Baseball Best-Sellers, October 25, 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 romance/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 Scribd.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

Astroball: The New Way to Win It All, by Ben Reiter *
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis *
The Science of Hitting, by Ted Williams with John Underwood
The MVP Machine: How Baseball’s New Nonconformists Are Using Data to Build Better Players, by Ben Lindbergh and Travis Sawchick
Teammate: My Journey in Baseball and a World Series for the Ages, by David Ross and Don Yeager
Curveball: How I Discovered True Fulfillment After Chasing Fortune and Fame, by Barry Zito with Robert Noland
The Greatest Baseball Stories Ever Told: Thirty Unforgettable Tales from the Diamond, by Michael Silverman *
K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches, by Tyler Kepner *
Nolan Ryan’s Pitcher’s Bible: The Ultimate Guide to Power, Precision, and Long-Term Performance, by Nolan Ryan and Tom House
Beckett Baseball Card Price Guide 2019

E-BOOKS

Doc: A Memoir, by Doc Gooden with Ellis Henican *
Moneyball
The Glory of Their Times, by Lawrence Ritter *
Ten Innings at Wrigley, by Kevin Cook *
Astroball
I Never Had It Made, by Jackie Robinson with Alfred Duckett
Crazy ’08, by Cait Murphy *
Pitching with Confidence: A Parent’s Guide to Giving Your Elite Pitcher an Edge, by Coach Ron Wolforth
Starting and Closing: Perseverance, Faith, and One More Year, by John Smoltz with Dan Yeager
The MVP Machine

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

Teammate (read by Gregory Abbey, #24 overall in sports)
Curveball, (read by Barry Zito, #28)
The MVP Machine (read by Josh Hurley, #34)
The Closer: My Story, by Mariano Rivera and Wayne Coffey (read by Michael Kay, #49)
Full Count: The Education of a Pitcher, by David Cone and Jack Curry (read by the author, #72)
Doc (read by J.D. Jasckson, #85)
Papi: My Story, by David Ortiz with Michael Holley (read by Peter Larkin, #87)

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).

David Ross’ accession to manager of the Cubs no doubt has put him in the reading eye and on this list. Best of luck.

Don’t know why the Ryan book is in there, but so it goes.

And the return of the Houston Astros to the World Series keeps them at the top of the charts.

Still not on either the Amazon or Times‘ lists? 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die. Today: 1,985,048; last time, 1,971,884. Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War ranks 1,163,019 (last week, 793,794).

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.