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<title><![CDATA[The Indie Baseball Bestseller List]]></title>

<description><![CDATA[Based on sales in independent bookstores nationwide for the eight-week period ending October 10, 2010.]]></description>

<link><![CDATA[http://www.indiebound.org/indie-bestsellers]]></link>

<language><![CDATA[en-us]]></language>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu: John Updike on Ted Williams]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781598530711</link>
<description><![CDATA[On the 50th anniversary of Ted Williams' last at-bat comes the definitive new edition of the Updike classic that set the standard for sports writing, prepared by the author just months before his death.]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu: John Updike on Ted Williams]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[1]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[John Updike]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[Library of America]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9781598530711]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[On the 50th anniversary of Ted Williams' last at-bat comes the definitive new edition of the Updike classic that set the standard for sports writing, prepared by the author just months before his death.]]></dc:description>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Hardcover]]></dc:format>
<dc:date>2010-04-01T00:00:00-04:00</dc:date>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Moneyball]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780393324815</link>
<description><![CDATA[Moneyball is a quest for the secret of success in baseball. Following the low-budget Oakland Athletics, their larger-than-life general manger, Billy Beane, and the strange brotherhood of amateur baseball enthusiasts, Michael Lewis has written not only "the single most influential baseball book ever" (Rob Neyer, Slate) but also what "may be the best book ever written on business" (Weekly Standard). I wrote this book because I fell in love with a story. The story concerned a small group of undervalued professional baseball players and executives, many of whom had been rejected as unfit for the big leagues, who had turned themselves into one of the most successful franchises in Major League Baseball. But the idea for the book came well before I had good reason to write it-before I had a story to fall in love with. It began, really, with an innocent question: how did one of the poorest teams in baseball, the Oakland Athletics, win so many games? With these words Michael Lewis launches us into the funniest, smartest, and most contrarian book since, well, since Liar's Poker. Moneyball is a quest for something as elusive as the Holy Grail, something that money apparently can't buy: the secret of success in baseball. The logical places to look would be the front offices of major league teams, and the dugouts, perhaps even in the minds of the players themselves. Lewis mines all these possibilities-his intimate and original portraits of big league ballplayers are alone worth the price of admission-but the real jackpot is a cache of numbers-numbers -collected over the years by a strange brotherhood of amateur baseball enthusiasts: software engineers, statisticians, Wall Street analysts, lawyers and physics professors. What these geek numbers show-no, prove-is that the traditional yardsticks of success for players and teams are fatally flawed. Even the box score misleads us by ignoring the crucial importance of the humble base-on-balls. This information has been around for years, and nobody inside Major League Baseball paid it any mind. And then came Billy Beane, General Manager of the Oakland Athletics. Billy paid attention to those numbers -with the second lowest payroll in baseball at his disposal he had to-and this book records his astonishing experiment in finding and fielding a team that nobody else wanted. Moneyball is a roller coaster ride: before the 2002 season opens, Oakland must relinquish its three most prominent (and expensive) players, is written off by just about everyone, and then comes roaring back to challenge the American League record for consecutive wins. In a narrative full of fabulous characters and brilliant excursions into the unexpected, Michael Lewis shows us how and why the new baseball knowledge works. He also sets up a sly and hilarious morality tale: Big Money, like Goliath, is always supposed to win...how can we not cheer for David?]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Moneyball]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[2]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael Lewis]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[Norton]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9780393324815]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[Moneyball is a quest for the secret of success in baseball. Following the low-budget Oakland Athletics, their larger-than-life general manger, Billy Beane, and the strange brotherhood of amateur baseball enthusiasts, Michael Lewis has written not only "the single most influential baseball book ever" (Rob Neyer, Slate) but also what "may be the best book ever written on business" (Weekly Standard). I wrote this book because I fell in love with a story. The story concerned a small group of undervalued professional baseball players and executives, many of whom had been rejected as unfit for the big leagues, who had turned themselves into one of the most successful franchises in Major League Baseball. But the idea for the book came well before I had good reason to write it-before I had a story to fall in love with. It began, really, with an innocent question: how did one of the poorest teams in baseball, the