Favorite Sports Book

[Handy Smurf]

I'm trying to think of some off the top of my head...

but it is 3:30 am and Im practically braindead

Wrigleyville is a very comprehensive history of the Cubs written by Peter Golenbock. It gives a good general history of MLB from the turn of the century until around the 60's. Of course, it details their entire history, but that 60 or so year section is particularly interesting.
The most recent one I read was The Sweet Season by SI's Austin Murphy about St. Johns (Minn) college and their coach, John Gagliardi, who became college footballs alltime winningest coach a few years ago. Very solid read.

Ive wanted to find a good book about Reds history, anyone have any recommendations?
Ive also always wanted to read Keyshawn Johnson's Just Give Me the Damn Ball ;)

[sabos_glasses]

Guess there's not many readers of sports here....
About the only one I remember reading cover-to-cover was Huggins' book.
I picked up Prison without Bars, but it was just too weird, I just thought it was all lies.
Anybody read the Canseco book?

[Jumpman]

I enjoyed Moneyball even if I don't totally agree with everything Billy Beane does. It was a fun read.

Why is the Foul Pole Fair? is a fun read by Vince Staten. (Louiville native) that brings up alot of old useless facts about baseball.

[jcarwash31]

If I were to read a book, I would read Ball Four. I actually have it and started to read it once. I should try to give a shot again soon.

[The Hegemo]

Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch is probably the best sports book I've ever read. Even if you're not a soccer fan, it just sums up the whole obsessive fan experience so well. I think any sports fan would find parts of that book to identify with.

[jcarwash31]

I would also consider reading A View From the Stands. I forget who wrote it, but she went to all of the MLB stadiums and writes about her experiences.

[crazybob60]

Guess there's not many readers of sports here....
About the only one I remember reading cover-to-cover was Huggins' book.
I picked up Prison without Bars, but it was just too weird, I just thought it was all lies.
Anybody read the Canseco book?

Yes, unfortunately I have read the Canseco book, and really you would think the publishers or somebody would actually read it first. I give it two thumbs down. I mean in one spot they spell McGwire correctly and then just about 2-3 sentences later they spell it McGuire. That's only the tip of the iceberg in my opinion for this book.

I also read the Pete Rose book...thought it was well...eh. I think that best describes not good but not bad.

[Handy Smurf]

Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch is probably the best sports book I've ever read. Even if you're not a soccer fan, it just sums up the whole obsessive fan experience so well. I think any sports fan would find parts of that book to identify with.
Ive heard this was a great book. Its a shame they adapted it as a movie about baseball, starring 2 of the least funny, least talented pieces of crap in Hollywood.
Id like to pick this up sometime

[RedRigmaJacket]

Seabiscuit is an amazing book. Read that next.

[Artpunchehorse]

Friday Night Lights and Cobb

[jcarwash31]

Ive heard this was a great book. Its a shame they adapted it as a movie about baseball, starring 2 of the least funny, least talented pieces of crap in Hollywood.
Id like to pick this up sometime
Peter: Hey Fallon! Say goodnight you bum!
And this is for laughing during every comedy sketch you've ever been in! Who do you think you are, Carol Burnett? You think that she did it so it's alright for you? You haven't earned what she's earned! Alright, now where is the guy who slept with my daughter?!

[Stoock]

LITTLE LEAGUE CONFIDENTIAL by Bill Geist.
"Always pick a kid whose parents have a pool for the end of the season party."

[The_Deacon]

I never learned to read :(

[Jonathan]

Ive heard this was a great book. Its a shame they adapted it as a movie about baseball, starring 2 of the least funny, least talented pieces of crap in Hollywood.
Id like to pick this up sometime
Even before that, they adapted it as a movie about soccer starring Colin Firth. It actually was a pretty decent movie.

I have it on DVD so it's obviously available in this country.

The book is awesome.

[gwar469]

Catcher in the Rye -- that's a sports book, right?

[akip]

the hockey sweater by roch carrier. for kids, but i loved it too. great illustrations!

[Handy Smurf]

Where The Game Matters Most - a chronicle of the final season of single class high school basketball in indiana

I've heard about this book and would love to read it some time...I don't read a lot of sports books, though, so there are quite a few on my list of should reads

[sabos_glasses]

Anybody going to get Bill Simmons' book? Despite the subject (Red Sox) and the content (recycled articles) I think I will. Mostly just because it's Bill Simmons.

Speaking of Simmons, I enjoyed his discussions with Chuck Klosterman.

