Baseball Best-Sellers, September 13, 2019

Note: The Amazon rankings are updated every hour, so these lists might not be 100 percent accurate by the time you read them (or even by the time I finish writing one). But close enough for government work, as the saying goes.

In addition, occasionally the powers-that-be over there try to pull a fast one by including a book in a category to which it should not be listed (in my opinion). For example, a current title on the BBS list is The Book of Why: The New Science of Cause and Effect. “Why” is a good question. There might be a smattering of the national pastime in it, but not enough to make it a baseball book per se (again, IMO).

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).

A new “service.” The asterisked books titles are available via Scibd.com, a website that allows you to read and listen to various titles for one flat monthly fee. You can also download them to your device. Click here to see what other titles they have “in stock,” although, like Amazon, you’ll get a few things that you might not consider “true” baseball books as you and I might define them. Well worth the money. You’re welcome.

So, with all that said…

PRINT

Ballpark: Baseball in the American City, by Paul Goldberger
The MVP Machine: How Baseball’s New Nonconformists Are Using Data to Build Better Players, by Ben Lindbergh and Travis Sawchick
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis *
The Science of Hitting, by Ted Williams with John Underwood
If These Walls Could Talk: Boston Red Sox, by Jerry Remy and Nick Cafardo *
Beckett Baseball Card Price Guide 2019
Ball Four: The Final Pitch, by Jim Bouton *
Full Count: The Education of a Pitcher, by David Cone and Jack Curry
K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches, by Tyler Kepner *
The Mental Game of Baseball: A Guide to Peak Performance, by H.A. Dorfman *

E-BOOKS

Moneyball
Inside the Empire: The True Power Behind the New York Yankees, by Bob Klapisch and Paul Solotaroff *
Full Count
Astroball: The New Way to Win It All, by Ben Reiter *
The MVP Machine
Fall from Grace: The Truth and Tragedy of “Shoeless Joe” Jackson, by Tim Hornbaker
Ball Four
If These Walls Could Talk
Francona: The Red Sox Years, by Terry Francona with Dan Shaughnessy *
Doc: A Memoir, by Doc Gooden with Ellis Henican *

AUDIOBOOKS (note: the links will take you to a sample of the audio via Amazon/Audible)

The MVP Machine (read by Josh Hurley, #34 overall in sports, which is now, for some reason, under the general category “Biographies and Memoirs.” Yeah, I don’t understand either.)
For the Good of the Game: The Inside Story of the Surprising and Dramatic Transformation of Major League Baseball, by Bud Selig and Phil Rogers (read by Arthur Morey, #60). *

Two of the top ten books on the NY Times‘ monthly sports list are about baseball, including If These Walls Could Talk (#8) and For the Good of the Game (#9).

Still not on either the Amazon or Times‘ lists? 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die. Today: 1,983,756; last time, 1,950,491. Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War ranks 1,613,534 (last time, 1,629,324). I’d get a kick if these two ever finished back-to-back. I’ve also come to accept that rankings will continue to fall as newer books ome out. Circle of life, isn’t it? By the way, I have compiled an Excel “checklist” of the books list in 501. If you’re interested in keeping track of how many you have read or own, drop me a line.

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 consumer 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.