Oakland Athletics, win so many games? With these words Michael Lewis launches us into the funniest, smartest, and most contrarian book since, well, since Liar's Poker. Moneyball is a quest for something as elusive as the Holy Grail, something that money apparently can't buy: the secret of success in baseball. The logical places to look would be the front offices of major league teams, and the dugouts, perhaps even in the minds of the players themselves. Lewis mines all these possibilities-his intimate and original portraits of big league ballplayers are alone worth the price of admission-but the real jackpot is a cache of numbers-numbers -collected over the years by a strange brotherhood of amateur baseball enthusiasts: software engineers, statisticians, Wall Street analysts, lawyers and physics professors. What these geek numbers show-no, prove-is that the traditional yardsticks of success for players and teams are fatally flawed. Even the box score misleads us by ignoring the crucial importance of the humble base-on-balls. This information has been around for years, and nobody inside Major League Baseball paid it any mind. And then came Billy Beane, General Manager of the Oakland Athletics. Billy paid attention to those numbers -with the second lowest payroll in baseball at his disposal he had to-and this book records his astonishing experiment in finding and fielding a team that nobody else wanted. Moneyball is a roller coaster ride: before the 2002 season opens, Oakland must relinquish its three most prominent (and expensive) players, is written off by just about everyone, and then comes roaring back to challenge the American League record for consecutive wins. In a narrative full of fabulous characters and brilliant excursions into the unexpected, Michael Lewis shows us how and why the new baseball knowledge works. He also sets up a sly and hilarious morality tale: Big Money, like Goliath, is always supposed to win...how can we not cheer for David?]]></dc:description>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Paperback]]></dc:format>
<dc:date>2004-03-01T00:00:00-05:00</dc:date>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780812977974</link>
<description><![CDATA[He is that rare American icon who has never been captured in a biography worthy of him. Now, at last, here is the superbly researched, spellbindingly told story of athlete, showman, philosopher, and boundary breaker Leroy “Satchel” Paige.Through dogged research and extensive interviews, award-winning author and journalist Larry Tye has tracked down the truth about this majestic and enigmatic pitcher. Here is the stirring account of the child born to a poor Alabama washerwoman, the boy who earned his nickname from his enterprising work as a railroad porter, and the young man who took up baseball on the streets and in reform school before becoming the superstar hurler of the Negro Leagues.In unprecedented detail, Tye reveals how Paige, hurt and angry when Jackie Robinson beat him in breaking the Majors’ color barrier, emerged at the improbable age of forty-two to help propel the Cleveland Indians to the World Series. (“Age is a case of mind over matter,” he said.  “If you don’t mind, it don’t matter.”)Rewriting our history of baseball’s integration with Paige in the starring role and separating truth from legend, Satchel is a story as large as this larger-than-life man. ]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[3]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Larry Tye]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[Random House]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9780812977974]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[He is that rare American icon who has never been captured in a biography worthy of him. Now, at last, here is the superbly researched, spellbindingly told story of athlete, showman, philosopher, and boundary breaker Leroy “Satchel” Paige.Through dogged research and extensive interviews, award-winning author and journalist Larry Tye has tracked down the truth about this majestic and enigmatic pitcher. Here is the stirring account of the child born to a poor Alabama washerwoman, the boy who earned his nickname from his enterprising work as a railroad porter, and the young man who took up baseball on the streets and in reform school before becoming the superstar hurler of the Negro Leagues.In unprecedented detail, Tye reveals how Paige, hurt and angry when Jackie Robinson beat him in breaking the Majors’ color barrier, emerged at the improbable age of forty-two to help propel the Cleveland Indians to the World Series. (“Age is a case of mind over matter,” he said.  “If you don’t mind, it don’t matter.”)Rewriting our history of baseball’s integration with Paige in the starring role and separating truth from legend, Satchel is a story as large as this larger-than-life man. ]]></dc:description>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Paperback]]></dc:format>
<dc:date>2010-05-04T00:00:00-04:00</dc:date>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[The Baseball Codes: Beanballs, Sign Stealing, and Bench-Clearing Brawls: The Unwritten Rules of America's Pastime]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780375424694</link>
