Baseball Best-Sellers, November 4, 2022

A reminder: 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 posting them). 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, The Book of Why: The New Science of Cause and Effect has appeared on the BBS list. “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 “adult” adult books (no romance/erotic fiction that features baseball as a theme although goodness knows there are a bunch of those available).

So, with all that said…

The links under the authors’ names will take you to the Bookshelf Conversations I did with them. The asterisk denotes the author is a “member” of the Pandemic Baseball Book Club.

PRINT

The Grandest Stage: A History of The World Series, by Tyler Kepner
The Baseball 100, by Joe Posnanski
The Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team That Helped Win World War II, by Anne R. Keene
The Real Hank Aaron: An Intimate Look at the Life and Legacy of the Home Run King, by Terrence Moore
Playing Through the Pain: Ken Caminiti and the Steroids Confession That Changed Baseball Forever, by Dan Good *
The Ultimate Philadelphia Phillies Trivia Book: A Collection of Amazing Trivia Quizzes and Fun Facts for Die-Hard Phillies Fans!, by Ray Walker
The Ultimate New York Yankees Trivia Book: A Collection of Amazing Trivia Quizzes and Fun Facts for Die-Hard Yankees Fans!, by Ray Walker
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis
Beckett Baseball Card Price Guide 2022
The Ultimate St. Louis Cardinals Trivia Book: A Collection of Amazing Trivia Quizzes and Fun Facts for Die-Hard Cardinals Fans!, by Ray Walker

KINDLE BOOKS

A Pitcher’s Story: Innings with David Cone, by Roger Angell
The Grandest Stage
Moneyball
Yogi: A Life Behind the Mask, by Jon Pessah *
Playing Through the Pain
The Kid: The Immortal Life of Ted Williams, by Ben Bradlee, Jr.
The Real Hank Aaron
Warren Spahn: A Biography of the Legendary Lefty, by Lew Freedman
The Closer: My Story, by Mariano Rivera with Wayne Coffey
Willie Horton: 23: Detroit’s Own Willie the Wonder, the Tigers’ First Black Great, by Horton with Kevin Allen

AUDIBLE

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 titles, 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 (unabridged, narrated by Scott Brick)
The Big Fella
The Inside Game: Bad Calls, Strange Moves, and What Baseball Behavior Teaches Us About Ourselves
Ninety Percent Mental
The Bad Guys Won
The Baseball 100
Rickey: The Life and Legend of an American Original
Cheated: The Inside Story of the Astros Scandal and a Colorful History of Sign Stealing
The Captain: The Journey of Derek Jeter
Ball Four: The Final Pitch

I am listening to the audio version of The Real Hank Aaron. Maybe it’s the narrator. Maybe I’d feel a bit differently if I had eyes on the page, but to be blunt, I am not enjoying this. I’ve always been a bit skeptical when someone writes about their relationship with a celebrity who has passed on. After all, the deceased can’t refute the author. It’s sad, reading about Aaron in his declining times. Moore insinuates himself into the conversation and I wonder, if I had the opportunity, if I would do the same.

Three trivia books by Ray Walker? Hardly seems fair. Plus his version about the Atlanta Braves also ranks in the top 20.

Still not in the Amazon top ten? 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die. FYI, as of this posting it ranks 1,257,278 overall in books; last time, 206,112. Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War ranks 1,976,282; last time, 1,820,698. Still only $1.99 for the Kindle version.

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.

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 my books, thanks, hope you enjoyed it, and please consider writing an Amazon review; it’s never too late.