The SABR Bookshelf: Summer 2013
Here are The SABR Bookshelf listings for Summer 2013. To get your NEW book listed on The SABR Bookshelf, make sure a review copy is sent to: SABR, 4455 E. Camelback Rd., Ste. D-140, Phoenix, AZ 85018.
To ensure a listing in The Baseball Index — SABR’s online catalog of baseball research materials at www.baseballindex.org — make sure a review copy is sent to The Baseball Index, 4025 Beechwood Pl., Riverside, CA 92506.
These books can be purchased at the SABR Bookstore, powered by Amazon.com.
Bolded names indicates that the author(s) is a SABR member. Publishers’ contact information can be found by clicking here.
Nikkei Baseball: Japanese American Players from Immigration and Internment to the Major Leagues
By Samuel O. Regalado
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Illinois Press | $19.95 (sftcvr) | 978-0-25207-883-5 | Amazon |
- Summary: Covers Japanese-American baseball from the first immigrants to Hawaii, through the internment camps of World War II to the present, with an emphasis on how the game shaped the identity of successive generations of Japanese-Americans.
The Little Book of Yankees Evil
By Brook Zelcer
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-published | $17.00 (sftcvr) | 978-0-61574-912-9 | Website |
- Summary: Humorous factoids on instances of Yankee corporate malfeasance over the years.
Arriba Baseball!: A Collection of Latino/a Baseball Fiction
Edited by Robert Paul Moreira
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| VAO Publishing | $11.99 (sftcvr) | 978-0-61578-183-9 | Amazon |
- Summary: Fifteen short stories on Latino baseball themes, including pieces by SABR authors Robert Paul Moreira and Pete Cava and an introduction by Peter Bjarkman.
Tough Guy, Gentle Heart
By Felix Millan with Jane Allen Quevedo
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infinity Publishing | $11.95 (sftcvr) | 978-0-74147-578-7 | Amazon |
- Summary: An autobiography (also available in Spanish-language edition) from All-Star second baseman and Gold Glove winner Felix Millan, who overcame racial barriers to succeed in the majors.
The 1957 San Francisco Seals: End of an Era in the Pacific Coast League
By P.J. Dragseth
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland & Co. | $29.95 (sftcvr) | 978-0-78646-543-3 | Amazon |
- Summary: A game-by-game reconstruction of the last season of one of the PCL’s classic franchises, doomed to move with the pending arrival of the Giants. Managed by Joe Gordon and with leading performances by Ken Aspromonte, Albie Pearson and Leo Kiely, it’s an interesting team.
The Shutout in Major League Baseball: A History
By Warren N. Wilbert
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland & Co. | $29.95 (sftcvr) | 978-0-78646-851-5 | Amazon |
- Summary: Only about 10% of MLB games are shutouts and Wilbert crams box scores, play-by-play descriptions and anecdotes from virtually every one into this work.
Napoleon Lajoie: King of Ballplayers
By David L. Fleitz
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland & Co. | $35.00 (sftcvr) | 978-0-78646-879-9 | Amazon |
- Summary: The first full book on the life of one of the 20th Century’s great early hitters. The book overwhelmingly focuses on his player career and his place in the pantheon.
We Were the All-American Girls: Interviews with Players of the AAGPBL, 1943-1954
By Jim Sargent
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland & Co. | $39.95 (sftcvr) | 978-0-78646-983-3 | Amazon |
- Summary: Here are interviews with 42 of the women who adorned the AAGPBL. The interviews include transcripts rather than summaries as well as biographical detail and career summaries.
Baseball and the Bottom Line in World War II: Gunning for Profits on the Home Front
By Jeff Obermeyer
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland & Co. | $39.95 (sftcvr) | 978-0-78647-043-3 | Amazon |
- Summary: Barely emerged from the Depression, baseball owners faced the problems of keeping their industry going through a world war, a shortage of players, a distracted fan base and the shadow of government interference.
When Baseball Isn’t White, Straight and Male: The Media and Difference in the National Pastime
By Lisa Doris Alexander
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland & Co. | $39.95 (sftcvr) | 978-0-78647-113-3 | Amazon |
- Summary: Analyzing how sports writers have discussed issues of race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual identity, age and class within professional baseball from 1998 to the present.
Memories of Winter Ball: Interviews with Players in the Latin American Winter Leagues of the 1950s
By Lou Hernandez
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland & Co. | $39.95 (sftcvr) | 978-0-78647-141-6 | Amazon |
- Summary: An oral history of the Latin American baseball leagues of the mid-20th century, featuring interviews with dozens of former major league players who played in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.
Spring Training Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to the Grapefruit and Cactus League Ballparks, Second Edition
By Josh Pahigian
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland & Co. | $39.95 (sftcvr) | 978-0-78647-195-9 | Amazon |
- Summary: Pahigian updates his 2005 original with fresh information on established spring training sites and descriptions of the new complexes opened in the intervening years. Some info on eating and hotels and plenty on the ballparks.