<description><![CDATA[Everyone knows that baseball is a game of intricate regulations, but it turns out to be even more complicated than we realize. What truly governs the Major League game is a set of unwritten rules, some of which are openly discussed (don’t steal a base with a big lead late in the game), and some of which only a minority of players are even aware of (don’t cross between the catcher and the pitcher on the way to the batter’s box). In The Baseball Codes, old-timers and all-time greats share their insights into the game’s most hallowed—and least known—traditions. For the learned and the casual baseball fan alike, the result is illuminating and thoroughly entertaining.  At the heart of this book are incredible and often hilarious stories involving national heroes (like Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays) and notorious headhunters (like Bob Gibson and Don Drysdale) in a century-long series of confrontations over respect, honor, and the soul of the game. With The Baseball Codes, we see for the first time the game as it’s actually played, through the eyes of the players on the field. With rollicking stories from the past and new perspectives on baseball’s informal rulebook, The Baseball Codes is a must for every fan.]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[The Baseball Codes: Beanballs, Sign Stealing, and Bench-Clearing Brawls: The Unwritten Rules of America's Pastime]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[4]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael Duca, Jason Turbow]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[Pantheon]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9780375424694]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[Everyone knows that baseball is a game of intricate regulations, but it turns out to be even more complicated than we realize. What truly governs the Major League game is a set of unwritten rules, some of which are openly discussed (don’t steal a base with a big lead late in the game), and some of which only a minority of players are even aware of (don’t cross between the catcher and the pitcher on the way to the batter’s box). In The Baseball Codes, old-timers and all-time greats share their insights into the game’s most hallowed—and least known—traditions. For the learned and the casual baseball fan alike, the result is illuminating and thoroughly entertaining.  At the heart of this book are incredible and often hilarious stories involving national heroes (like Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays) and notorious headhunters (like Bob Gibson and Don Drysdale) in a century-long series of confrontations over respect, honor, and the soul of the game. With The Baseball Codes, we see for the first time the game as it’s actually played, through the eyes of the players on the field. With rollicking stories from the past and new perspectives on baseball’s informal rulebook, The Baseball Codes is a must for every fan.]]></dc:description>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Hardcover]]></dc:format>
<dc:date>2010-03-09T00:00:00-05:00</dc:date>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Steinbrenner: The Last Lion of Baseball]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780061690310</link>
<description><![CDATA[ No owner has changed the landscape of sports more than New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. From the moment he bought the team in 1973 for $10 million, Steinbrenner's monomaniacal pursuit was to restore the most fabled franchise in baseball history to its former glory. Today the New York Yankees are worth more than $1 billion and are once again world champions.   Award-winning sportswriter Bill Madden traces Steinbrenner from his early days in Cleveland through his years as a shipping magnate, a Nixon fund-raiser, and a champion horse breeder to the fateful moment when he bought the Yankees, even though his father disparaged George's desire to own a professional sports team as a "hobby." Over the next four decades, Steinbrenner's tumultuous reign included his epic battles with Billy Martin, Reggie Jackson, Dave Winfield, even beloved Yankee captain Derek Jeter. His ruthless and free-spending tactics made him a lightning rod for controversy but they also paid off: Steinbrenner's Yankees have won seven championships and remain the gold standard in all sports. In the last few years, with his health declining, the Boss ceded control of the team to his sons, but not before lording over the team's historic transition from the House That Ruth Built to the House That George Built.   Throughout his three decades of covering the Yankees, Bill Madden has cultivated hundreds of sources at every level in the organization, from the many managers and front-office personnel Steinbrenner has fired to the bat boys who are ever present in the locker room. All of them have colorful stories about the man with whom they have enjoyed a love-hate relationship, but it is the Boss himself whose voice rises above the rest. And when Steinbrenner decided to give his final print interview, he spoke to Madden to set the record straight on his extraordinary life and career. ]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Steinbrenner: The Last Lion of Baseball]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[5]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Bill Madden]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[Harper]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9780061690310]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[ No owner has changed the landscape of sports more than New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. From the moment he bought the team in 1973 for $10 million, Steinbrenner's monomaniacal pursuit was to restore the most fabled franchise in baseball history to its former glory. Today the New York Yankees are worth more than $1 billion and are once again world champions.   