Baseball Best-Sellers, November 1, 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 *
Fight to the Finish: How the Washington Nationals Rallied to Become 2019 World Series Champions, by the Washington Post
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 Inside Game: Bad Calls, Strange Moves, and What Baseball Behavior Teaches Us About Ourselves, by Keith Law
K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches, by Tyler Kepner *
The Greatest Baseball Stories Ever Told: Thirty Unforgettable Tales from the Diamond, by Michael Silverman *
The Science of Hitting, by Ted Williams with John Underwood
If These Walls Could Talk: Boston Red Sox, by Jerry Remy and Nick Cafardo *
The Matheny Manifesto: A Young Manager’s Old-School Views on Success in Sports and Life, by Mike Matheny and Jerry Jenkins

E-BOOKS

I Never Had It Made, by Jackie Robinson with Alfred Duckett *
The Kid: The Immortal Life of Ted Williams, by Ben Bradlee Jr.
The Glory of Their Times, by Lawrence Ritter *
Red Sox Rhymes: Verses and Curses, by Dick Flavin
Ten Innings at Wrigley, by Kevin Cook *
Crazy ’08, by Cait Murphy *
Astroball
Incredible Baseball Stories, by Ken Samelson
Doc: A Memoir, by Doc Gooden with Ellis Henican *
Steinbrenner: The Last Lion, by Bill Madden *

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

The MVP Machine (read by Josh Hurley, #27 overall in sports)
Teammate: My Journey in Baseball and a World Series for the Ages, by David Ross and Don Yeager (read by Gregory Abbey, #69)

Interesting: The New York Times no longer offers a monthly list of sports best-sellers. Easy come, easy go.

Well, that didn’t take long. The first book about the Washington Nationals is out via Triumph following their World Championship earlier this week. Mike Methany was named manager of the KC Royals, which probably accounts for the return of his book to the list just as David Ross’ accession to manager of the Cubs brought him back to the public (and reading) eye.

Looking forward to Keith Law’s new one. If it’s anything like his last, it will be quite thought-provoking.

Still not on either the Amazon or Times‘ lists? 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die. Today: 1,974,224; last time, 1,985,048. Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War ranks 646,709 (last week, 1,163,019).

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.