented box scores of famous games, and a final 8-page section for the Mets' "All Time Record Book." All library baseball collections with tons of Yankees books should balance their collections with this. A natural for Mets fans and to try to convert Yankees fans into Mets loyalists.—M.H.
Thorn, John. Baseball in the Garden of Eden: The Secret History of the Early Game. S. & S. Mar. 2011. c.384p. illus. index. ISBN 9780743294034. $26. SPORTS
Thorn, who co-created Total Baseball and served as a chief consultant on Ken Burns's Baseball documentary, goes back into the world of 19th-century baseball, exploring the game's early years and the various claims to its invention: Doubleday? Cartwright? Thorn explores each man's connections to the game, along with the men who boosted their roles. Whether describing New York's Knickerbockers of 1845 baseball, the Gotham Baseball Club, the game in New England, or on Hoboken's Elysian Fields, Thorn shows his chops as a primary-source researcher. The results are best for fans of the cerebral game of baseball history and all who like Peter Morris's books on those early years.—M.H.
Weintraub, Robert. The House That Ruth Built: A New Stadium, the First Yankees Championship, and the Redemption of 1923. Little, Brown. Apr. 2011. c.320p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780316086073. $26. SPORTS
Like Felber, above, sports columnist Weintraub takes readers back to the start of the Twenties, but his topic has been covered a lot in the past: the tale of the Yankees after their acquisition of a certain Red Sox pitcher named Ruth and the storied stadium where Ruth brought the Yankees to glory during that first season at the team's own stadium. The details may be familiar, but Weintraub is a very lively writer: he makes it all fresh and newly intriguing, adding in a whiff of Damon Runyon's saltiness and introducing readers to some of the idioms of the era. Bracing and fun for all baseball buffs, whether or not fans of today's Bombers.—M.H.
COACHING
Cain, James & Len Solesky with Rusty Meacham & Bruce Curtis (photogs.). The Physics of Pitching: Learn the Mechanics, Science, and Psychology of Pitching to Success. MVP: Quayside. May 2011. c.192p. photogs. index. ISBN 9780760338506. $24.99 with DVD. SPORTS
A welcome title for any youth baseball coach or player, this pitching how-to guide illustrates each important step or movement in the successful delivery of the horsehide and instructs ably on injury avoidance, preparation (both physical and mental), and health and medicine, with an especially useful concluding chapter on "Choosing Your Post High School Path." Curtis's clear and focused color photos make plain the correct mechanics leading to optimum success. Multithemed discussions direct readers' attention to strategy, psychology, self-awareness, and self-correction. Little is overlooked in fundamental information, and much is presented in age-appropriate language. (DVD not seen.)—G.R.
Williams, Pete in assn. with Major League Baseball. Baseball: How To Play the Game. Universe: Rizzoli. Mar. 2011. c.320p. illus. ISBN 9780789322180. pap. $29.95. SPORTS
Baseball writer Williams presents a how-to book, generously illustrated, that will serve both as a beautiful coffee-table work for fans interested in seeing gorgeous action shots of star players and as a definitive guide to skills acquisition and enhancement for players and coaches. From fundamentals to mechanics, drills to talent development, every element of the game is analyzed and illustrated. Youths and adults alike will enjoy the tips included from star MLB players. While there is nothing new in this text, the combination of superb photography with stellar commentary results in a fine book.—G.R.
Hirsch, Sheldon & Alan Hirsch. The Beauty of Short Hops: How Chance Confounds the Statistical Study of Baseball. McFarland. May 2011. 208p. index. ISBN 9780786462889. pap. $29.95. SPORTS
Sabermetrics, a term derived from the acronym of the Society of American Baseball Research, whose members promote the practical values of statistical analysis of the game, is an approach to baseball now embraced not just by researchers, e.g., Bill James and John Thorn, but by MLB front offices, most notably by Theo Epstein of the Red Sox. Coming from the other side are Sheldon Hirsch, a nephrologist, and Alan Hirsch (legal studies, Williams Coll.), here showing the ways in which the sabermetric approach fails both on its own terms and as a management tool. They point out the many intangibles that sabermetrics doesn't factor in for a game that does, after all, have its unpredictable components (e.g. the titular short hops), which make up what the authors refer to as baseball's "rich narrative." Engagingly written; highly recommended to both fans and opponents of sabermetrics.—M.H.
Robinson, Craig. Flip Flop Fly Ball: An Infographic Baseball Adventure. Bloomsbury, dist. by Macmillan. Jul. 2011. c.160p. illus. bibliog. ISBN 9781608192694. $23. SPORTS
Robinson is a UK native who lives in Germany and is a rabid baseball fan. He's also an illustrator and designer. Here he widens our understanding of the game's statistical graphic possibilities for the creative baseball geek in all of us. From the cover pie-chart-as-baseball-mound indicating that 57 percent of baseball books do NOT have a baseball on their cover, to a U.S. map showing the miles of base running accomplished in a season, i.e., with charts and graphics from the whimsical to the wonky (all statistically derived from hard facts; well, maybe not the centaurs), this one will appeal to all fans looking for that new kind of baseball book. Also a good pick for unconventional reference collections.—M.H.
FICTION
Shank, Jenny. The Ringer. Permanent. Mar. 2011. c.352p. ISBN 9781579622145. $29. F
Every first novel has the potential to seize the interest of a wide readership when it combines these elements: a young baseball player seeking solace on the field for the loss of a father killed by police in a botched drug raid; a veteran Denver police officer (and baseball coach) scarred by a life-ending and life-changing split-second decision; and the women-mother/widow and the wife-who seek to move forward with their lives. Add to the mix a fragile history of urban ethnic discord, rivalry and then unity in a common pursuit, and the fact that no truth ever remains hidden. The result is an entertaining and suspenseful tale with a compelling climax. For diamond fans and those who enjoy a well-written contemporary novel.—G.R.
BRIEFLY NOTED
Kennedy, Kostya. 56: Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number in Sports. Sports Illustrated: Time, Inc. Mar. 2011. 368p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781603201773. $25.95.
Megdal, Howard. Taking the Field: A Fan's Quest To Run the Team He Loves. Bloomsbury. May 2011. 256p. ISBN 9781608195794. $25.
Pribble, Aaron. Pitching in the Promised Land: A Story of the First and Only Season in the Israel Baseball League. Univ. of Nebraska. Apr. 2011. 272p. illus. ISBN 9780803234727. $24.95.
Taylor, Frederick E. The Runmakers: A New Way To Rate Baseball Players. Johns Hopkins. May 2011. 264p. index. ISBN 9781421400105. $24.95.
Tootle, James. Vintage Baseball: Recapturing the National Pastime. McFarland. Apr. 2011. 416p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780786435999. pap. $39.95.
Robert Cottrell (Blackball, the Black Sox and the Babe) teaches history at California State University, Chico. Rob Langenderfer is assistant librarian at Brown Mackie Coll., Ft. Mitchell, KY. Gilles Renaud of Cornwall, Ontario, is the author of several books on sentencing, advocacy, judging, and evidence, but longs to write the definitive Canadian baseball book: How To Play Ball in the Snow. All are regular LJ book reviewers. Margaret Heilbrun is Senior Editor, LJ Book Review.
