Books About Baseball

Baseball season is in full swing (no pun intended) and the dog days of summer beckon.  As you prepare to pick out beach reading material, what better topic than the National Pastime?  Here are my recommendations for books about the greatest sport ever invented.

The Baseball Codes by Jason Turbow and Michael Duca - The authors examine the "unwritten rules" of the game.  The subtitle provides a hint of what to expect: "Beanballs, Sign Stealing, and Bench-Clearing Brawls."

Baseball in the Garden of Eden by John Thorn - This book chronicles the early history of baseball with interesting facts that even diehard fans likely never knew, as well as some speculations about how the sport as we know it today came to be.

A Game of Inches by Peter Morris - In this award-winning encyclopedia, the origins of many of the iconic elements of baseball are revealed.  (I'm still waiting for it to come out on the Kindle, though.)

The Game From Where I Stand by Doug Glanville - The former major league outfielder provides an "insider's view" of the sport.

Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball by George F. Will - Some appreciate Will's political writings, but I personally prefer reading his ruminations on baseball.  This is a great example of his terrific insights and commentary.

Moneyball by Michael Lewis - The author looks at Billy Beane, the General Manager of the Oakland A's, and his techniques to make a small market team a competitor in the big leagues.  The subtitle sums up the tome's hypothesis: "the art of winning an unfair game."

Scorecasting by Tobias J. Moskowitz and L. Jon Wertheim - Not just about baseballs but also sports in general, the writers examine concepts like home-field advantage, as well as the alleged Curse of the Chicago Cubs.

Steinbrenner: The Last Lion of Baseball by Bill Madden - One of the best sportswriters around gives us an impressive biography of the larger-than-life owner of the New York Yankees.

The Unwritten Rules of Baseball by Paul Dickson - Like the Turbow and Duca book, this is a fun read about all the stuff about baseball that isn't in the rulebooks.

Watching Baseball Smarter by Zack Hample - Whether you're a novice to the sport or a life-long fanatic, you'll enjoy reading this summary of just about everything you need to know about the game.

So catch up on your baseball reading!  (Again no pun intended.)