Award-winning sportswriter Bill Madden traces Steinbrenner from his early days in Cleveland through his years as a shipping magnate, a Nixon fund-raiser, and a champion horse breeder to the fateful moment when he bought the Yankees, even though his father disparaged George's desire to own a professional sports team as a "hobby." Over the next four decades, Steinbrenner's tumultuous reign included his epic battles with Billy Martin, Reggie Jackson, Dave Winfield, even beloved Yankee captain Derek Jeter. His ruthless and free-spending tactics made him a lightning rod for controversy but they also paid off: Steinbrenner's Yankees have won seven championships and remain the gold standard in all sports. In the last few years, with his health declining, the Boss ceded control of the team to his sons, but not before lording over the team's historic transition from the House That Ruth Built to the House That George Built.   Throughout his three decades of covering the Yankees, Bill Madden has cultivated hundreds of sources at every level in the organization, from the many managers and front-office personnel Steinbrenner has fired to the bat boys who are ever present in the locker room. All of them have colorful stories about the man with whom they have enjoyed a love-hate relationship, but it is the Boss himself whose voice rises above the rest. And when Steinbrenner decided to give his final print interview, he spoke to Madden to set the record straight on his extraordinary life and career. ]]></dc:description>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Hardcover]]></dc:format>
<dc:date>2010-05-11T00:00:00-04:00</dc:date>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[The Bullpen Gospels: Major League Dreams of a Minor League Veteran]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780806531434</link>
<description><![CDATA[In this real-life version of the movie "Bull Durham," pitcher Hayhurst chronicles a poignant year in Minor League Baseball.]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[The Bullpen Gospels: Major League Dreams of a Minor League Veteran]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[6]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dirk Hayhurst]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[Citadel]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9780806531434]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[In this real-life version of the movie "Bull Durham," pitcher Hayhurst chronicles a poignant year in Minor League Baseball.]]></dc:description>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Paperback]]></dc:format>
<dc:date>2010-04-01T00:00:00-04:00</dc:date>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Willie Mays]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781416547907</link>
<description><![CDATA["Willie Mays has ridden on Air Force One, been used as an example by Bob Dylan in song and is, possibly, the best baseball player ever. Yet there never has been a definitive biography of this American icon. Michael Hirsch rectifies that error in this comprehensive account of a man of surpassing physical ability and extraordinary depth." -- Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books, Ann Arbor, MI]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Willie Mays]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[7]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[James S. Hirsch]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[Scribner]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9781416547907]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[Willie Mays has ridden on Air Force One, been used as an example by Bob Dylan in song and is, possibly, the best baseball player ever. Yet there never has been a definitive biography of this American icon. Michael Hirsch rectifies that error in this comprehensive account of a man of surpassing physical ability and extraordinary depth.]]></dc:description>
<dc:contributor><![CDATA[Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books, Ann Arbor, MI]]></dc:contributor>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Hardcover]]></dc:format>
<dc:date>2010-02-09T00:00:00-05:00</dc:date>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[The Yankee Years]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780767930420</link>
<description><![CDATA[The definitive story of one of the greatest dynasties in baseball history, Joe Torre's New York Yankees. When Joe Torre took over as manager of the Yankees in 1996, they had not won a World Series title in eighteen years. In that time seventeen others had tried to take the helm of America’s most famous baseball team. Each one was fired by George Steinbrenner. After twelve triumphant seasons—with twelve straight playoff appearances, six pennants, and four World Series titles—Torre left the Yankees as the most beloved manager in baseball. But dealing with players like Jason Giambi, A-Rod, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Roger Clemens, and Randy Johnson is what managing is all about. Here, for the first time, Joe Torre and Tom Verducci take readers inside the dugout, the clubhouse, and the front office, showing what it took to keep the Yankees on top of the baseball world.]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[The Yankee Years]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[8]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Joe Torre, Tom Verducci]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[Anchor]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9780767930420]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[The definitive story of one of the greatest dynasties in baseball history, Joe Torre's New York Yankees. When Joe Torre took over as manager of the Yankees in 1996, they had not won a World Series title in eighteen years. In that time seventeen others had tried to take the helm of America’s most famous baseball team. Each one was fired by George Steinbrenner. After twelve triumphant seasons—with twelve straight playoff appearances, six pennants, and four World Series titles—Torre left the Yankees as the most beloved manager in baseball. But dealing with players like Jason Giambi, A-Rod, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Roger Clemens, and Randy Johnson is what managing is all about. Here, for the first time, Joe Torre and Tom Verducci take readers inside the dugout, the clubhouse, and the front office, showing what it took to keep the Yankees on top of the baseball world.]]></dc:description>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Paperback]]></dc:format>
