lindapanzo's 2015 Spring Training read

Although the Chicago Cubs' pitchers and catchers haven't reported yet (and officially don't have to report for more than another week), I heard on the news that someone had reported early, so, as far as I'm concerned, Spring Training is on. Time to start reading baseball books!!

During the 6-7 weeks of baseball's Spring Training, I'd like to read the following (subject to change):

--The Matheny Manifesto by Mike Matheny)--COMPLETED
--How Baseball Explains America by Hal Bodley
--Pete Rose: An American Dilemma by Kostya Kennedy
--Stars and Strikes by Dan Epstein (about baseball in 1976)
--The Fight of Their Lives by John Rosengren (about the John Roseboro/Juan Marichal brawl)--COMPLETED
--A Whole New Ballgame by Stephen J. Walker (about the 1969 Washington Senators)--COMPLETED

I hope you'll join me in some of these or some other baseball books of your choice, or just stop by to chat about the National Pastime.

Think spring!!

Incidentally, the regular baseball season actually begins on Easter Sunday evening as the St Louis Cardinals venture to what will probably be chilly Wrigley Field to play my Cubs.

Yes! Spring is coming!!

In honor of Alison Gordon, the pioneering female sports reporter and baseball mystery author, I'm going to have to add one of the baseball mysteries she wrote featuring Kate Henry. I think there are five in all and I've read two of them. I think I own the first one in pb. The Dead Pull Hitter.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/pioneering-baseball-reporter-alison-gordon...

A Whole New Ballgame by Stephen J. Walker--finished on 2/19/15

If you mention the 1969 Washington Senators to most baseball fans, you'd probably get a blank look but, to Washingtonians, this was a much beloved team. This book is an interesting look at that winning team which is most memorable for luring baseball icon Ted Williams out of retirement to manage the team.

An interesting book but the author had an annoying habit of using a chronological narrative and then, when a Senator was a star of a game, stepping away and focusing for 4 to 6 pages on that player's entire career. After getting used to what was jarring at first, it seemed natural.

Chock full of information about late 1960's baseball, with a focus on some not-well-known stars like Frank Howard. Loved it!!

I'll have to find a baseball book or two for March. I admit that I'm not expecting much out of the Braves this year, but I'm willing to be surprised! They're my team, good or bad.

The big news in RI last week was that the Boston Red Sox AAA team, the Pawtucket Red Sox was sold and the new owners are considering moving the team 9 miles down the road to Providence and building a new stadium if they can find the right property to build one. Lots of people are concerned that this will mean a rise in prices (they're very family friendly right now compared to major league) or that they might move even out of state. Mysterymax and I met up there a couple of summers ago with our husbands and had a great time.

>Love Ted Williams!

OK so I'd like a recommendation for the best baseball book to read for a never read a baseball book--but love the sport reader. I'm going to check out the mystery series mentioned above but I wonder about favorites?

>8 a_fine_thread: Hmmm, I'd have to think about that. For most people, their baseball reading is tied to a favorite team, player, or era.

As for baseball mysteries, I love the Troy Soos historical mysteries featuring Mickey Rawlings.

>7 dudes22: Betty, it seems like minor league teams are always moving. I used to love to go to Class A Appleton Foxes games with my old college roo. They were right in town, in a small ballpark in a residential neighborhood. They moved only a few miles, to a new ballpark near the mall and became the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and it just wasn't the same.

Well I was able to get the Alison Gordon Dead Pull Hitter on my Kindle so I'm going to give that a try. Sounds good. Thanks

>9 lindapanzo: - well this is not a few years. I think they've been the Pawtucket Red Sox for 70 years they said.

Well, I found something today that I've never encountered before. I checked out an audio book about baseball, and when I went to look for a paper copy to buy for my son for a present, as he'd expressed interest in the title, I found that the item was only available in audio form -- no paper copies, not even an e-book. Apparently it's part of an educational series of lectures put out by a history professor. I'm still counting it as a book. I see it is in LT, as there is a touchstone for it.

Take me Out to the Ballgame: A History of Baseball in America by Timothy Shutt, from the Modern Scholar audio book series.

Another book I found via our library's e-book selection was Baseball in Altoona by David Finoli. I stalled out reading my current non-fiction book, so I'm going to try these.

>12 tymfos: That's very odd, Terri. I've never heard of that either.

I saw a few minutes of the first televised exhibition game of the season. The Toronto Blue Jays announcer kept talking about how it was 24 degrees Celsius there.

Just over a month until Opening Day!!

Those Blue Jays are playing my Pirates, Linda. I don't work today, so I'm watching the game. It's so good to have baseball back, even if they are only training/exhibition games. Signs of Spring!

>14 tymfos: I'm working at home today due to the ice storm. I put it on for a bit while I was eating my lunch. It's not the regular season and it's not the Cubs but it IS baseball and I was very excited to see it again.

Somehow, I am reading two baseball books. The Matheny Manifesto and The Fight of Their Lives. Enjoying them both, though the Matheny book isn't quite what I thought. It's less about baseball than about life lessons.

I finished The Matheny Manifesto by Cardinals manager, Mike Matheny.

He uses his old school approach as a guide for youth sports. This book has some baseball in it but not as much as I would've liked.

I finished Baseball in Altoona. It is really more a "local interest" book for those of us in Central Pennsylvania, unless you are really extremely interested in minor league baseball. There are lots of photos of players and teams that have been in Altoona over the years, and the past and present ballparks.

Having been published in 2007 or 2008, it's funny to read the questions about whether Andrew McCutchen would be good enough to make it in the majors. I think he turned out OK. ;-)

I'm almost done with the audio lectures collection Take me Out to the Ballgame. It's been interesting.

My Spring Training reading has not been very evident lately but I did turn back to my book about the Marichal/Roseboro brawl in the 1960s. Lots of introductory material about both of them but I suspect the book will pick up once I get to the actual beaning/fight.

I did finish Take Me Out to the Ballgame, and it was pretty interesting.

Apparently Recorded Books has a large series of different college courses where the lectures are on audio, and they even have course materials (including a final exam) supposedly posted on their website. This was one of them.

>19 tymfos: I'll definitely have to look into that, Terri. I'd love to audit a college course on baseball or maybe a MOC (is that what they're called?). In the alternative, maybe someday read the massive Harold Seymour baseball history trilogy.

Well, Spring Training is nearly over and I've been distracted by reading other than baseball reading. With one week left to go in Spring Training, I've read only 2.25 baseball books. Perhaps I'll finish that third one, about the Marichal/Roseboro fight.

The regular season starts with Opening Night between the Cubs and the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. I'd love to be there, of course, but I'll be at the Blackhawks/Blues hockey game that evening.

Any thoughts about how your favorite team is going to do this year?

I know that the Sporting News chose the Cubs to win the World Series. Even I'm not that optimistic!! However, I do think that the Cubs are on the rise and a playoff spot might be a possibility this year.

I was reading Sports Illustrated yesterday and I think they project the Cubs to finish about 82-80 this season (and their cross town rival White Sox at 83-79). I think the Cubs might finish a bit better than that.

I'll guess: 85-77.