And Now Pitching: Five Books about Baseball
Today is Major League Baseball's opening day. I like baseball–theoretically. The mythology, the history and the stories appeal to me but I do find the actual games a bit tedious. At least the stories are riveting. These are five non-fiction books about baseball.
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Bottom of the 33rd: Hope, Redemption and Baseball's Longest Game by Dan Barry
Pulitzer Prize winning Dan Barry tells the story of the longest game in baseball history, played in 1981 by two minor league teams.
Curveball: the Remarkable Story of Toni Stone the First Woman to Play Professional Baseball in the Negro League by Martha Ackmann
Infielder Toni Stone was the first of three female players in the Negro League playing alongside such legends as Satchel Paige, Ernie Banks and Willie Mays.
The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macorís by Mark Kurlansky
Baseball has had an undeniable influence on the impoverished Dominican Republic town that has produced over 70 major league players.
Nobody's Perfect: Two Men, One Call, and a Game for Baseball History by Armando Galarraga, Jim Joyce and Daniel Paiser
Pitcher Galarraga was one batter away from a perfect game when veteran umpire Jim Joyce incorrectly ruled an opposing hitter had reached base safely. In this book, Galarraga and Joyce share their experiences of the game and its aftermath.
Odd Man Out: A Year on the Mound with a Minor League Misfit by Matt McCarthy
After graduating with a degree in molecular biophysics from Yale, McCarthy was drafted by the Anaheim Angels and spent a summer playing for their minor league team in Provo, Utah. In this book, he tells the story of the not particularly glamorous life in the minors.
This is just a small sample of the many books on baseball at Toronto Public Library. Michael has more suggestions in this blog post.
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