[Artpunchehorse]

Anybody going to get Bill Simmons' book? Despite the subject (Red Sox) and the content (recycled articles) I think I will. Mostly just because it's Bill Simmons.

Speaking of Simmons, I enjoyed his discussions with Chuck Klosterman.


I'm with you, just because he wrote it I'll get it. Just wish he was coming to Cincy for the book tour. I imagine we'll be seeing him on Kimmel pretty soon.

I'm having a real hard time getting into his discussions. He might want to scrap that idea

[Artpunchehorse]

I never learned to read :(

Damn Indiana school system

[sabos_glasses]

I'm having a real hard time getting into his discussions. He might want to scrap that idea

I see where you're coming from. I thought Klosterman was interesting, in fact enough to overshadow Simmons. Discussions with other people could get old though.

Of course, if it were up to most readers, it would be a new mailbag every day.

[juggles]

The memoir in John Irving's Trying to Save Piggy Sneed that's about his wrestling and writing careers. The part about him and his buddy refereeing a tournament in Maine is fucking hilarious. I can't remember the title of the memoir because I loaned it to the dad of one of my wrestlers two years ago and never got it back and that kid graduated last year so I'll probably never see it again. Damn. See what you get for loaning books to wrestling parents.

Enjoyed Seabiscuit too. I don't think I was quite as crazy about it as everyone else but it's good. The movie's not bad either but I'm a little biased.

And I just started Pat Conroy's My Losing Season . Found it on a remainder table for six bucks. I'm only thirty pages into it but it seems good so far.

[Artpunchehorse]

I see where you're coming from. I thought Klosterman was interesting, in fact enough to overshadow Simmons. Discussions with other people could get old though.

Of course, if it were up to most readers, it would be a new mailbag every day.

Or a sports diary of some sort

[sabos_glasses]

So, I picked up Pete's My Prison without Bars at the dollar store a few weeks ago. Read it cover-to-cover and I have to say...

I really enjoyed it :o

Especially the chapter about actual prison.

[Artpunchehorse]

So, I picked up Pete's My Prison without Bars at the dollar store a few weeks ago. Read it cover-to-cover and I have to say...

I really enjoyed it :o

Especially the chapter about actual prison.

Did the phrase "The seats are for asses" come up at all

[xu92]

This is the best sports book.
World Sports Exchange (http://wsex.com/welcome.html)

[sabos_glasses]

This is the best sports book.
World Sports Exchange (http://wsex.com/welcome.html)

Just as I revived this thread I thought it was strange nobody had done that yet.

[crank-e]

Eddie Would Go
by Stuart Coleman

The life and death of Eddie Aikau: North Shore big wave surfer and lifeguard. As well as being a great biography, it also provides an in-depth cultural history of the sport and the people of Hawaii.

Shaka!

[sabos_glasses]

Well, I bought the Simmons book tonight. Got the very last copy at Barnes and Noble and another customer actually requested that I let him have it instead. Look forward to tearing through this baby.

[Motti]

Wow, I can't believe I missed this thread. I love sports book and I'm trying to put up a collection.

I guess the first on my list has to be "Playing for Keeps", the Michael Jordan biography by David Halberstam. I can't wait to read his book on Bill Belichick (out in November). On this matter, "Patriot Reign" by Michael Holley is a great book also.

"Seabiscuit" was very good, and I thought to movie to be kinda sleepy. "Ball Four" is great but it doesn't grip you so much, so to speak. The same for "Fever Pitch", but I'm a sucker for Hornby. I need the "gripping" factor because I usually read several books at the same time and fail to finish some of them.

I just read "Moneyball" and I'm a bit confused as to how watch baseball now, since I just learned that most of the plays involve pure luck.

Finally, you should definitely read "Into Thin Air", by Krakauer, if you haven't already. It is an account of a Everest climbing season. Really good, tense and well-written.

Next on my reading list are "The Teammates", by Halberstam, and "Friday Night Lights".

Oh, "Bleachers" by Grisham SUCKS.

[Motti]

Well, I bought the Simmons book tonight. Got the very last copy at Barnes and Noble and another customer actually requested that I let him have it instead. Look forward to tearing through this baby.

I'm a bit skeptic. I think he is great, but I don't know about a book consisting mostly of souped up columns I have already read. Looking forward to your review, thus.

