The SABR Bookshelf: Spring 2016
Here are the SABR Bookshelf listings for Spring 2016.
To get your NEW book listed on The SABR Bookshelf, make sure a review copy is sent to: The SABR Bookshelf, Cronkite School at ASU, 555 N. Central Ave. #416, Phoenix, AZ 85004. An e-book file will also suffice; please send the e-book in PDF, EPUB or Kindle/MOBI format to jpomrenke@sabr.org.
To ensure a listing in The Baseball Index — SABR’s online catalog of baseball research materials — make sure a review copy is sent to The Baseball Index, 4025 Beechwood Pl., Riverside, CA 92506.
Bolded names indicates that the author(s) is a SABR member. Click here for a list of publishers found in the SABR Bookshelf, along with their contact information.
All new SABR Bookshelf listings can be purchased at the SABR Bookstore, powered by Amazon.com. In addition, check out new books published by SABR at SABR.org/ebooks.
Au jeu/Play Ball: The 50 Greatest Games in the History of the Montreal Expos
Edited by Norm King
Publisher: SABR
Retail Price: $5.99 (ebook)
ISBN: 978-1-9438-1614-9
Buy It: SABR
Summary: This SABR Games Project book recounts the most memorable games and moments for the many great players who wore Montreal Expos uniforms over the years.
The 1986 Boston Red Sox: There Was More Than Game Six
Edited by Bill Nowlin and Leslie Heaphy
Publisher: SABR
Retail Price: $9.99 (ebook)
ISBN: 978-1-9438-1612-5
Buy It: SABR
Summary: Part of a two-book companion series focusing on the rivals that met in the 1986 World Series, the Boston Red Sox and the New York Mets, including biographies of every player, coach, broadcaster, and other important figures in baseball’s top organizations that year.
The 1986 New York Mets: There Was More Than Game Six
Edited by Leslie Heaphy and Bill Nowlin
Publisher: SABR
Retail Price: $9.99 (ebook)
ISBN: 978-1-9438-1612-5
Buy It: SABR
Summary: Part of a two-book companion series focusing on the rivals that met in the 1986 World Series, the Boston Red Sox and the New York Mets, including biographies of every player, coach, broadcaster, and other important figures in baseball’s top organizations that year.
100: The 100 Year Journey of a Baseball Journeyman, Mike Sandlock
Edited by Karl Cicitto
Publisher: SABR
Retail Price: Free (ebook)
ISBN: 978-1-9438-1616-3
Buy It: SABR
Summary: A book celebrating the life of Mike Sandlock, who was baseball’s oldest living former major-leaguer when he died in 2016. Includes a biography of Sandlock, recaps of his most memorable games, and interviews with two dozen of his former teammates.
Down on the Korner: Ralph Kiner and Kiner’s Korner
By Mark Rosenman and Howie Karpin
Publisher: Carrel Books
Retail Price: $34.99 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-6314-4042-7
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: A behind-the-scenes look at Mets broadcaster Ralph Kiner’s popular “Kiner’s Korner” TV show, which ran for more than three decades.
The Yankees Index: Every Number Tells a Story
By Mark Simon
Publisher: Triumph Books
Retail Price: $16.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-6293-7176-4
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: A by-the-numbers look at the Yankees’ most memorable moments, with original interviews and infographics from an ESPN researcher.
The Only Rule Is It Has To Work: Our Wild Experiment Building a New Kind of Baseball Team
By Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Retail Price: $30.00 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-6277-9564-7
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: Two number-crunching baseball analysts who take over an independent minor-league team, the Sonoma Stompers, and run its baseball operations department for a year.
The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports
By Jeff Passan
Publisher: Harper
Retail Price: $26.99 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-0-0624-0036-9
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: Yahoo’s national baseball columnist explores baseball’s most valuable commodity: one fragile ligament in a pitcher’s arm and how Tommy John surgery has revolutionized the game.
Amazin’ Again: How the 2015 New York Mets Brought the Magic Back to Queens
By Greg W. Prince
Publisher: Sports Publishing
Retail Price: $19.99 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-61321-945-8
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: The 2015 Mets were not considered to be contenders, but against all expectations, they embarked on a championship season that brought them to the World Series.
