Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Baseball Book Draft - Final Round

Jon - Baseball Fever: Early Baseball in Michigan by Peter Morris: I'm beginning to see a trend in my picks. Old timey baseball, great research. Peter Morris is an amazing researcher. Most of the work he does goes unsung, things like birthplaces for one game guys who played in 1883, for example. So when he puts out a book, it's a real treat because he can write pretty well, too. This book is impressive in that it looks at baseball before the Civil War, in Michigan of all places, and the aspects of the game in that era: the arrival of the game in Michigan, development of rules, derision of players for spending time playing a kids game, etc. A really fun, different, book.

Mark - Luke Goes to Bat by Rachel Isadora: It was Brooklyn.
It was summer.
It was baseball.

This is how Rachel Isadora's children's book, Luke Goes to Bat, opens.

This delightful book tells the story of a young boy, Luke, and how he wants to play baseball with his brother's friends. He is often told that he is too small and not good enough. With the encouragement of his grandmother and a visit from his hero, Jackie Robinson, he learns that he should never give up.

The game in this story is based on the September 30, 1951 match-up between the visiting Dodgers and the hosting Phillies.

The artwork is very pleasing and it is the one of my daughter's favorite books.

Jason - Willie's Time: Baseball's Golden Age by Charles Einstein: Yes, it probably helps that the author was the half-brother of Albert Brooks and Super Dave Osbourne. However, since I am still working on reading "Babe" by Robert Creamer as we speak, I'll default the "Mr. Irrelevant" pick to arguably the other best player of all-time and his stories.

Next post I'll wrap up with some honorable mentions and baseball books we have meant to read but haven't gotten to yet.

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