Michael lewis, Chicago Cubs, David Ross, Rick Ankiel, Ted Williams, Ivan Rodriguez, Baseball Hall of Fame, David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox, World Series, baseball statistics

As you may have notice, these entries have been falling off in the last several weeks. My apologies. A new full-time job — very different from what I had been doing as the sports and features editor of a weekly community newspaper in suburban New Jersey — has put new and strange demands on my time. More about that at another time perhaps.

In the meantime…

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.

Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis
The Cubs Way: The Zen of Building the Best Team in Baseball and Breaking the Curse , by Tom Verducci
Teammate: My Journey in Baseball and a World Series for the Ages, by David Ross with Don Yeager
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
The Phenomenon: Pressure, the Yips, and the Pitch that Changed My Life, by Rick Ankiel with Tim Brown
They Call Me Pudge: My Life Playing the Game I Love, by Ivan Rodriguez with Jeff Sullivan
The Science of Hitting, by Ted Williams and John Underwood
Heads-Up Baseball : Playing the Game One Pitch at a Time, by Tom Hanson
The Cooperstown Casebook: Who’s in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Who Should Be In, and Who Should Pack Their Plaques, by Jay Jaffe
Papi: My Story, by David Ortiz and Michael Holley

Hot New Releases

They Call Me Pudge
The Cooperstown Casebook
Terror in the City of Champions: Murder, Baseball, and the Secret Society that Shocked Depression-era Detroit, by Tom Stanton

Most Wished For

The Cooperstown Casebook
Smart Baseball
Cubs Way

NY Times: Papi is #5 on the August monthly sports best-selling list with Teammate #9.

Moneyball back at #1? I love it, but what does that say about the quality of the new titles when something this old rises to the top of the chart? Granted, it only takes a few copies sold to move 1,000 spots. Maybe some college course is using it as a textbook. Regardless, congrats Michael Lewis.

Not on either the Amazon or Times‘ lists? 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die. Today: 1,353,927; last time: 1,244,579. Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War ranks 977,748.

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.