When Shea Was Home: The Story of the 1975 Mets, Yankees, Giants, and Jets
By Brett Topel
Publisher: Sports Publishing
Retail Price: $24.99 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-61321-870-9
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: The story of an odd season in which four different teams called Shea Stadium home, explaining the ways in which the Mets, Yankees, Giants, and Jets co-existed and how they didn’t.
When the Braves Ruled the Diamond: Fourteen Flags over Atlanta
By Dan Schlossberg
Publisher: Sports Publishing
Retail Price: $24.99 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-61321-837-2
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: The Atlanta Braves made history from 1991-2005 by finishing in first place for 14 consecutive seasons. This book highlights how the Braves went on their historic run.
Pirates By the Numbers: A Complete Team History of the Bucs By Uniform Number
By David Finoli
Publisher: Sports Publishing
Retail Price: $14.99 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-6132-1923-2
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: A collection of stories about the Pittsburgh Pirates and their uniform numbers, including the greatest players to wear a specific number, the first player to wear each number, and more.
Tales from the Atlanta Braves Dugout: A Collection of the Greatest Braves Stories Ever Told
By Cory McCartney
Publisher: Sports Publishing
Retail Price: $19.99 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-6132-1900-3
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: A collection of stories on the Atlanta Braves, the latest edition of the “Tales From The Team” series of books.
Incredible Baseball Stats: The Coolest, Strangest Stats and Facts in Baseball History
By Kevin Reavy and Ryan Spaeder
Publisher: Sports Publishing
Retail Price: $16.99 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-6132-1894-5
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: Each MLB team gets a chapter in this book that highlights memorable statistical facts and oddities.
Skipper Supreme: Buck Showalter and the Baltimore Orioles
By Todd Karpovich and Jeff Seidel
Publisher: Sports Publishing
Retail Price: $24.99 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-6132-1839-6
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: The story of the Baltimore Orioles’ sudden turnaround, after years of mediocrity, under manager Buck Showalter since 2010.
Dingers: The 101 Most Memorable Home Runs in Baseball History
By Joshua Shifrin and Tommy Shea
Publisher: Sports Publishing
Retail Price: $24.95 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-6132-1831-0
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: A recap of 101 memorable home runs in baseball history, from Bill Mazeroski to Casey Stengel.
Another Time … Another Place — Baseball Reflections
By Stu Rossman
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Retail Price: $15.95 (ebook)
ISBN: 978-1-61296-627-4
Buy It: Black Rose Writing
Summary: A collection of nostalgic essays about growing up as a baseball fan in the 1940s and ’50s.
The Boy Who Would Not Play Ball
By Robert Brewer
Publisher: Createspace
Retail Price: $8.99 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-5146-1710-6
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: A novel about an orphaned boy who uses baseball as a scheme to leave the institution.
For the Love of Baseball: A Celebration of the Game That Connects Us All
Edited by Lee Butkind and Andrew Blauner
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Retail Price: $19.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-5107-0273-8
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: Published previously as Anatomy of Baseball and Great Baseball Stories, this wide-ranging collection includes essays by John Thorn, A. Bartlett Giamatti, Gay Talese, Matthew McGough, Katherine A. Powers, George Vecsey, and other writers.
Ahead of the Curve: Inside the Baseball Revolution
By Brian Kenny
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Retail Price: $28.00 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-5011-0633-0
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: A look at how baseball has been revolutionized, not destroyed, by analytical thinking in the 21st century.
Fantasy Sports and the Changing Sports Media Industry: Media, Players, and Society
Edited by Nicholas David Bowman, John S.W. Spinda, and Jimmy Sanderson
Publisher: Lexington Books
Retail Price: $95.00 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4985-0488-1
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: An edited collection examining how fantasy sports play has established a prominent and promising foothold in the larger sports ecology.
50 Moments That Defined Major League Baseball
By Rocco Constantino
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Retail Price: $38.00 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4422-6054-2
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: A recounting of memorable moments that affected the course of baseball history, featuring interviews with more than 50 former major-league players.
The 50 Greatest Players in Pittsburgh Pirates History
By David Finoli
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Retail Price: $35.00 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4422-5870-9
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: A diligent ranking of the best players in Pirates history dating back to 1887.
Characters from the Diamond: Wild Events, Crazy Antics, and Unique Tales from Early Baseball
By Ronald T. Waldo
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Retail Price: $40.00 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4422-5868-6
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: Chronicling the adventures of baseball’s most colorful figures from the late 19th century through the Deadball Era.