[Spoon4613]

The Perfect Mile by Neal Bascomb

WOW, what a book. I didn't watch the ESPN version of the movie, but I was hooked on the book. It's about the quest to be the first to break the 4 minute mile. It was a 3 way competition between an Englishman, American and Australian. Each with their own reasons and motivations to break it.

I was even rooting for the Australian, John Landy, even though I knew he wouldn't. It depicts sports the way they were back when they were played for enjoyment, not money. If you enjoy running or just a good biography book. THIS is the one for you.

[jcarwash31]

I need the "gripping" factor because I usually read several books at the same time and fail to finish some of them.

I'm the same way!



Except change usually to occasionally, several books to one book, and some to all.

edit: I have to give reading Ball Four another shot because I have it. TV takes much less effort.

[sabos_glasses]

I'm a bit skeptic. I think he is great, but I don't know about a book consisting mostly of souped up columns I have already read. Looking forward to your review, thus.

Well, I'm only about a third of the way through, and I must say your skepticism is warranted. I'm struggling with it mostly because I just don't want to hear any more about the Red Sox. I thought I would get over it simply because I like him so much. But it's just too much Sox. Not only is the material outdated, it doesn't really offer any kind of perspective other than whining about how shitty it is to be a Boston fan.

The comments that he makes about the older articles are of course the highlights -- the side margins are filled with hilarious observations and comments.

He also nicely drops f-bombs here and there.

[MorningTheft]

I'd probably have to go with Mandalay Bay...It just has more seating than Caesar's or the Mirage. Plus I like that the horse racing is seperate, so all the big screens are dedicated to games.

[MorningTheft]

Anybody going to get Bill Simmons' book? Despite the subject (Red Sox) and the content (recycled articles) I think I will. Mostly just because it's Bill Simmons.

Speaking of Simmons, I enjoyed his discussions with Chuck Klosterman.

Speaking of Klosterman, has anyone read Killing Yourself to Live yet? It is really a fabulous book. I like it better than his first 2, but they are all good. I've loved his writing since he became the pop culture critic for the Akron Beacon Journal.

[sabos_glasses]

Speaking of Klosterman, has anyone read Killing Yourself to Live yet? It is really a fabulous book. I like it better than his first 2, but they are all good. I've loved his writing since he became the pop culture critic for the Akron Beacon Journal.

No, but I will for sure. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Orville Wrong]

My favorite sports book is Manny "The Creep" Crippardi, an associate of the Genovese crime family, and a nice enough guy if you stay in the black.

My favorite book about sports is "Whatever Happened to the Hall of Fame?" by Bill James.

[Motti]

edit: I have to give reading Ball Four another shot because I have it. TV takes much less effort.

Confession: it took me about three years to conclude Ball Four. I put it down about three years ago after reading about 60%. Then I restarted it a few months ago and finished in about a week.

I also think it helps to read books during the appropriate sports season. I wouldn't have the same enthusiasm for Ball Four in December, I guess.

Finally, you may want to try "The Long Season", by Jim Brosnan, which is sort of a Ball Four predecessor. It's really interesting.

[Motti]

... because I just read "The Last Shot", by Darcy Frey. It's a Hoop Dreams-like insight on the lives of four high school basketball players of Coney Island, including 14-year-old Stephon Marbury.

I really liked it, it's just below "Hoop Dreams" in my sports book ranking (maybe because the author just followed the kids for one year, and not their whole HS career). It's short and fun to read, albeit kinda gloom. Recommended.

[Merv Kemp]

Good thread. Here are some that come to mind:

Teammates - David Halberstam
I Had a Hammer - Hank Aaron
Born to Play - Eric Davis
Summer of '49 - David Halberstam
Seabiscuit - Laura Hillenbrand
You Win with People - Woody Hayes
The Kid Who Only Hit Homers - Matt Christopher
Big Red Dynasty - John Erardi and Greg Rhodes
It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life - Lance Armstrong

Worst book ever:

Pete Rose: My Story - Pete Rose, Roger Kahn - As a 12-year old, I spent money I had saved up for baseball cards to buy this book. I believed every word of this garbage, being a huge fan of the Reds and Pete Rose. I should have bought a box of Topps wax-packs like I had intended. Eff Pete Rose.

[BOBROX123]

Drive - Larry Bird (with some help)

[troutman]

The Fight - Norman Mailer

Norman Mailer's The Fight focuses on the 1975 World Heavyweight Boxing Championship in Kinshasa, Zaire. Muhammad Ali met George Foreman in the ring. Foreman's genius employed silence, serenity and cunning. He had never been defeated. His hands were his instrument, and 'he kept them in his pockets the way a hunter lays his rifle back into its velvet case'. Together the two men made boxing history in an explosive meeting of two great minds, two iron wills and monumental egos.

