Baseball Best-Sellers, January 4, 2019

Headnote: I’ve decided to bow to the times and include separate lists for e-books and audio books. Be aware that while many titles also appear in print versions, pretty much anyone can produce an e-book these days, so I’m not going to comment at all about the quality. As far as the audio goes, I’m a big fan of these, especially when the author is the reader, since who knows better how it should “sound” than the person who created it?

The other caveats remain the same, however: 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.

In addition, 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. For example, this week the #2 book on the baseball best-seller list is The Book of Why: The New Science of Cause and Effect. “Why” is a good question.

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…

PRINT

Baseball Prospectus 2019
The Big Fella: Babe Ruth and the World He Created, by Jane Leavy
Ron Shandler’s 2019 Baseball Forecaster: & Encyclopedia of Fanalytics
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis
Baseball America 2019 Prospect Handbook
The Story of Baseball In 100 Photographs, Sports Illustrated
Bill James Handbook Paperback 2019
The Greatest Baseball Stories Ever Told: Thirty Unforgettable Tales from the Diamond, by Jeff Silverman
The Rest is History: Boston Red Sox: 2018 World Series Champions
Astroball: The New Way to Win It All, by Ben Reiter

E-BOOKS

Moneyball
Francona: The Red Sox Years, by Terry Francona and Dan Shaughnessy
The Big Fella
Astroball
October 1964, by David Halberstam
Wait Till Next Year, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
2019 Fantasy Baseball Almanac and Draft Guide, by Sean Ryan
Powerball
Ninety Percent Mental: An All-Star Player Turned Mental Skills Coach Reveals the Hidden Game of Baseball, by Bob Tewksbury and Scott Miller
Bill James Handbook

AUDIOBOOKS (out of the top 100 sports best-sellers. The links will take you to the Amazon page where you can listen to a sample of the book)

Moneyball, (read by Scott Brick, #40 overall in sports)
The Big Fella, (read by the author and Fred Sanders, #43)
Astroball, (read by the author, #94)

The Big Fella moves up to #2 on the current New York Times‘ monthly sports list. The Story of Baseball in 100 Photographs is #6.

You thought Christmas ’twas the season? No, this ’tis. It’s time to get ready for opening Day (or at least “pitchers and catchers”) by getting your fantasy stuff in order. Goodby leisurely reads, hello BP, Forecaster, et al. Look for these guys to make steady appearances on the best-seller list.

Not on either the Amazon or Times‘ lists? 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die. Today: 1,704,958; last time: 1,897,434. Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War ranks 666,407 (last time, 816,147). Still basking in the post-holiday glow?

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.