Jackie Robinson: An Integrated Life
By J. Christopher Schutz
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Retail Price: $38.00 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4422-4596-9
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: A story of Jackie Robinson’s heroism within the context of African-Americans’ struggle for freedom in the civil rights movement.
Game 7, 1986: Failure and Triumph in the Biggest Game of My Life
By Ron Darling and Daniel Paisner
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Retail Price: $25.99 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-250-06919-1
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: Ron Darling was able to live his dream: playing in Game 7 of the World Series. But it didn’t go exactly as planned. Darling explains how this disappointing moment taught him lifelong lessons.
Lawyerball: The Courtroom Battle of the Orioles Against the Nationals and MLB For The Future of Baseball
By Charles H. Martin
Publisher: Every1’s Guide Press
Retail Price: $21.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-0-9896-4883-7
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: The story of an ongoing saga about cable television profits between the Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles, and MLB.
When Baseball Was King: The History of Semi-pro Baseball in Dunsmuir, California (1895-1970)
By John David Fischer
Publisher: Self-published
Retail Price: $14.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-0-9779-9113-6
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: The story of semipro baseball’s heyday in a small railroad town in extreme Northern California.
Baseball in Territorial Arizona: A History, 1863-1912
By John Darrin Tenney
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $29.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-0-7864-9610-5
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: A comprehensive history of baseball before Arizona became a state, from how the game was played at the territory’s military posts to town teams in Tucson, Prescott, Tombstone, and Phoenix.
The Baseball Whisperer: A Small-Town Coach Who Shaped Big League Dreams
By Michael Tackett
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Retail Price: $26.00 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-0-544-38764-5
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: Tracing the story of Merl Eberly and his Clarinda A’s baseball team, which he coached for more than five decades, transforming them from a town team to a college summer-league powerhouse, which included the likes of Ozzie Smith, Bud Black, Von Hayes, and other big-league stars.
Kings of Queens: Life Beyond Baseball with ’86 Mets
By Erik Sherman
Publisher: Berkley Books
Retail Price: $27.00 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-0-425-28197-0
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: Interspersed with interviews from the 1986 Mets, this tells the story of their memorable World Series championship from 30 years ago.
Blackguards and Red Stockings: A History of Baseball’s National Association, 1871-1875
By William J. Ryczek
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $29.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-0-7864-9945-8
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: Ryczek has revised his classic history of the National Association, taking advantage of two decades of scholarship by himself and others to present a fuller picture of the first professional league.
Ralph Kiner: A Baseball Biography
By Robert P. Broadwater
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $29.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-0-7864-9817-8
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: The story of the premier slugger of the postwar era and his post-playing years at the General Manager’s desk and the broadcaster’s chair.
Happy Felsch: Banished Black Sox Center Fielder
By Thomas Rathkamp
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $29.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-0-7864-9487-3
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: One of the lesser studied Black Sox, Felsch is the beneficiary of a full-length biography for the first time.
The Tigers and Yankees in ’61: A Pennant Race for the Ages, the Babe’s Record Broken and Stormin’ Norman’s Greatest Season
By Jim Sargent
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $35.00 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-0-7864-9862-8
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: An early September series in Yankee Stadium pretty much doomed the Tigers’ hopes, but the close pennant race is amply covered as well as the search for individual awards.
The Prehistories of Baseball
By Seelochan Beharry
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $39.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-0-7864-7797-5
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: Beharry has tied the origins of baseball to skills (running, throwing, hitting) to those needed for ancient combat and then traces them through proto-baseball games such as stool-ball.
Hairs vs. Squares: The Mustache Gang, the Big Red Machine, and the Tumultuous Summer of ’72
By Ed Gruver
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Retail Price: $29.95 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-0-8032-8558-3
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: Two marketing visions class, the buttoned down Reds and the freaky A’s, as the 1960s hair wars clash in the World Series.
Dodgerland: Decadent Los Angeles and the 1977-78 Dodgers
By Michael Fallon
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Retail Price: $34.95 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-0-8032-4940-0
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: Fallon covers the 1977 and 1978 Dodger World Series teams and tries to wrap their story into a broader picture of Los Angeles as a vision gone bad.
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