The Planetary Extreme Baseball Alliance

My Top 5 Baseball Books (Fiction or Nonfiction), That I've Read

In no particular order:

October 1964, David Halberstam
Weaver on Strategy, Earl Weaver
The Dixie Association, Donald Hayes
Baseball Between the Numbers, Baseball Prospectus
Living on the Black, John Feinstein

I know there are a lot more out there I haven't gotten to yet.

What's your Top 5?

My number one is easy for me:

A Great and Glorious Game: Baseball Writings of A. Bartlett Giamatti

used to take it to Opening Day when I used to go to Opening Day. Have to think a bit about the next four...

#1 is easy: Say it Ain't So, Joe, a very enlightening story of a great player unjustly vilified...

#2, Cobb: a Biography, a great player, perhaps justly vilified...

#3, Technically a 'baseball book', but not quite what I think Morris was suggesting in his question, but The Sports Encyclopedia Baseball, 1974 edition, got plenty worn during the teenage years and was instrumental in my learning of the games deep history - well that and Sports Illustrated's All-Time All-Star Baseball game...

Even though it is a well-known book now, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis is a very interesting and well-written book nonetheless.

...and, of course :

Moneyball, the book, ... Moneyball, the film,

Ball Four, Jim Bouton and in the same vein The Wrong Stuff, Bill Lee

Also did like Ear Weaver's book as well.

Borealis wrote:

Moneyball, the book, ... Moneyball, the film,

Haha.
I actually didn't mind the film.
But I have to agree, the book is better!

A little late to the party but here's my list...

Big Data Baseball - Basically the story of how the Pirates used pitch framing, defensive shifts, and two-seam fastballs to turn things around
Moneyball - My first baseball read which caused a complete overhaul of my original OOTP online team
The Art of Fielding - Just a fun beach read centered around an MLB prospect in college losing his skills because of one play

Next on my baseball books to read is... The Closer, it's co-written by Mariano Rivera and just the story of his interesting life.

Any other big readers here? I read about 2 books a month and would love to hear some suggestions from others. Top 5 recent non-baseball reads...

1) The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho - great book if you're ever in a deep thinking mindset about life, it's short too
2) Helter Skelter - written by the guy who prosecuted Charles Manson
3) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Trilogy (Millenium series) - really entertaining books
4) Power of the Dog and The Cartel by Don Winslow - It's a story about a DEA agent and drug kingpin that spans 30 years and 2 books.
5) Dark Places by Gillian Flynn - same writer as Gone Girl, I really liked this book

WOW!!! Hellter Skelter - never thought I'd see that on a best read list... I read that (way) back in college, after the movie/documentary came out in '79(?) - I loved it; so interesting!!

Also read the Dragon Tatoo books - very well done, great intrigue...

Anything by S. King, or Dan Simmons goes straight to the top of my list - King's 'Dark Tower' septilogy is a epic masterpiece, and Simmon's 'Terror' (with an amazing description of dying of scurvy), 'Abominable' (not quite what you think it's about), and 'Carrion Comfort' (the best vampire tale since King's Salem's Lot) are all amongst my faves!!

(With apologies for going off-topic ...)

I share Michael's love of Mr. King and Mr. Simmons. Those of you who join us in this love (and those looking to join) are in for a treat this year, as we have Mr. King's The Dark Tower coming to the silver screen on Aug. 4, and The Terror (which is fantastic and you really should read) coming to television as an AMC event series sometime later this year.

My four most recent reads, which I'm afraid have nothing to do with baseball:

1. The Silver Linings Playbook - No baseball, but there's a lot of American football! A fantastic book, and a great film, too.
2. Casino Royale - The first James Bond novel. I ... did not like this. Actually, I think I kind of despised it.
3. Peter and Wendy (aka Peter Pan) - Delightful, of course
4. Cibola Burn - Part four of The Expanse series. The books are great fun and the TV show is a blast.

IF talking sports books:

1) The Book

2)If I never get back - Daryl Brock (fiction, one of my favorite ever)

3) Earl Weaver book

4) Ron Luciano's books (4 I think)

5) Ball Four

STRANGERS!!!!

I just finished "The Phenomenon" by Rick Ankiel (with Tim Brown). Easy ready, not mind-blowing, but very enjoyable as a relatively new father.

Other Baseball Books I have enjoyed, some you may never have heard of:

-Southpaw, By Mark Harris (follow-up to Bang The Drum Slowly)
-The Ball Player, By Clay Snellgrove (one-time author so far, very glad I read his book!)
-Class A, By Lucas Mann (non-fiction)
-Moneyball, By Michael Lewis (non-fiction)
-The Art of Fielding, By Chad Harbaugh

Hey, Jason! Those are some great books there, especially Moneyball and The Art of Fielding. I highly recommend both to anyone who has yet to read them.

Just read a book called The Only Rule is it has to Work. The concept of the book was great, the writing itself about average.
Check it out..

If anyone wants to read it send me a PM, I'll send you my book if you send it back, FYI hardback..

Shisa wrote: The Dixie Association, Donald Hayes


I know there are a lot more out there I haven't gotten to yet.

What's your Top 5?

I just ordered a used copy for $5 with shipping...

Can't wait to read it.