Baseball Best-Sellers, November 17, 2017

Back on schedule…

By now most of you are familiar with my caveats, so I’ll just mention them briefly: The list includes only print editions of books; calendars (even though Amazon includes them on their lists), no audiobooks (as much as I enjoy them), and no kindle (because I’m old school).

Second, 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.

Third, sometimes the list-makers will try to pull a fast one by including a book in a category to which it should not be listed. 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. I’m using my discretion to eliminate such titles here.

Finally, adults only here. That is, no books for younger readers (although no erotic fiction that features baseball as a theme either. And goodness knows there are a bunch of those).

So, with all that said…

The Chicago Cubs: Story of a Curse , by Rich Cohen
Astros Strong: Houston’s Historic 2017 Championship Season, Houston Chronicle
The Science of Hitting, by Ted Williams and John Underwood
The Cubs Way: The Zen of Building the Best Team in Baseball and Breaking the Curse , by Tom Verducci
Bill James Handbook 2018
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis
The Greatest Baseball Stories Ever Told: Thirty Unforgettable Tales from the Diamond, by Michael Silverman
Papi: My Story, by David Ortiz with Michael Holley
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

There are no baseball titles on the current New York Times monthly sports bestseller list.

Same old same old. I don’t really expect the interest in the Houston Astros to last. All duesrespect, they don’t have the same lore and legend as did the Cubs when that team won the World Series in 2016.

And I know I don’t count Kindle sales, but I have to say I was right: the recent death of Bobby Doerr has sparked renewed interested in David Halbertsam’s The Teammates: A Portrait of a Friendship, which is the 12th-best selling print title according to my rules. October 1964, another Halberstam title, is second overall as a Kindle release for the amazing price of $1.99.

Not on either the Amazon or Times‘ lists? 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die. Today: 1,489,616; last time: 1,463,374. Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War ranks 268,446, last week 1,057,340. Whoa, what happened there? Not complaining. Makes a nice Hanukka present.

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.