Miracle Ball
 

Just started Miracle Ball by Brian Biegel and it is really good. I think that it was recommended in another thread.

Jeff

A Couple
 

Just finished "The STARK Truth" by Jayson Stark where he opines on the 5 most overrated and underrated players by position. Now about done with "Tony LaRussa" by Rob Rains. Got both for XMas from the kids which must mean they were on closeout at Big Lots or Tuesday Morning.

"Satch, Dizzy, & Rapid Robert: The Wild Saga of Interracial Baseball Before Jackie Robinson". The information is great - hearing about Dizzy Dean and Bob Feller barnstorming against Negro Leaguers. But I'm not a fan of the writing style. I don't know how to explain it, but by 1/2 way thru the book I just got tired of reading it. The author Timothy Gay puts out great stories but the delivery just doesn't capture my attention. Too long of a book perhaps? 3 stars.

Now finishing reading Ann Rule's "Dead by Sunset". She's a true crime author, and I'm just getting into her books. Great author IMO, only took me about 2 weeks to get thru ~ 380 pages which is like a record for me. 5 stars.

The Autobiography of Mark Twain.

Just finished "In the Heart of the Seas: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex" by Nathaniel Philbrick - true story and it is an incredible read. I highly recommend it.

Just started "The Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth" by Leigh Montville. So far, very interesting read.

You get a +3 for this one - A fan of Ayn Rand works even my dog is named AYNNIE.

Im reading;
Wilber "Bullet" Rogan and the Kansas City Monarchs
Working ath the Ballpark
BASEBALL in the GARDEN of EDEN
all OK to Good reads

Just started The Glory of Their Times. Loving it so far.

I'm reading Diary of Anne Frank for the first time. My urban condo building has a little community library next to a elevator door, with the books donated by the residents, and this one was sitting there as I was waiting for the elevator. The books even have color coded stickers so you know when to return it.

Baseball Americana:The Library Of Congress' Collection.Half pictures,half information.Just the way I like them.

Has anyone read....
 

"Bottom of the 33rd: Hope, Redemption, and Baseball's Longest Game"?

Heard the author Dan Barry on a podcast and it sounds like a very interesting look at not only minor league baseball, but the fans who root and support them. Just bought it and was wondering if any one else has read it.

Net 54 posts!!!

I just received a copy of "The Card". Fascinating stuff, even though there is a lot of hogwash in it. It was interesting to read about people who I know, like MW. It was disappointing to see that the writer had given the two Cincinnati fraudsters a photo and any cred whatsoever. Finally, I'm wondering if Ray will ever tell the world where he got the card - perhaps he has, and I missed it?

Phil, follow it up with the c.d. - it will be the best money you ever spent. I feel like I know those guys I've listened to it so many times.

The Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards! Is there anything else? :D

"The pitch that killed", a book about Carl Mays throwing the ball that killed Ray Chapman in 1920. Batters didn't wear helmets at the time.

Great, easy read so far. Interesting that, according to the book, Carl Mays and Babe Ruth were brought up at the same time w/the Red Sox and there were more expectations for Mays.

Heavy and not so Heavy Stuff
 

Have read "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead" in the last year. Your dog is no doubt wagging her tail by now:). Currently I'm trying to get through "Democracy in America", an increasingly foreign concept:eek:. Between chapters I'm picking up "Pursuit of Honor". If Aynnie doesn't like Mitch Rapp, there no tellin' what might happen to her.;)

Crazy 08 was a good baseball read recently:D. The most interesting baseball book, however, if you ever played table games with dice, is "The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop." by Robert Coover:cool:.

This post to be submitted for this year's Smile Award:confused:.

currently reading........
 

Willie Mays The Life, The Legend. Mays grew up about 30 min. from where i live and i am familiar with a lot of the local places in the book (which makes it more interesting)........i am about 1/3 of the way through. Today there are a lot of stories about Mays being an a(hole) and grouchy oldman, i am hoping for some insight on how that happened. According to this book, he was happy go lucky and always smiling and joking around as a young player. Interesting book so far.

Sports Illustrated 'Baseball Preview' issue. I don't normally read S.I., but in the absence of any reasonably current baseball preview magazine (Sporting News is apparently not producing one this year, and all the others are so old that they don't even show Pujols or Fielder on the correct rosters), I took a chance.

What a great read. They did a very creative job of previewing each team and threw in a lot of interesting side-bar stuff, all while maintaining the integrity of a season preview magazine - good roster info, etc. But the real fun was the article about Mickey Mantle at the back, by the author of 'The Last Boy', built around an error in the book where she stated that Sullivan (Red Sox) had died, when he was in fact alive and kicking at 82.

Now I'm onto Hunger Games, as I had to see what all the fuss was about. I have to admit that I love these smaller books. They make me feel like a much more prolific reader.

"Luckiest Man - The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig" by Jonathan Eig.

Hopefully, next up will be "Banzai Babe Ruth" by Rob Fitts.

Finishing up "Mint Condition" by Dave Jamieson for the first time. Re-reading "The Loom of Ruin" by Sam McPheeters (former singer of obscure bands, Born Against, Men's Recovery Project and Wrangler Brutes) great and funny book if you like Dark satire.

thought maybe I should revive this thread. Im reading Pinstripe Empire and A Universe from Nothing.

The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle

summer reading
 

Currently workign on "The Luckiest Man" about Gehrig... a great read, I highly recommend it...

I read three to four at a time. Currently I am enjoying The Killings of Stanley Ketchel, the Art of Fielding, A Flame of Pure Fire: Jack Dempsey and the Roaring '20s, and October Men.

I recently finished the Game of Thrones books; great stuff and eagerly awaiting the next one. I am now through 7 of the 8 Sookie Stackhouse novels. Also a lot of fun, and the stories markedly diverge from the HBO series within a book or two, which is nice. For the National trip I have the new book about Mickey Cohen, "Mickey Cohen: The Life and Crimes of L.A.'s Notorious Mobster" by Tere Tereba. Also likely to re-read an old favorite, "Stranger in a Strange Land" by Robert Heinlein.