Baseball’s Creation Myth: Adam Ford, Abner Graves and the Cooperstown Story
By Brian Martin
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland & Co. | $35.00 (sftcvr) | 978-0-78647-199-7 | Amazon |
- Summary: The Abner Doubleday myth was enshrined in baseball lore for most of the 20th Century. Brian Martin pulls together all the research and scholarship that debunked the myth.
Pennant Hopes Dashed by the Homer in the Gloamin’: The Story of How the 1938 Pittsburgh Pirates Blew the National League Pennant
By Ronald T. Waldo
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland & Co. | $35.00 (sftcvr) | 978-0-78647-202-4 | Amazon |
- Summary: Gabby Hartnett hit the homer, but this book focuses on the story from the Pirates’ end, recounting a season that started with high hopes that were dashed in the end.
Eyes on the Sporting Scene 1870-1930: Will and June Ranking, New York’s Sportswriting Brothers
By Pamela A. Bakker
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland & Co. | $39.95 (sftcvr) | 978-0-78647-314-4 | Amazon |
- Summary: Early modern baseball from a different angle as Bakker tells the story of two brothers who went from enthusiastic amateurs to covering baseball, and other emerging sports, for New York newspapers for decades.
Burleigh Grimes: Baseball’s Last Legal Spitballer
By Joe Niese
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland & Co. | $29.95 (sftcvr) | 978-0-78647-328-1 | Amazon |
- Summary: The first book-length biography of the Hall of Famer charts his famous competitiveness, both as a player and a manager. The last legal spitballer also worked as a coach and scout, a total of over 50 years in the game.
Base Ball Founders: The Clubs, Players and Cities of the Northeast that Established the Game
Edited by Peter Morris, William J. Ryczek, Jan Finkel, Leonard Levin and Richard Malatzky
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland & Co. | $49.95 (sftcvr) | 978-0-78647-430-1 | Amazon |
- Summary: This book is organized geographically into five regions which were breeding grounds of the early game. Each section contains essays on the local clubs that nurtured the game.
Willie Stargell: A Life in Baseball
By Frank Garland
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland & Co. | $29.95 (sftcvr) | 978-0-78647-452-3 | Amazon |
- Summary: Wilver Stargell was the core of the great 1970s Pirates’ teams and this is both a biography of the man and a portrait of the “We Are Family” Pirates.
Ballplayers in the Great War: Newspaper Accounts of Major Leaguers in World War I Military Service
Compiled and edited by Jim Leeke
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland & Co. | $33.00 (sftcvr) | 978-0-78647-546-9 | Amazon |
- Summary: Contains hundreds of articles, mostly anecdotal, of the doings of major league players in and around the World War I military. Has an index for easy searching.
Baseball’s New Frontier: A History of Expansion, 1961-1998
By Fran Zimniuch
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Nebraska Press | $19.95 (sftcvr) | 978-0-80323-994-4 | Amazon |
- Summary: The story of baseball expansion, from the desertion of New York by the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants to the ever-present threat of antitrust legislation, from the backroom deals and the political posturing to the impact of the upstart Continental League.
The Forgotten Marlins: A Tribute to the 1956-1960 Original Miami Marlins
By Sam Zygner
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scarecrow Press | $49.95 (sftcvr) | 978-0-81089-138-8 | Amazon |
- Summary: President of SABR’s South Florida Chapter brings to life one of the most colorful and flamboyant teams to play in the minor leagues, featuring such eccentrics as Bill Veeck, Satchel Paige, Pepper Martin and Micky McDermott.
Pitching for the Stars: My Seasons Across the Color Line
By Jerry Craft and Kathleen Sullivan
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Tech University Press | $18.95 (hdcvr) | 978-0-89672-787-8 | Amazon |
- Summary: A book aimed for middle-school readers. Craft writes about his experiences as the first white player in the semipro West Texas Colored League in 1959-60.
America’s Obsessives: The Compulsive Energy That Built a Nation
By Joshua Kendall
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Central Publishing | $19.99 (hdcvr) | 978-1-45550-238-7 | Amazon |
- Summary: A look at the arc of American history through the lens of compulsive behavior, with a chapter devoted to Boston Red Sox slugger Ted Williams.
You Can’t Beat the Hours: Umpires in the Deadball Era from 1901-1909
By David W. Anderson
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Createspace | $14.95 (sftcvr) | 978-1-48018-458-9 | Amazon |
- Summary: The story of baseball’s original men in blue, from Hall of Famers such as Bill Klem to the pugnacious Tim Hurst to the colorful and obscure Big Bill Brennan.
Research Notes for Women at Play, Volume 2
By Barbara Gregorich
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Createspace | $12.00 (sftcvr) | 978-1-49102-359-4 | Amazon |
- Summary: From the author of “Women at Play,” a chronological collection of newspaper articles and public documents on the careers of Babe Didrikson, Jackie Mitchell, Edith Houghton, Lizzie Murphy, Alta Weiss and other women in baseball.
The 50 Greatest Players in New York Yankees History
By Robert W. Cohen
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor Trade Publishing | $19.95 (sftcvr) | 978-1-58979-815-1 | Amazon |
- Summary: A selection of the 50 greatest players in Yankees history, with a summary of career highlights and memorable moments.
