Baseball Best-Sellers, May 19, 2017

May 19, 2017

NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on with the show…

Caveat 1: Print editions only (at least for now); because I’m old school.

Caveat 2: Since the rankings are updated every hour, these lists might not longer be 100 percent accurate by the time you read them. But it’ll be close enough for government work.

Caveat 3: Sometimes they’ll try to pull one over on you and include a book within a category that doesn’t belong. I’m using my discretion to eliminate such titles from my list. For example, for some reason a recent listing included Tarnished Heels: How Unethical Actions and Deliberate Deceit at the University of North Carolina Ended the “The Carolina Way,” which, far as I can tell, is not at all about baseball, at least not in the main.

  1. Image result for smart baseball, lawPapi: My Story, by David Ortiz with Michael Holley
  2. Teammate: My Journey in Baseball and a World Series for the Ages, by David Ross with Don Yeager
  3. Smart Baseball: The Story Behind the Old Stats That Are Ruining the Game, the New Ones That Are Running It, and the Right Way to Think About Baseball, by Keith Law
  4. The Cubs Way: The Zen of Building the Best Team in Baseball and Breaking the Curse, by Tom Verducci
  5. Ballplayer, by Chipper Jones with Carroll Rogers Walton
  6. The Phenomenon: Pressure, the Yips, and the Pitch that Changed My Life, by Rick Ankiel with Tim Brown
  7. The Plan: Epstein, Maddon, and the Audacious Blueprint for a Cubs Dynasty, by David Kaplan
  8. The Science of Hitting, by Ted Williams and John Underwood
  9. Dinner with DiMaggio: Memories of An American Hero, by Dr. Rock Positano
  10. Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis

Hot New Releases

  1. Papi
  2. Teammate
  3. mart Baseball

Most Wished For

  1. Smart Baseball
  2. Papi
  3. Teammate

NY Times May monthly sports best-selling list: Cubs Way, #1; Ballplayer, #3; The Phenomenon, #8; 42 Faith, #10

Not on either the Amazon or Times‘ lists? 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die. Today: 1,164,124; last week: 1,051,369. Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War, which launched April 25, currently ranks 266,449, up from last week at 332,814.

If you have read either of those books, thanks, hope you enjoyed it, and please consider writing an Amazon review; it’s never too late. (And thanks to those who have.) Doesn’t have to be long or even complimentary, if you didn’t like it. Although I would warn you to understand what it is you’re reading. My editor tells me I shouldn’t worry over bad reviews and normally I don’t. But one Greenberg reviewer complained because apparently he felt it wasn’t long enough and that it wasn’t a full biography. Sorry, but caveat emptor: The title clearly states this book covers just one season in his career. If you’re disappointed for that reason, then that’s on you.

 

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