When a book makes you both stand up and say “What the hell was he thinking?” on one page while inducing a fist pumping “Yes!” on the next – you know it’s got something going for it. Welcome to Bracketology — the new way of clean-cutting through decision making and opining. You’re probably already familiar […]

This collection of personal narratives from players in the 1930s and 1940s chronicles a turbulent time in baseball and American society – post-depression, World War II and the integration of major league baseball highlight this period, and the stories players tell are reflections of their experiences. These personal narratives are transcribed recordings of interviews that […]

I wish I had a better love for history. My college roommate was a history major and loved the stuff. He understood it, thrived in learning more about it, and was able to process all the events he learned about in a way that gave him a maplike understanding of the past. The Numbers Game […]

“Little tiles make up the big picture.” So is the quote from former major leaguer Bob Watson that best describes Steve Jacobson’s new book, Carrying Jackie’s Torch. The 250 pages of the book, comprised of stories from African-American major leaguers not named Jackie Robinson piece together to form a painful reminder of how “all men […]

While they don’t go unnoticed, the people who work in and around baseball often go unthought of — the beer guy, the scorekeeper, the usher who shows you to your seat. They seem to be there, doing their job, game in and game out, and unfortunately most of us never give them a second thought. […]

If you’re looking for a gift for the baseball fan on your list, how about some of the great books that have come out this year? I’ve got a couple of recommendations for you:   First is Mickey Mantle: Stories and Memorabilia from a Lifetime With the Mick, by Mickey Herskowitz. Besides being a biography […]