<dc:relation><![CDATA[9780385529389]]></dc:relation>
<dc:date>2010-03-09T00:00:00-05:00</dc:date>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[The Game from Where I Stand: A Ballplayer's Inside View]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780805091595</link>
<description><![CDATA[An insider's revealing look at the hidden world of major league baseballDoug Glanville, a former major league outfielder and Ivy League graduate, draws on his nine seasons in the big leagues to reveal the human side of the game and of the men who play it. In The Game from Where I Stand, Glanville shows us how players prepare for games, deal with race and family issues, cope with streaks and slumps, respond to trades and injuries, and learn the joyful and painful lessons the game imparts. We see the flashpoints that cause misunderstandings and friction between players, and the imaginative ways they work to find common ground. And Glanville tells us with insight and humor what he learned from Jimmy Rollins, Alex Rodriguez, Randy Johnson, Barry Bonds, Curt Schilling, and other legendary and controversial stars.In his professional career, Glanville experienced every aspect of being a player—the first-round pick, the prospect, the disappointment, the can't-miss, the cornerstone, the veteran, the traded, the injured, the comeback kid. His eye-opening book gives fans a new level of understanding of day-to-day life in the big leagues.  ]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[The Game from Where I Stand: A Ballplayer's Inside View]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[9]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Doug Glanville]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[Times Books]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9780805091595]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[An insider's revealing look at the hidden world of major league baseballDoug Glanville, a former major league outfielder and Ivy League graduate, draws on his nine seasons in the big leagues to reveal the human side of the game and of the men who play it. In The Game from Where I Stand, Glanville shows us how players prepare for games, deal with race and family issues, cope with streaks and slumps, respond to trades and injuries, and learn the joyful and painful lessons the game imparts. We see the flashpoints that cause misunderstandings and friction between players, and the imaginative ways they work to find common ground. And Glanville tells us with insight and humor what he learned from Jimmy Rollins, Alex Rodriguez, Randy Johnson, Barry Bonds, Curt Schilling, and other legendary and controversial stars.In his professional career, Glanville experienced every aspect of being a player—the first-round pick, the prospect, the disappointment, the can't-miss, the cornerstone, the veteran, the traded, the injured, the comeback kid. His eye-opening book gives fans a new level of understanding of day-to-day life in the big leagues.  ]]></dc:description>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Hardcover]]></dc:format>
<dc:date>2010-05-11T00:00:00-04:00</dc:date>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[The Yogi Book]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780761154433</link>
<description><![CDATA[Just in time for Father's Day--a hardcover edition of the national bestseller that has baseball fans everywhere saying "It ain't over 'til it's over." All the sayings of America's most beloved sports figure are included. Photos.]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[The Yogi Book]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[10]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Yogi Berra]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[Workman]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9780761154433]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[Just in time for Father's Day--a hardcover edition of the national bestseller that has baseball fans everywhere saying "It ain't over 'til it's over." All the sayings of America's most beloved sports figure are included. Photos.]]></dc:description>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Paperback]]></dc:format>
<dc:date>2010-05-01T00:00:00-04:00</dc:date>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macoris]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781594487507</link>
<description><![CDATA[ The intriguing, inspiring history of one small, impoverished area in the Dominican Republic that has produced a staggering number of Major League Baseball talent, from an award-winning, bestselling author.   In the town of San Pedro in the Dominican Republic, baseball is not just a way of life. It's the way of life. By the year 2008, seventy-nine boys and men from San Pedro have gone on to play in the Major Leagues-that means one in six Dominican Republicans who have played in the Majors have come from one tiny, impoverished region. Manny Alexander, Sammy Sosa, Tony Fernandez, and legions of other San Pedro players who came up in the sugar mill teams flocked to the United States, looking for opportunity, wealth, and a better life.  