The SABR Bookshelf: Winter 2016
Here are the SABR Bookshelf listings for Winter 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 at www.baseballindex.org — 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.
Nuclear Powered Baseball: Articles Inspired by The Simpsons episode “Homer At the Bat”
Edited by Emily Hawks and Bill Nowlin
Publisher: SABR
Retail Price: $9.99 (e-book)
ISBN: 978-1-9438-1611-8
Buy It: SABR.org
Summary: A SABR BioProject book inspired by an iconic episode of “The Simpsons” that includes biographies of every player mentioned in “Homer at the Bat” and essays about the hit TV show’s connection with baseball.
The Team That Time Won’t Forget: The 1951 New York Giants
Edited by Bill Nowlin and C. Paul Rogers III
Publisher: SABR
Retail Price: $9.99 (e-book)
ISBN: 978-1-9335-9999-1
Buy It: SABR.org
Summary: A SABR BioProject book that tells the complete story of the pennant-winning 1951 NL champion New York Giants, including biographies of every player, coach, and executive.
Bobo Newsom: Baseball’s Traveling Man
By Jim McConnell
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $35.00 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-0-7864-9784-3
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: Drawing on interviews with family, friends and former teammates, this first full-length biography of Newsom takes an entertaining look at the life and career of one of baseball’s most memorable characters.
Road-Tripping the South Atlantic League: A Guide to the Teams, Ballparks and Cities
By Walter Triebel
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $29.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-0-7864-9811-6
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: A visitor’s guide to the South Atlantic League, with tips on planning efficient, cost-effective and rewarding road trips, along with lists of interesting eateries and attractions nearby.
The Great Baseball Revolt: The Rise and Fall of the 1890 Players League
By Robert B. Ross
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Retail Price: $29.95 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-0-8032-4941-7
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: Ross explores the rise and fall of the Players League, the reasons for its inception, and portraits of key players such as John Ward and Albert Spalding.
Baseball’s Power Shift: How the Players Union, the Fans, and the Media Changed American Sports Culture
By Krister Swanson
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Retail Price: $29.95 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-0-8032-5523-4
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: Swanson chronicles the rise of the MLBPA and emphasizes the role that support from the media and fans played in its success.
Playing with Tigers: A Minor League Chronicle of the Sixties
By George Gmelch
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Retail Price: $26.95 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-0-8032-7681-9
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: Starting in 1965, Gmelch played four seasons in the Tigers organization before getting a doctorate in anthropology. He draws on notes he kept at the time to reflect on his own coming-of-age in a tumultuous America.
Kiss the Sky: My Weekend in Monterey at the Greatest Concert Ever
By Dusty Baker
Publisher: Wellstone Books
Retail Price: $12.99 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-0-9854190-8-0
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: Baseball manager Dusty Baker produces an autobiographical essay centered on his love of music, especially Jimi Hendrix and the 1967 Monterey Pop festival, but also talking about his baseball career.
The Selling of the Babe: The Deal That Changed Baseball and Created a Legend
By Glenn Stout
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Retail Price: $27.99 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-250-06431-8
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: This is the first book to focus on the ramifications of Babe Ruth’s sale from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees, capturing the central moment of Ruth’s evolution from player to icon.
The Cardinals Way: How One Team Embraced Tradition and Moneyball at the Same Time
By Howard Megdal
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Retail Price: $26.99 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-2500-5831-7
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: In the spirit of “Moneyball,” Megdal tells an in-depth story of a consistently good franchise which has excelled on and off the field in the 21st century.
Cuba’s Baseball Defectors: The Inside Story
By Peter C. Bjarkman
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Retail Price: $36.00 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4422-4798-7
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: This book by an expert on Cuban baseball highlights the stellar play and fascinating backstories of exiled Cuban sluggers and hurlers in Major League Baseball.
The Golden Era of Major League Baseball: A Time of Transition and Integration
By Bryan Soderholm-Difatte
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Retail Price: $38.00 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4422-5221-9
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: Soderholm-Difatte explores the significant events and momentous changes that took place in baseball from 1947 to 1960.
Handsome Ransom Jackson: Accidental Big Leaguer
By Ransom Jackson Jr. with Gaylon H. White
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Retail Price: $34.00 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4422-6154-9
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: An autobiographical account of Jackson’s journey from his boyhood days in Arkansas to playing in the major leagues, where many of his teammates were future Hall of Famers.
