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The Art of Fielding: A Novel About Life And Baseball by Chad Harbach

On September 1, 2011, in Book Reviews, Fiction, Sports, by Wilfried F. Voss

Though The Art of Fielding is his fiction debut, Chad Harbach writes with the self-assurance of a seasoned novelist. He exercises a masterful precision over the language and pacing of his narrative, and in some 500 pages, there’s rarely a word that feels out of place.

Parents Behaving Badly – A Little League Novel by Scott Gummer

On July 23, 2011, in Book Reviews, Fiction, Sports, by Wilfried F. Voss

In Gummer’s humorous if subdued debut, a suburban Little League serves as the nexus for thwarted ambitions, competitive intrigues, marital rifts, and, as an afterthought, kids who might be interested in baseball. Ben Holden, recently returned to his California hometown from New York, becomes a reluctant coach, grappling with his late father’s legacy as a revered high school athletic mentor and the ambivalence that comes with middle-aged parenting and a mature, mostly stable marriage.

A Level Playing Field: African American Athletes and the Republic of Sports by Gerald L. Early

On July 10, 2011, in Book Reviews, Nonfiction, Sports, by Wilfried F. Voss

As Americans, we believe there ought to be a level playing field for everyone. Even if we don’t expect to finish first, we do expect a fair start. Only in sports have African Americans actually found that elusive level ground. But at the same time, black players offer an ironic perspective on the athlete-hero, for they represent a group historically held to be without social honor.

The Captain: The Journey of Derek Jeter by Ian O’Connor

On June 20, 2011, in Biographies & Memoirs, Book Reviews, Nonfiction, by Wilfried F. Voss

In The Captain, best-selling author Ian O’Connor draws on extensive reporting and unique access to Jeter that has spanned some fifteen years to reveal how a biracial kid from Michigan became New York’s most beloved sports figure and the enduring symbol of the steroid-free athlete.

Cuban Star: How One Negro-League Owner Changed the Face of Baseball

On May 9, 2011, in Book Reviews, by Wilfried F. Voss

A proud and boisterous Negro League team owner, Alex Pompez rose to prominence during Latino baseball’s earliest glory days. As a passionate and steadfast advocate for Latino players, he helped bring baseball into the modern age. But like many in the era of segregated baseball, Pompez also found that the game alone could never make all ends meet, and he delved headlong into the seedier side of the sport—gambling—to help finance his beloved team, the New York Cubans. He built one of the most infamous numbers rackets in Harlem, rubbing shoulders with titans of the underworld such as Dutch Schultz and eventually arousing the ire of the famed prosecutor Thomas Dewey. He also brought the Cubans, with their incredible lineup of international players, to a Negro League World Series Championship in 1947.

The Ringer – A Dramatic Little League Championship Story by Jenny Shank

On April 24, 2011, in Book Reviews, by Wilfried F. Voss

Newbie novelist Jenny Shank knocks it out of the park (pun intended) with her first book, The Ringer. The dramatic story, set against the backdrop of a Little League championship, follows two Denver families from different cultures–opposing teams off the field, but teammates during the game–who are forced to deal with the tragic repercussions of a deadly mistake.

Uppity: My Untold Story About The Games People Play by Bill White

On April 16, 2011, in Book Reviews, by Wilfried F. Voss

A true pioneer as an African-American athlete, sportscaster, and top baseball executive, White has written his long-awaited autobiography in which he will be candid, open, and as always, most forthcoming about his life in baseball. Along the way, White shares never-before-told stories about his long working relationship with Phil Rizzutto, insights on George Steinbrenner, Barry Bonds, Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson, Bob Gibson, Bart Giamatti, Fay Vincent, and scores of other top baseball names and Hall of Famers.

Baseball in the Garden of Eden: The Secret History of the Early Game by John Thorn

On April 10, 2011, in Book Reviews, by Wilfried F. Voss

Among the many books that have educated us about the birth and infancy of baseball, John Thorn’s extraordinarily detailed and well-documented “Baseball in the Garden of Eden” is the advanced seminar, the one that begins by telling you that everything you thought you knew is wrong. Its premise is that when it comes to baseball, what is generally thought to be history is myth, and the two most prominent myths — the one that Abner Doubleday invented the game in Coopers town, N.Y., in 1839, and the other that the responsible party was a New Yorker, Alexander Cartwright, who formalized the game’s rules in 1845 — were promulgated by men with ulterior motives.

The Extra 2%: How Wall Street Strategies Took a Major League Baseball Team from Worst to First by Jonah Keri

On April 3, 2011, in Book Reviews, by Wilfried F. Voss

In The Extra 2%, financial journalist and sportswriter Jonah Keri chronicles the remarkable story of one team’s Cinderella journey from divisional doormat to World Series contender. When former Goldman Sachs colleagues Stuart Sternberg and Matthew Silverman assumed control of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2005, it looked as if they were buying the baseball equivalent of a penny stock. But the incoming regime came armed with a master plan: to leverage their skill at trading, valuation, and management to build a model twenty-first-century franchise that could compete with their bigger, stronger, richer rivals—and prevail.

Bottom of the 33rd: Hope, Redemption, and Baseball's Longest Game by Dan Barry

On April 1, 2011, in Book Reviews, by Wilfried F. Voss

New York Times columnist Barry provides a charming, meditative portrait of a minor league baseball game that seemed to last forever. Because of a rule-book glitch, the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings played for 33 innings on a chilly Saturday night into the Easter morning of 1981. Using the game as a focal point, Barry examines the lives and future careers of many of the players, including the then unknown Wade Boggs and Cal Ripken.