Because of the sugar industry, and the influxes of migrant workers from across the Caribbean to work in the cane fields and factories, San Pedro is one of the most ethnically diverse areas of the Dominican Republic. A multitude of languages are spoken there, and a variety of skin colors populate the community; but the one constant is sugar and baseball. The history of players from San Pedro is also a chronicle of racism in baseball, changing social mores in sports and in the Dominican Republic, and the personal stories of the many men who sought freedom from poverty through playing ball. The story of baseball in San Pedro is also that of the Caribbean in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and on a broader level opens a window into our country's history.  As with Kurlansky's Cod and Salt, this small story, rich with anecdote and detail, becomes much larger than ever imagined. Kurlansky reveals two countries' love affair with a sport and the remarkable journey of San Pedro and its baseball players. In his distinctive style, he follows common threads and discovers wider meanings about place, identity, and, above all, baseball.]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macoris]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[11]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mark Kurlansky]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[Riverhead]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9781594487507]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[ The intriguing, inspiring history of one small, impoverished area in the Dominican Republic that has produced a staggering number of Major League Baseball talent, from an award-winning, bestselling author.   In the town of San Pedro in the Dominican Republic, baseball is not just a way of life. It's the way of life. By the year 2008, seventy-nine boys and men from San Pedro have gone on to play in the Major Leagues-that means one in six Dominican Republicans who have played in the Majors have come from one tiny, impoverished region. Manny Alexander, Sammy Sosa, Tony Fernandez, and legions of other San Pedro players who came up in the sugar mill teams flocked to the United States, looking for opportunity, wealth, and a better life.  Because of the sugar industry, and the influxes of migrant workers from across the Caribbean to work in the cane fields and factories, San Pedro is one of the most ethnically diverse areas of the Dominican Republic. A multitude of languages are spoken there, and a variety of skin colors populate the community; but the one constant is sugar and baseball. The history of players from San Pedro is also a chronicle of racism in baseball, changing social mores in sports and in the Dominican Republic, and the personal stories of the many men who sought freedom from poverty through playing ball. The story of baseball in San Pedro is also that of the Caribbean in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and on a broader level opens a window into our country's history.  As with Kurlansky's Cod and Salt, this small story, rich with anecdote and detail, becomes much larger than ever imagined. Kurlansky reveals two countries' love affair with a sport and the remarkable journey of San Pedro and its baseball players. In his distinctive style, he follows common threads and discovers wider meanings about place, identity, and, above all, baseball.]]></dc:description>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Hardcover]]></dc:format>
<dc:date>2010-04-15T00:00:00-04:00</dc:date>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Baseball from A to Z]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780061240812</link>
<description><![CDATA[Learning about baseball has never been so much fun! From a pitching Ace to a strike Zone, this energetic alphabet book covers all the bases of America's favorite pastime. Lively, action-packed illustrations will take readers right into the stands to root, root, root for the home team. So put on your favorite team Jersey and get ready for the Ballpark . . . because Baseball from A to Z is one Home run you don't want to miss.]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Baseball from A to Z]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[12]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael P. Spradlin, Macky Pamintuan (Illus.)]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[Harper]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9780061240812]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[Learning about baseball has never been so much fun! From a pitching Ace to a strike Zone, this energetic alphabet book covers all the bases of America's favorite pastime. Lively, action-packed illustrations will take readers right into the stands to root, root, root for the home team. So put on your favorite team Jersey and get ready for the Ballpark . . . because Baseball from A to Z is one Home run you don't want to miss.]]></dc:description>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Hardcover]]></dc:format>
<dc:date>2010-04-01T00:00:00-04:00</dc:date>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Big Hair and Plastic Grass: A Funky Ride Through Baseball and America in the Swinging '70s]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780312607548</link>
