It’s a daunting task, following in the footsteps of a legend. The players who came after Mickey Mantle or Ted Williams or Willie Mays didn’t have it easy. They were faulted for not being able to replicate the feats of their predecessors. How unfair. I was thinking about that when I came across this piece in […]
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Roger Angell
And maybe get a spiritual visit from the former tenant. From the New York Post: “Late sports scribe Roger Angell’s former NYC co-op asks $3M”
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Roger Angell
Yes, the legendary baseball writer for The New Yorker died last May, but Nicholas Dawidoff (The Catcher Was a Spy, The Crowd Sounds Happy, Baseball: A Literary Anthology) pays tribute in this recent posting on The Atlantic. deeming Angell to be “the finest writer ever to turn his consistent attention to baseball.” Why this piece […]
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Nicholas Dawidoff,
Roger Angell
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 […]
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Roger Angell
They say you should never meet your heroes lest you be disappointed but I’d take that chance. There are just a handful of writers I would want to share a drink with: Leonard Koppett, the first scribe I ever wrote to asking advice; Shirley Povich, because he managed to have an outstanding career in the […]
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Roger Angell
The New York Times Book Review section celebrates its 125th anniversary this year. As could be expected, they gathered some of the most influential books over the decades, including classics such as The Bell Jar, Ulysses, Roots, The Road, and How to Win Friends and Influence People. With the millions of books that have been […]
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Babe Ruth,
New York Times,
Roger Angell
No Place I Would Rather Be: Roger Angell and a Life in Baseball Writing, by Joe Bonomo (University of Nebraska Press, 2019) There are a handful of people I would love to have on as a guest for a Bookshelf Conversation, the podcast segment of this blog: James Earl Jones, Dennis Haysbert, John Thorn and, […]
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Roger Angell
The recent baseball cover of The New Yorker reminded me that it’s been a while since we last saw a piece by the venerable Roger Angell, one of the people I would dearly love to have as a guest for a Bookshelf Conversation. But give the man a break, as Wendy Parker, host of the […]
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Roger Angell
Happy Solstice, everybody! 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 […]
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Babe Ruth,
baseball stadiums,
Billy Bean,
Boston Red Sox,
Chicago Cubs,
David Cone,
hitting,
Houston Astros,
Moneyball,
New York Mets,
New York Yankees,
Oakland As,
Philadelphia Phillies,
Pitching,
Roger Angell,
Roger Kahn,
Ron Swoboda,
Yogi Berra
Welcome to 2019. I hope y’all had a great holiday season. “Pitchers and catchers” are still more than a month away, so I hope this list of forthcoming books will serve as a source of warmth and comfort until then. We seem to have the requisite number of material about former stars such as Jackie […]
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Art Shamsky,
Baltimore Orioles,
Barry Zito,
Boston Red Sox,
Bud Selig,
Chicago Cubs,
David Cone,
Edgar Martinex,
Ernie Banks,
Harry Caray,
Jackie Robinsoin,
Los Angeles Dodgers,
Luis Tiant,
Mickey Mantle,
Moneyball,
New York Mets,
New York Yankees,
Pete Rose,
Pitching,
Roger Angell,
Ron Swoboda,
World Chanmpionship,
World Series,
Wrigley Field,
Yogi Berra
NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on […]
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Baseball America,
baseball analysis,
baseball essays,
Fantasy baseball,
instructionals,
Michel Lewis,
Mike Matheny,
minor leagues,
New York Mets,
Oakland Athletics,
Pitching,
Roger Angell,
St. Louis Cardinals,
Ted Williams
NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on […]
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Baseball America,
baseball analysis,
baseball essays,
Fantasy baseball,
instructionals,
Michel Lewis,
Mike Matheny,
minor leagues,
New York Mets,
Oakland Athletics,
Pitching,
Roger Angell,
St. Louis Cardinals
NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on […]
Tagged as:
Baseball America,
baseball analysis,
baseball essays,
Fantasy baseball,
instructionals,
Michel Lewis,
minor leagues,
Oakland Athletics,
Pitching,
Roger Angell,
St. Louis Cardinals
Graham Womack published this ranked list of the 25 greatest baseball books on The Sporting News site. When I wrote 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die, I made a decision not to put them in an order other than alphabetical to avoid having to defend my choices. Such a method invites arguments […]
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Babe Ruth,
Baseball Cards,
Baseball Hall of Fame,
baseball history,
baseball statistics,
Bill James,
Branch Rickey,
Brooklyn Dodgers,
Bucl O'Neil,
David Halberstam,
Jackie Robinson,
Jo DiMaggio,
John Thorn,
Mickey Mantle,
Negro Leagues,
New YorkYankees,
Roger Angell,
Roger Kahn,
Sportswriters
NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on […]
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Baseball America,
baseball analysis,
baseball essays,
Fantasy baseball,
Independent league baseball,
instructionals,
Michel Lewis,
minor leagues,
Oakland Athletics,
Roger Angell,
St. Louis Cardinals,
youth baseball
♦ The Minnesota Spokesman Record, an African-America newspaper, posted this review of They Played for the Love of the Game: Untold Stories of Black Baseball in Minnesota, published by Frank M. White. ♦ The Lincoln (NE) Journal Star provided this piece on Roger Angell‘s memoir, This Old Man: All in Pieces. I still maintain this […]
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Baseball Cards,
minor leagues,
Negro Leagues,
Roger Angell,
Topps,
Washington Senators
NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on […]
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Baseball America,
baseball analysis,
baseball fiction,
Bernard Malamud,
Bill James,
Fantasy baseball,
instructionals,
Michel Lewis,
minor leagues,
Oakland Athletics,
Roger Angell
NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on […]
Tagged as:
Baseball America,
baseball analysis,
baseball fiction,
Bill James,
Fantasy baseball,
instructionals,
Michel Lewis,
minor leagues,
Oakland Athletics,
Roger Angell
Opinions vary
March 2, 2016
Graham Womack published this ranked list of the 25 greatest baseball books on The Sporting News site. When I wrote 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die, I made a decision not to put them in an order other than alphabetical to avoid having to defend my choices. Such a method invites arguments […]
Tagged as: Babe Ruth, Baseball Cards, Baseball Hall of Fame, baseball history, baseball statistics, Bill James, Branch Rickey, Brooklyn Dodgers, Bucl O'Neil, David Halberstam, Jackie Robinson, Jo DiMaggio, John Thorn, Mickey Mantle, Negro Leagues, New YorkYankees, Roger Angell, Roger Kahn, Sportswriters
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