Womack: Jay Jaffe’s ‘Cooperstown Casebook’ is a must-read for Hall of Fame fans

From SABR member Graham Womack at The Sporting News on August 10, 2017, with mention of SABR members Jay Jaffe and Bill James:

The list of must-read books about the Baseball Hall of Fame is small. For whatever reason, an institution that’s inspired numerous coffee table and picture books is short on novel-length books.

<snip>

There is now a fifth must-read Hall of Fame book, though, with the recent publication of Jay Jaffe’s “The Cooperstown Casebook” (446 pages, Thomas Dunne Books, Hardcover, $25.99). Jaffe’s debut solo book isn’t perfect but makes for a long-overdue update for “The Politics of Glory.”

Stylistically, Jaffe’s work is in the same vein as “The Politics of Glory” or another James classic, “The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract.” There isn’t a book-length narrative as with “Cooperstown Confidential” or “A Legend for the Legendary,” but a series of mini-biographical capsules most of the way, breaking down the most deserving Hall of Famers at every position.

 

Read the full article here: http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/news/jay-jaffe-cooperstown-casebook-review-hall-of-fame/d7iknblo3tbp1mhfsn796s5s7



Originally published: August 10, 2017. Last Updated: August 10, 2017.