Integrating the Orioles: Baseball and Race in Baltimore
By Bob Luke
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $29.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4766-6212-1
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: Drawing on primary sources and interviews with former executives, players, and sportswriters, this book tells the story of the integration of the Orioles in the 1950s and into the dynasty years of the ’60s.
All-Time Nines: Baseball’s Greatest Teams As Determined by Analytics
By Don Cox
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $39.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4766-6328-9
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: The author uses runs above league average to compare the top five percent of MLB lineups from 1901 through 2014.
Boiling Out at the Springs
By Don Duren
Publisher: Xulon Press
Retail Price: $25.49 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4984-5525-1
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: The hotbed for spring training in the early 20th century was an Arkansas resort town that hosted the Boston Red Sox, the New York Giants, and many other teams.
The Boy Who Would Not Play Ball
By Robert Taylor Brewer
Publisher: CreateSpace
Retail Price: $8.99 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-5146-1710-6
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: A coming-of-age novel about a boy who is desperate to leave a New Jersey orphanage while he auditions incoming patients for baseball skills.
The Art of Being a Baseball Fan
By Brian R. Johnston
Publisher: CreateSpace
Retail Price: $14.99 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-5229-9237-0
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: A longtime Chicago Cubs fan chronicles his team’s thrilling and unlikely 2015 season.
Baseball’s No-Hit Wonders: More Than a Century of Pitching’s Greatest Feats
By Dirk Lammers
Publisher: Unbridled Books
Retail Price: $18.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-6095-3125-6
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: A comprehensive look at the major-league pitchers who have thrown no-hitters, from Hall of Fame legends such as Cy Young, Bob Feller, Nolan Ryan, and Sandy Koufax to other eccentrics and one-shot wonders.
Baseball and the Law: Cases and Materials
By Louis H. Schiff and Robert M. Jarvis
Publisher: Carolina Academic Press
Retail Price: $114.00 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-61163-502-7
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: An academic casebook that explores the jurisprudence of baseball through 110 principal readings, 619 notes, and 26 photographs.
The Champions of Philadelphia: The Greatest Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, and Flyers Teams
By Rich Westcott
Publisher: Sports Publishing
Retail Price: $24.99 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-6132-1804-4
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: Each of Philadelphia’s sports teams earns a chapter devoted to its championship season, with detailed descriptions of the games and players, plus noteworthy interviews.
Baseball FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About America’s Pastime
By Tom DeMichael
Publisher: Backbeat Theatre & Cinema Books
Retail Price: $24.99 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-61713-606-1
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: Part history book, part instructional guide, and part reference manual, Baseball FAQ covers everything from the rules to ballparks to stats to food.
Finley Ball: How Two Baseball Outsiders Turned the Oakland A’s into a Dynasty and Changed the Game Forever
By Nancy Finley
Publisher: Regnery History
Retail Price: $27.99 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-62157-477-4
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: Written by owner Charlie Finley’s niece and daughter to de facto A’s GM Carl Finley, this is the story of a losing team that became a 1970s dynasty, thanks to the unorthodox strategies and stunts of two colorful men in charge.
Bob Oldis: A Life in Baseball
By Stephen M. Bratkovich and Bob Oldis
Publisher: Levins Publishing
Retail Price: $14.99 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-9438-1608-8
Buy It: Itasca Books
Summary: The first full-length biography of the intense baseball manager, who presided over 1,902 major-league victories with the Phillies, Expos, Twins, and Angels.
Babe’s Place: The Lives of Yankee Stadium
By Michael Wagner
Publisher: Self-published
Retail Price: $5.95 (ebook)
ISBN: 978-0-9883485-5-4
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: This 620-page e-book tells the history of the New York Yankees and Yankee Stadium, with a special focus on the renovation of Yankee Stadium in the 1970s.
The Baseball Hall of Fame Corrected
By Eddie Daniels
Publisher: Self-published
Retail Price: $5.95 (ebook)
ISBN: n/a
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: The author attempts to set a specific standard for Hall of Fame induction, then compares current inductees with other possible candidates.
1930 – St. Louie Browns – A Fantasy
By T. Robert Yani
Publisher: Self-published
Retail Price: $14.99 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-5172-8514-2
Buy It: Amazon
Summary: A self-published novel centered around the 1930 St. Louis Browns season.
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