<description><![CDATA[The Bronx Is Burning meets Chuck Klosterman in this wild pop-culture history of baseball’s most colorful and controversial decade The Major Leagues witnessed more dramatic stories and changes in the ‘70s than in any other era. The American popular culture and counterculture collided head-on with the national pastime, rocking the once-conservative sport to its very foundations. Outspoken players embraced free agency, openly advocated drug use, and even swapped wives. Controversial owners such as Charlie Finley, Bill Veeck, and Ted Turner introduced Astroturf, prime-time World Series, garish polyester uniforms, and outlandish promotions such as Disco Demolition Night. Hank Aaron and Lou Brock set new heights in power and speed while Reggie Jackson and Carlton Fisk emerged as October heroes and All-Star characters like Mark “The Bird” Fidrych became pop icons. For the millions of fans who grew up during this time, and especially those who cared just as much about Oscar Gamble’s afro as they did about his average, this book serves up a delicious, Technicolor trip down memory lane.  A Q&A with Dan Epstein courtesy of Scratchbomb.com, May 2010 As a kid, I was fascinated by 1970s baseball. The huge afros, the amazing facial hair, the retina-burning uniform designs--it seemed like such an insane, colorful era, particularly when compared to the heavily moussed 80s, where I spent most of my kid-dom. (Of course, there were some colorful characters then, too, but that's a tale for another time.)Whenever I had some disposable income (which was not often), I would spend it at a baseball card convention or store, usually on a large plastic box filled with completely worthless cards from 1977 or 1975, just so I could savor such sartorial majesties as Willie McCovey's sideburns. My elementary school library had these slim books on each major league team, all published in the mid-'70s, which I borrowed repeatedly. And whenever my grampa took me to Cooperstown, I'd seek out the unbelievable mini-exhibit on the technicolor uniforms from those years (sadly, no longer there).While there are some chronicles of players and teams from the 1970s (The Machine and Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx Is Burning are great, recent examples), there haven't been many (if any) retrospectives about the decade in total. When people speak of a Golden Age of Baseball, they usually save such mythologizing for the 1950s and its stainless, sepia-tone heroes. But now there is finally an evangelist for game as played in the Me Decade. Journalist Dan Epstein has penned a love letter to 1970s baseball entitled Big Hair and Plastic Grass: A Funky Ride through Baseball and America in the Swinging 70s. ESPN's Rob Neyer has said of this tome, "What the 1960s were to America, the 1970s were to baseball, and Dan Epstein has finally given us the swinging book the '70s deserve." The book drops May 25 from Thomas Dunne Books, and there will be a big ol' release party at the Bell House in Brooklyn on May 26 (I for one am excited to try the Oscar Gamble hot dog that will be served there).Dan was generous enough to take some time out of his busy schedule and answer some questions via email about Astroturf, day-glo erseys, the best Topps card designs, and the worst promotions of all time. Read all about it after the jump. What compelled you to write this book?About ten years ago, I went in search of a good book on '70s baseball; I was born in 1966, so this was the era when I first fell in love with the sport, and I wanted to relive some of those memories, and maybe gain a greater understanding of the period. At the time, the only thing out there that came even close to what I was looking for was Phil Pepe's Talkin' Baseball: An Oral History of Baseball in the 1970s; but while that's a highly enjoyable read (and one I would recommend to anyone interested in the era) I didn't feel like it showed as much appreciation for the funkiness and uniqueness of the era as much as I would have liked--nor have any other of the decade-spanning '70s baseball books that have been published since then. I don't come from a sportswriting background--music and pop culture has been my beat for the past two decades--but I felt that, as a baseball fan, a student of pop culture, and a child of the '70s, I could write a love letter to '70s baseball that also truly celebrated the weirdness of the period. I have a theory that some of the excesses of 1970s baseball--huge afros, crazy facial hair, drugs, wacky uniform designs, etc.--were the product of the sport desperately trying to catch up after being so resolutely square for so long. Your thoughts?I would have to vehemently disagree--who exactly in the baseball establishment was desperately trying to be hip? Commissioner Bowie Kuhn was as square as they came, and would have been happiest if baseball had resembled a perpetual Norman Rockwell painting; most of the team owners and executives (with the notable exceptions of Bill Veeck and Ted Turner) weren't much hipper. I think the "excesses" you mention were more the result of the freak flag-flying spirit of the late '60s finally worming its way into all elements of mainstream America, baseball included. Think of the JC Penney fashion catalogs from the '70s with all the wacky leisure suits and patterned shirts with giant collars--white, middle-class Americans actually wore that shit without batting an eye, but they wouldn't have even dared to do so ten years earlier. You also had players coming up to the majors who had been college students in the late '60s and early '70s, and thus felt more comfortable engaging the sort of self-expression (ranging from facial hair to outspoken sharing of political beliefs) and drug use that would have been unthinkable in the majors just a decade earlier. And while I do think many of the baseball uniforms of the era were reflective of the more flamboyant trends in '70s male fashion, they were chiefly designed to look impressive on color TV--a device which most American households didn't own until the 1970s.Arguably, the two greatest teams of the 1970s were a study in contrasts: the '72-'74 Oakland A's--a hirsute, hard living, pugnacious bunch--and The Big Red Machine--a mostly strait-laced group that was forbidden to grow long hair or beards. If you had to pick one (not necessarily for purely baseball reasons), which team do you