Baseball Best-Sellers, October 16, 2020

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.

xaaIn 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. Also no romance/erotic fiction that features baseball as a theme either (and goodness knows there are a bunch of those).

So, with all that said…

NEW FEATURE: By the way, the links by the authors’ names will take you to any Bookshelf Conversations I did with them.

PRINT

The Captain: A Memoir, by David Wright with Anthony DiComo
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis
How Baseball Happened: Outrageous Lies Exposed! The True Story Revealed, by Thomas W. Gilbert
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
Stealing Home: Los Angeles, the Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between, by Eric Nusbaum
The Baseball Book of Why: The Answers to Questions You’ve Always Wondered about from America’s National Pastime, by John McCollister
Baseball Playbook, by Ron Polk
Ballparks: A Journey Through the Fields of the Past, Present, and Future, by Eric Enders
Mind of a Superior Hitter: The Art, Science and Philosophy, by Michael McCree

E-BOOKS

Moneyball
The Captain
One Shot at Forever: A Small Town, an Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season, by Chris Ballard
Living on the Black: Two Pitchers, Two Teams, One Season to Remember, by John Feinstein
Just Show Up, by Cal Ripken Jr.
The Arm, by Jeff Passan
Ball Four, by Jim Bouton and Leonard Shecter
The Kid: The Immortal Life of Ted Williams, by Ben Bradlee Jr.
Men at Work, by George Will
I’m Keith Hernandez, by Keith Hernandez

AUDIOBOOKS

Note: Amazon has changed the way they list audiobooks. No longer under the general category of “biography and memoir,” they are now treated in their own baseball/softball category. Here’s the general link to the section where you will find further links to the individual audiobooks, their reader/narrators, and samples. Note further that these are updated regularly and the top ten list below might no longer be the same.

Moneyball
The Captain
Ball Four
Moneyball (yes, again; not a typo)
Ninety Percent Mental
Wait Till Next Year
24: Life Stories and Lessons from the Say Hey Kid
The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America’s Childhood
Heads-Up Baseball 2.0
Stealing Home

New York Times no longer offers a monthly list of sports best-sellers. There are no baseball titles on their regular weekly list.

As I did the last few weeks, I should point out that Tom Callahan’s new book, Gods at Play: An Eyewitness Account of Great Moments in American Sports, was listed in the top ten for both print and e-books, but I do not consider that a “baseball” book for the purposes of these posts so I have omitted it (see note, above).

Got a kick out of Baseball Playbook — published in 1982 — showing up in this entry. Other than that, not much new to report.

Still some good freebies available for the Kindle. Joining the current batch is my own Hank Greenberg bio. Mixed feelings about this but… Also, be aware: some books listed in the free section actually have a price. I didn’t pay attention recently and was charged. Someone on Amazon’s end needs to be more careful when compiling this list.

And still not on the Amazon top-ten list? 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die. FYI, right now it ranks at 368,005, overall in books; last time, 2,190,420. Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War ranks 892,894 (last time, 1,397,297). Here’s something I never even knew: Greenberg was selected by MLB.com as one of the “notable books of 2017.” Woo-hoo.

Shameless self-promotion: if you’re looking for some good baseball reading during this down time, why not pick up a copy of 501? It’s like the abridged dictionary; it has most of the other books in it.

Super-shameless self-promotion: And by the way, I am looking for a publisher for an revised edition of 501, UNP having passed on the opportunity. So if you have any suggestions, please drop me a line. Mucho appreciado.

A reminder: There’s 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.