Hogville's Baseball Book Club

[GatorHog]

It's summertime, and during the summer, the kids read books of their own choosing...

I would like to gauge EI's interest in participating in a baseball book club.  Members can choose by vote a book to read on the subject of baseball - biography, autobiography, history, etc...

We can all start the book at roughly the same time, proceed at our own pace, and post in this thread all thoughts / questions that come to mind while proceeding through the book.

EI is the classiest sports forum on the internets.  But that doesn't mean that we can't class it up even more.   

Actually, I just think it would be fun, and I got the idea this weekend while reading an autobiography of Roy Campanella, It's Good to be Alive - there is a ton of interesting discussion topics embedded in players' stories - anecdotes, history, trivia.

I think this would be a wonderful learning experience.  And I think it would be great to get different perspectives from other posters in this forum, and just see where the discussion goes.  Baseball means many things to many different people.  I'm sure baseball's importance to me is quite different in many respects to its importance to many of you guys.  Obviously, it brings us all together, too. 

Practical matters:

Anyone who wants to participate should feel free to say so without reservation as to whether you can feasibly obtain a copy of the book that is chosen.  I will make sure that is a non-issue.  You can PM me for a copy anonymously. 

Timelines

My initial thought is that there should not be a deadline as to when to finish a book. Read at your own pace. And post your thoughts about specific passages whenever you are able.  But if the idea takes off, maybe we can do one book per month or something until February.  If you lag behind as a result of life's commitments, you should still post when you can, since the subject you're discussing should still be relatively fresh in everyone else's minds. 

Selections

If you guys think it's a good idea and would like to participate, respond with a short list of suggested books about baseball.  Perhaps we can find a selection that no one has read, which I think would be the most fun. 

Any other suggestions or ideas with respect to "club management" are welcome!

[SPAL]

Love it. I really think this is a spectacular idea. I love the spirit of this board. Always finding new and creative ways to make it better.

I read "My Prison Without Bars" the Pete rose auto a few years ago. I reccomend it.

You're in charge of this Gator....you come up with a system, a book list, and all the details associated with it.

[GatorHog]

Here's a short list of potentials:

1. Big Hair and Plastic Grass: A Funky Ride Through Baseball and the America's in the Swinging '70s.

2. The Boys of Summer (1972) by Roger Kahn

3. Seasons in Hell (re: The 1973-1975 Texas Rangers)

4. Ball Four (1970) by Jim Bouton

5. Joe, You Coulda Made Us Proud (1975)

6. A Day in the Bleachers by Arnold Hano

7. Veeck as in Wreck: The Autobiography of Bill Veeck

8. Going the Other Way: Lessons From a Life in and Out of Baseball (2003) by Billy Bean

9. The Long Season (1960) by Jim Brosnan

10. Playing America's Game: Baseball, Latinos, and the Color Line (2007) by Adrian Burgos, Jr.

[Wisco Pig]

That's a good list, Gator.  I'll pass along a few other titles from a "best of" list compiled four years ago by Los Angeles Times book critic David Ulin:

1. The Natural by Bernard Malamud (1952)
2. Can't Anybody Here Play This Game? by Jimmy Breslin (1963)
3. The Glory of Their Times by Lawrence S. Ritter (1966)
4. Five Seasons by Roger Angell (1977)
5. Baseball's Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson & His Legacy by Jules Tygiel (1983)

Plus a few ideas of my own:
6. The Bill James Baseball Abstract (1982)
7. Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella (1982)
8. The Bronx Zoo by Sparky Lyle & Peter Golenbock (1979)
9. Nice Guys Finish Last by Leo Durocher & Ed Linn (1975)

[GatorHog]

Thanks for the list, Wisco - hopefully we can get a handful of interested parties (or a couple of handfuls!) and at some point soon I'll force a vote on our first pick.

[SPAL]

Why don't you send out a blast to all the regulars.

[dotnet]

i'm a fan of Rob Neyer and Epstein's book of best baseball teams ever. I think its baseball dynasties.  its really fun and compares teams from many different eras.  I like most of Neyer's books though.   

baseball between the numbers (BP)
extra innings (BP)
the book - Tom Tango
1954 - Bill Madden
October 1964 - Kahn

I already have a summer reading list booked up - just throwing out additional books that I think have been helpful in different genres. 

[89ALUM]

How about Moneyball (not the movie, but the really good book by Michael Lewis)?

It was a number 1 bestseller so people should have easier access to it in their local libraries and/or bookstores.

[SPAL]

This, unfortunately, never materialized. Much like most ideas, they tend to fall away.

I just finished "Juiced." It is the book by Jose canseco dropping bombs about the steroid era. I enjoyed the read. I picked it up for 3 bucks in a flea market.

He didn't say much that wasn't already apparent, but it is interesting. Roids did bring the game back from the dead post 94.

[Oklahawg]

A False Summer by Pat Jordan is an amazing read. I've read most in the thread and this deserves mention with them.

I think the thread itself (even if the reading club didn't materialize) is great - no sport inspires great writing like baseball.