[DoRabbitsWonder]

Not too sure if you classify poker as sports, but I highly recommend this book.
Positively Fifth Street by James McManus. It's very hard to put down.

Here's the summary- Amazon.com
In 2000, novelist and poet James McManus was sent to Las Vegas, innocently enough, by Harper's magazine to write a story about the World Series of Poker held annually at Binion's Horseshoe. But then, as so often happens on trips to Sin City, something kind of ... happened. Rather than becoming an objective report, McManus's article evolved into a memoir as he put his entire advance on the line, got lucky with his cards and won a spot in the competition, and came much closer than anyone expected to winning the darn thing. The result, Positively Fifth Street, is just as dazzling, exciting, and disturbing as Vegas itself.

McManus details his battles not only against his opponents but also against "Bad Jim," the portion of his own personality that needs to get in on a poker game in spite of both common and fiscal sense. Besides telling his own story, he relates the considerably more unpleasant tale of Ted Binion, whose grisly death was blamed on Binion's former stripper-girlfriend and her ex-linebacker beau. In the hands of a lesser author, the pursuit of these separate through lines of poker and the seedy personal lives of wealthy casino heirs may have lead readers to wish the author had picked just one subject. But under McManus's careful watch, they're really pretty similar: steeped in adrenaline, mystery, deception, and skating on thrillingly thin ice. Each story underscores the other, a neat little "narrative as metaphor" device, while also painting a vivid picture of Vegas casino life. Poker, as anyone who has lost at it will tell you, is an intricate game and it's nice to see a top-notch author and player relate its finer points in an entertaining style that will appeal even to non-players. The author's hilariously self-aware and at times self-loathing style make Positively Fifth Street a fun read. But beyond that, his account of nearly winning the biggest poker tournament in the world and subsequently watching as the verdicts are announced for Binion's accused murderers makes for a great story. Even if it wasn't the one he was sent there to write. --John Moe --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

[Jim Schue]

It's kind of dated, but John Feinstein's "A Season On The Brink" is one of the best books I've ever read, sports-related or otherwise.

John McEnroe's book is pretty good.

[Sushi]

I just finished rereading George Plimpton's The Curious Case of Sidd Finch. Really fun baseball novel. He based it on the April 1, 1985 article he did for Sports Illustrated on an English-Buddhist monk pitching phenom who could throw 168 miles an hour. While it was clearly an April Fool's prank, as I recall, some people took it seriously. The book is a nice summer read.

Lance Armstrong's It's Not About the Bike and Every Second Counts are both good reads as well.

[juggles]

I mentioned in September that I'd started My Losing Season by Pat Conroy. I finished not much later than that. Enjoyed it. I like reading about losers. Kindred spirits.

And I'll again mention the John Irving memoir from Trying to Save Piggy Snead where he discusses his wrestling and writing although I still haven't gotten it back from the person I loaned it to.

[hopeyopi]

some i like

garrincha
ball four
baseball prospectus
the miracle of castel di sangro (though i think he missed the nuances of italian football)


got some good books on football hooliganism but not sure they qualify.

[Motti]

got some good books on football hooliganism but not sure they qualify.

Oh, they do. Please inform.

BTW, I just became aware of a movie called "Hooligans", sorta like a documentary. D'you hear about it? Worth renting?

[crank-e]

Oh, they do. Please inform.

BTW, I just became aware of a movie called "Hooligans", sorta like a documentary. D'you hear about it? Worth renting?
Green Street Hooligans, starring Frodo as an american swept up in English football fanaticism... think it comes out on video later this summer. VERY limited theatre time. Looks good though.

I second the call for books on the subject.

[Stoock]

Prophet of the Sandlots by Mark Winegardner: About a year with a baseball scout. Damn sad ending. Not just the fact that he said Mark Lewis is the best shortstop he'd ever seen (he scouted & signed Ernie Banks)
The 26th Man by Steve Fireovid, edited by Winegardner, about a long-time minor-league pitcher. I do recall seeing his name in a boxscore when the replacements played last time.
Both fine books.
Catcher in the Wry by Bob Euker
Me and The Spitter by Gaylord Perry
Collision at Home Plate about Rose & Giamatti by James Reston Jr.
Faster Jackie Stewart's diary during a seasn of F1