Hey guys, recommend me some baseball books

[Kevrock]

I've read Moneyball. Otherwise, I haven't read any books about MLB in a long long time. I don't mind reading books about other franchises if they are very well done, but I would also be interested in any must-reads about the Nats or Washington baseball.

Thanks in advance.

[hammondsnats]

http://www.amazon.com/National-Pastime-Politics-Baseball-Washington/dp/0385517858/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269825216&sr=8-1

[PANatsFan]

Gee, I didn't even know about Barry's book. Purchased.

[Kevrock]

Okay, I will definitely get that one. It looks great, thanks!

Anything else I should add to the queue?

Edit: Why is National Pastime so expensive new? It's out of stock at Barnes & Noble and the new listings at Amazon start at $55. I would prefer to buy it new, since that would support the author directly, correct? Guess I can pick it up used unless there other buying options.

[PANatsFan]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2006-07-17-national-pastime-excerpt_x.htm

Chapter 1, free.

[PANatsFan]

Okay, I will definitely get that one. It looks great, thanks!

Anything else I should add to the queue?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boys_of_Summer_%28book%29

I read half of this one and loved it. Have to finish it. I have a George Will book, Bowie Kuhn's book, and a bunch of others I got for pennies at used book sales.

[Kevrock]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boys_of_Summer_%28book%29

I read half of this one and loved it. Have to finish it. I have a George Will book, Bowie Kuhn's book, and a bunch of others I got for pennies at used book sales.

Have that one, good book. I also have Bunts by George Will.

[HalfSmokes]

Lords of the Realm
http://www.amazon.com/Lords-Realm-John-Helyar/dp/0345465245/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269828028&sr=8-2

If you want a book about the history and business of baseball, this is the best one there is

[PANatsFan]

Oh yeah. In The Shadow Of the Senators.

[Nathan]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2006-07-17-national-pastime-excerpt_x.htm

Chapter 1, free.

Nice.

[HalfSmokes]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2006-07-17-national-pastime-excerpt_x.htm

Chapter 1, free.

Is the book worth buying- it looks interesting but who knows?

[DPMOmaha]

I really enjoyed the Echoing Green

[houston-nat]

Odd Man Out, by Matt McCarthy.

Super-smart Yale kid tries pitching in minor leagues, fails. Writes book about his life there and the tribulations of being in the minors. Documents highly colorful story about Erick Aybar's private parts, involving a hot dog bun.

[Nathan]

I drafted Erick Aybar in the WNFF fantasy league!

[Nathan]

http://books.google.com/books?id=7-p2ancyoV4C&pg=PA161&lpg=PA161&dq=Erick+aybar+hot+dog&source=bl&ots=IVos3qMHnL&sig=kQpo3-pHYuW7NQs-4s71iy3tjOU&hl=en

GTFO!!! 

[UMDNats]

http://books.google.com/books?id=fPgnAQAAIAAJ&q=heart+of+the+game&dq=heart+of+the+game&cd=1

Every baseball fan should read this book. One of the best books I've ever read.

[HTT]

Two interesting ones I've read in the past few years were:

The Gashouse Gang by John Heidenry
I always look for stories about teams not the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers and RedSox.   I had read a bio of Branch Rickey a few months before this and was interested in reading the Dizzy Deans stories again. 

Fantasyland by Sam Walker
Sportswriter tries to win in one of the TOUT Wars Fantasy leagues.  Includes the history of the incubation of fantasy baseball. 

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Not exactly a "baseball book" as such, but "Underworld" by Don DeLillo is a novel set across the 1950s-90s whose meandering story somehow follows a baseball that won the Giants/Dodgers pennant game at the Polo Grounds in 1951.  I could not put it down, and I have no idea how this book found its way onto my bookshelf.  Great descriptions of ballgames 60 years ago.  It won the National Book Award, so apparently the literati consider it to have virtues beyond being a baseball story.     

[PANatsFan]

Not exactly a "baseball book" as such, but "Underworld" by Don DeLillo is a novel set across the 1950s-90s whose meandering story somehow follows a baseball that won the Giants/Dodgers pennant game at the Polo Grounds in 1951.  I could not put it down, and I have no idea how this book found its way onto my bookshelf.  Great descriptions of ballgames 60 years ago.  It won the National Book Award, so apparently the literati consider it to have virtues beyond being a baseball story.     

Reminds me of the movie "Everyone's Hero" - I really enjoyed that one.

[HalfSmokes]

Fantasyland by Sam Walker
Sportswriter tries to win in one of the TOUT Wars Fantasy leagues.  Includes the history of the incubation of fantasy baseball. 

Great book, I'm actually reading it again now. I find it interesting that Sam's fantasy 'staff' is doing so well; Sij is a senior quant in the Cards front office and Ferndando is a writer for the journal

[CALSGR8]

Walter Johnson Baseball's Big Train by Henry Thomas.  He's Walters Johnson's grandson.  I can get you a signed copy.

WHY TIME BEGINS ON OPENING DAY BY BOSWELL.

I have more at home.   I'm on the Orange line on my way Home.

[nats2playoffs]

also known as

[Lintyfresh85]

Odd Man Out, by Matt McCarthy.

Super-smart Yale kid tries pitching in minor leagues, fails. Writes book about his life there and the tribulations of being in the minors. Documents highly colorful story about Erick Aybar's private parts, involving a hot dog bun.

I heard a lot of what's in the book is made up. I think there's a part about Bobby Jenks in there where the guy attributes some quote to him... but Jenks would have been like 1000 miles away at the time.

I'll have to do some searching to see if I can find what I'm talking about.

Edit: From Wiki

Matt McCarthy, Odd Man Out: A Year on the Mound with a Minor League Misfit Viking (a division of Penguin Group USA) (February 2009) is a memoir describing McCarthy's summer as a minor league pitcher. He writes about playing with racist teammates who take steroids, however statistics from that season combined with transaction listings and interviews with former teammates suggest that much of the book is false. Prior to having its authenticity challenged, the book was promoted by Sports Illustrated. Carolyn Coleburn, the publisher's vice president and director of publicity said, “We rely on our authors to tell the truth and fact-check.

[JMUalumni]

Here is something a bit more credible than wikipedia:

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/mar/13/entertainment/et-matt-mccarthy13

[Kevrock]

Thanks guys. I ordered National Pastime, Lords of the Realm, and the book about the minor league coach. I also sent a sample of Underworld to my Kindle.

I'll be busy for a bit and revisit this thread in half a year.