Skip to main content

Baseball Books

For anyone who has grown up watching star athletes round the bases, our Baseball Books feature will keep you up to date on the latest titles. Each season, reviewer Ron Kaplan compiles recently released baseball books --- from those that harken back to a simpler time and the early glory days, to those that keep up with current players. Ron remarks that the beauty of the sport is that every game provides the opportunity to see something you've never seen before. The same just might happen with these roundups.

Memoirs from Former Major Leaguers Pedro Martinez and Jorge Posada

There are a number of similarities in the memoirs of Pedro Martinez and Jorge Posada: both were star ballplayers, brought up in Hispanic locales (the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, respectively), with strong family ties and adjustment issues when coming to the United States.

The differences are marked, too. One was a pitcher; the other a catcher/everyday player. One has been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame; the other was a solid player for a frequent world champion team. One comes across as having a tremendous sense of self, a larger-than-life personality; the other, the “normal” amount and much more down to earth. In the end, one retired gracefully, while the other kept trying to hang on.

Read more »

2015 Spring Baseball Titles Reflect a New York State of Mind

Every year seems to bring a slew of New York-centric titles to the genre of baseball literature. This year, just about all the bases are covered --- with books about the new (as in Mets and Yankees) and old (the Brooklyn Dodgers). And if you’re willing to stretch, there are also new offerings for the San Francisco Giants, who left for the West Coast with their Brooklyn counterparts in 1957.

Read more »

2014 All-Star Baseball Titles

The All-Star Game takes place in Minnesota on July 15th. While your favorite player may not have been selected for the roster, there is no shortage of All-Star-caliber books to take your mind off the disappointment. Here are three you’ll want to consider reading.

 

Read more »

A Season Opener!

After 9/11, one of the first signs that America was trying to get back to normal was the resumption of the major league baseball schedule. Somber ceremonies honoring the fallen and restating our faith in our country preceded games, and "God Bless America" replaced "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at the seventh inning stretch.

Read more »

2022 Baseball Roundup

Baseball dodged a bullet when players and owners came to their senses and decided to sign the labor agreement that will calm fans' shaky nerves for the next few years. As the season winds down to the World Series, the media reminds us, through flowery prose, dramatic music and sepia-toned images, of the rich tradition of the National Pastime, despite all the recent problems.

Read more »

For Baseball Fans, Happy Days Are Here Again

FOR BASEBALL FANS, HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN

"It's the most wonderful time of the year." For baseball fans, it ain't about Christmas. For them, that line means they'll soon hear the sweetest of all words: "Play ball!"

Read more »

Celebrating The Yankees Centennial

CELEBRATING THE YANKEES CENTENNIAL

Although the American League was founded in 1901, the Yankees "immigrated" to the Big Apple from Baltimore in 1903. Originally known as the Highlanders, the nickname was changed when local Irish-Americans complained that it sounded too "Scottish-centric."

Read more »

MEMORIES OF BASEBALL'S GREATEST

As the commercial says, "Chicks dig the long ball." So do guys, actually. In fact, baseball fans are generally in awe of brawny bashers who can hoist the horsehide out of the park. This year's assortment of baseball titles features a healthy dose of biographies about some of the greatest hitters of all time, as well as a photographic retrospective of what many sports historians consider the greatest era in baseball.

Read more »

The World Series Centennial

Ah, autumn. The season when green leaves transform to beautiful colors before falling from their lofty perches and the crisp air makes one reach for the heavy sweater. Baseball fans however aren't quite so enthused or ready to give up on summertime. The World Series, aka the Fall Classic, is the last handhold they can enjoy before the bleak days of winter set in.

Read more »

Fall Classics

The regular season is over; the second season begins.

Read more »