Conversations with Coach Wooden: On Baseball, Heroes, and Life
By Gary Adams
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Monica Press | $24.95 (hdcvr) | 978-1-59580-076-3 | Amazon |
- Summary: From UCLA’s Hall of Fame baseball coach Gary Adams, a memoir of his 35-year friendship with the legendary John Wooden.
Put It In the Book! A Half-Century of Mets Mania
By Howie Rose with Phil Pepe
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triumph Books | $24.95 (hdcvr) | 978-1-60078-688-4 | Amazon |
- Summary: Mets broadcaster Howie Long weaves the story of his career and the fortunes of the Mets into this story.
100 Things Angels Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die
By Joe Haakenson
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triumph Books | $14.95 (sftcvr) | 978-1-60078-776-8 | Amazon |
- Summary: A resource guide for Angels fans on facts, traditions and achievements — and tips for “lighting up the halo” in your life.
Pops: The Willie Stargell Story
By Richard “Pete” Peterson
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triumph Books | $24.95 (hdcvr) | 978-1-60078-800-0 | Amazon |
- Summary: A biography of the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame slugger that touches upon his difficult childhood and encounters with racism in the minor leagues along with his way to a legendary career.
“Then Bowa Said to Schmidt. . .”: The Greatest Phillies Stories Ever Told
By Robert Gordon
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triumph Books | $14.95 (sftcvr) | 978-1-60078-801-7 | Amazon |
- Summary: A collection of oral history stories from the Whiz Kids to Cheese Whiz to the 2008 World Series.
The Mouth That Roared: My Six Outspoken Decades in Baseball
By Dallas Green
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triumph Books | $26.95 (hdcvr) | 978-1-60078-805-5 | Amazon |
- Summary: From profanity-laced clubhouse tirades and outspoken opinions on the state of the game to tears at an emotional funeral for his murdered granddaughter, Dallas Green tells his story for the first time in this autobiography.
Speak English! The Rise of Latinos in Baseball
By Rafael Hermoso
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kent State University Press | $19.95 (sftcvr) | 978-1-60635-167-3 | Amazon |
- Summary: Hermoso, a former sports writer who now works for UNICEF, chronicles how much (and how little) has changed since the first Latino played in the big leagues in the 19th century.
Cleveland Indians Legends
By Russell J. Schneider
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kent State University Press | $29.95 (hdcvr) | 978-1-60635-178-9 | Amazon |
- Summary: A coffee-table book that features 40 Cleveland Indians legends, including 10 stars from each quarter-century of Indians baseball from 1901 to 2000.
Diamond Madness: Classic Episodes of Rowdyism, Racism and Violence in Major League Baseball
By William A. Cook
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunbury Press | $16.95 (sftcvr) | 978-1-62006-225-8 | Amazon |
- Summary: A recounting of the darker side of the relationship between players and fans, sometimes rowdy, sometimes racist, sometimes violent and in some cases deadly.
Inventing Baseball: The 100 Greatest Games of the 19th Century
Edited by Bill Felber
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| SABR | $6.99 (ebook) | 978-1-93359-943-4 | SABR |
- Summary: A project of SABR’s Nineteenth Century Committee, “Inventing Baseball” brings to life the greatest games played in the game’s early years.
The Year of the Blue Snow: The 1964 Philadelphia Phillies
Edited by Mel Marmer and Bill Nowlin
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| SABR | $6.99 (ebook) | 978-1-93359-952-6 | SABR |
- Summary: A collaborative effort by 37 SABR members, this work offers life stories of all the players and others (managers, coaches, owners, and broadcasters) associated with this star-crossed team, as well as essays of analysis and historical recaps.
So Many Seasons in the Sun: A Century and More of Conversation with Baseball’s Greatest Clubhouse Managers
By Larry Hogan
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Johann Press | $19.95 (sftcvr) | 978-1-93794-302-8 | Amazon |
- Summary: The history of baseball from the perspective of legendary clubhouse men Fred and Ed Logan (New York Giants), Pete Sheehy (New York Yankees) and Mike Murphy (San Francisco Giants.)
Bud Fowler: Baseball’s First Black Professional
By Jeffrey Michael Laing
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland & Co. | $29.95 (sftcvr) | 978-9-78647-264-2 | Amazon |
- Summary: Long before Jackie Robinson, a few African-Americans managed to play in the major leagues before the color barrier was fully drawn. The first was Bud Fowler and this book emphasizes the environment in which Fowler was allowed to play.
Relentless Pursuit: Pete Rose’s Self-Serving Quest for the All-Time Hits Record – 1983-1986
By Kerry Keene
| Publisher | Retail Price | ISBN | Buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smashwords | $5.99 (ebook) | n/a | Amazon |
- Summary: A short e-book on Pete Rose’s chase to break Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record, from his final season with the Phillies in 1983 to his free-agent signing with the Expos in 1984 to his tenure as player-manager with the Reds in 1985-86.
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