Spitball Magazine release its list of nominees for its Casey Book Award, given annual for the publication’s take on the best baseball book of the year.
The 2009 roster includes:
- As They See ‘Em: A Fan’s Travels in the Land of Umpires, by Bruce Weber
- Catcher: How the Man Behind the Plate Became an American Folk Hero, by Peter Morris
- Chasing Moonlight: The True Story of Field of Dreams’ Doc Graham, by Brett Friedlander and Robert Reising
- The First Fall Classic: The Red Sox, the Giants and the Cast of Players, Pugs and Politicos Who Re-Invented the World Series in 1912, by Mike Vaccaro
- Forever Blue: The True Story of Walter O’Malley, Baseball’s Most Controversial Owner, and the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles, by Michael D’Antonio
- Game Six: Cincinnati, Boston, and the 1975 World Series: The Triumph of America’s Pastime, by Mark Frost
- Odd Man Out: A Year on the Mound with a Minor League Misfit, by Matt McCarthy
- Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend, by Larry Tye
- The Wizard of Waxahachie: Paul Richards and the End of Baseball as We Knew It, by Warren Corbett
- The Yankee Years, by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci
The winner will be honored at the 27th Annual Casey Awards Banquet to be held in Cincinnati in the spring of 2010.
For the most part, IMHO, these are all excellent choices. My only quibble is the inclusion of the controversial Odd Man Out, since the author was accused of basically making stuff up. One ommissi0on: S.L. Price’s Heart of the Game, the sentimental tale of Mike Collbaugh’s tragic death.
is available on Amazon.com,
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That’s a pretty strong list. I agree with your points on Odd Man Out and Heart of the Game. I also really liked Sixty Feet, Six Inches.
That’s a pretty strong list. I agree with your points on Odd Man Out and Heart of the Game. I also really liked Sixty Feet, Six Inches.
Have yet to read that one, but hope to soon. What about Marty Appel’s Munson bio?
Have yet to read that one, but hope to soon. What about Marty Appel’s Munson bio?
One of my favorites was Miracle Ball: My Hunt for the Shot Heard ‘Round the World by Brian Biegel.
One of my favorites was Miracle Ball: My Hunt for the Shot Heard ‘Round the World by Brian Biegel.
Haven’t read Munson. I test drove it in the library one afternoon and it didn’t win out over the other new books on the shelf. Granted that was only about 5-6 pages, but it just didn’t grab me. I may have to revisit that.
Haven’t read Munson. I test drove it in the library one afternoon and it didn’t win out over the other new books on the shelf. Granted that was only about 5-6 pages, but it just didn’t grab me. I may have to revisit that.
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