A while back I wrote about It Takes More Than Balls by Deidre Silva and Jackie Koney, otherwise known as The Savvy Girls. While I wasn’t totally a fan of the book – the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I’m a fan of what they’re trying to do, which is get people to love and appreciate what a great game baseball is.

With no disrespect to the above mentioned work, I think I’ve found a book that accomplishes that mission.

Anatomy of Baseball is a collection of 20 essays, 17 previously unpublished and three classics from Roger Angell, Frank Deford and George Plimpton, all about why the writer loves baseball. From the popularity of the baseball cap beyond those who wear it on the field, to playing baseball and its derivatives in Slovenia or Finland, this is the book that I think would get the casual fan who likes to baseball to understand why so many people love it.

It’s tough to pick a favorite — so I won’t. But it’s sure easy to find the ones I can identify with — the love of the first glove you ever had…catching pop-ups until the sun went down…or that immaculate feeling that comes when you pick up a baseball. It’s all there — and it will encourage you to find what you love about the game.

This is a book that definitely has a place on your bookshelf, but I think even more importantly, it has a place in conversation between you and your friends. Not that I think you’ll spend a lot of time discussing the book, but I think that it will serve as a jump off point for some really good discussions.

What did you think about Anatomy of Baseball? What’s you favorite baseball memory? Post your comments!