prefer and why?Just from a purely aesthetic standpoint, I'm always gonna side with a team of hairy, ornery dudes in gold jerseys and white shoes. But while the Big Red Machine was obviously a force to be reckoned with, the '72-'74 A's were the most well-rounded team of the era. Like the Reds, they had speed and power, but they also had much stronger pitching (Catfish Hunter, Vida Blue, Kenny Holtzman, Rollie Fingers, et al.). And not only did the A's win three straight World Series, but they also won five straight AL West crowns ('71 through '75) and came very close to winning a sixth in '76. Sorry, Joe Morgan--the A's were the one true dynasty of the '70s.Let's say I'm a younger baseball fan unfamiliar with the game in the 1970s. What is the one event/team/player who would clue me in to the awesomeness of this era?God, there are so many to choose from, and for so many different reasons. But I guess Bill Lee or Dock Ellis would be the most obvious choices. Both men were way more outspoken, irreverent, hip and intelligent than your stereotypical major leaguers, both had great taste in music, and they both engaged in some pretty epic battles with the conservative baseball establishment. And, of course, Lee advocated pot use and Ellis pitched a no-hitter on LSD--but they were also incredible competitors who loved the game, and never let their teammates down on the field. If we're going to pick a single event, I'd have to go with the Atlanta Braves' Wet T-Shirt Night in 1977; they just don't do baseball promotions like that anymore!Looking back on it now, which player most exemplifies the 1970s?See above.Who were your favorite team and player as a kid? Least favorite?In the '70s, I split a lot of time between Los Angeles and Ann Arbor, Michigan, so my two favorite teams were the Dodgers and the Tigers. My favorite Dodger was Ron Cey. I loved that he was known as "The Penguin," and that this oddly-proportioned guy with the funny walk could actually be an All-Star third baseman. I wore #10 on my Little League jersey in his honor. For the Tigers, I loved Willie Horton, Mark Fidrych, Ron LeFlore, etc., but my true favorite was Lou Whitaker. When Sweet Lou came up from the minors, I told all my friends he was going to be a star; and unlike my other grade school baseball predictions (like my brief championing of the Blue Jays' Doug Ault as a sure bet for superstardom), it actually panned out! Least favorite team? I hated the Reds, because they were so damn good and always gave the Dodgers a hard time--and I also hated them for sweeping the Yankees (who I liked at the time) in the '76 World Series. Least favorite player would have to be Fred "Chicken" Stanley, at least when he was on the Yankees; he was the weak link in that lineup, and a really mediocre shortstop, and I couldn't understand how he continued to have a job in the majors.With the disappearance of non-retractable domed stadiums from baseball, Astroturf is all but gone from the game. What players from the 70s would suffer the most if they had to play in this new carpet-free world?The players who benefitted the most from artificial turf were the guys who didn't have a lot of power but could make contact with the ball and run like hell, and infielders (especially shortstops) who had good range but not so great arms. Dave Concepcion, Larry Bowa and Freddie Patek all fit the above profiles, and all figured out how to get extra mileage on a throw to first by one-hopping it off the turf. They were all key members of their teams, to be sure; but they also all would've had a tougher go of it playing full-time on real grass.Worst promotion: Cleveland's Nickel Beer Night or Chicago's Disco Demolition Night?Nickel Beer Night--actually, it was Ten Cent Beer Night [D'oh! -- ed.]-- hands down; if not the "worst" promotion, it was certainly the era's most idiotic. Disco Demolition Night was obviously a disaster, but that was largely because the White Sox organization had no real understanding of how popular the "Disco Sucks" movement was in Chicago, or that it would primarily bring rowdy rock fans to Comiskey. But you can't offer your fans unlimited beer at a dime per cup, like the Indians did, and not expect that things will eventually get WAY out of hand; Jesus, even a third grader could tell you that.Bigger waste of talent: Dave Kingman or Dick Allen?I don't think it's fair to dub either Kingman or Allen a "waste of talent"--they both enjoyed long careers and put up some impressive numbers along the way. Did Allen's attitude hamper his production during his final few seasons? Possibly, but he was also getting into his mid-30s and dealing with the after-affects of the broken leg he suffered during the 1973 season. And would Kingman hit 442 career homers--would he have hit more if he were less of an asshole? I doubt it. To me, a true waste of talent was someone like David Clyde, the brilliant Texas high school pitcher who the Rangers signed and immediately sent to the big leagues--without necessary minor league training or seasoning -because they knew he would bring the locals out to the ballpark. Clyde couldn't handle the pressure, or the hard-partying lifestyle of the veterans he hung out with, and he was out of the majors for good by the time he was 24. That's just sad.Best uniform of the 1970s? Worst? (My vote for the latter goes for those black and red Indians tops with the inexplicably jagged letters or pretty much any Padres jersey from the entire decade.)Hideous as they were, I'm actually really fond of the Houston Astros' "tequila sunrise" jerseys--to me, they beautifully embody both the colorfulness and ridiculousness of the era. But aside from the truly awful 1976 White Sox uniforms with short pants (which the players only wore in a handful of regular season games), my vote for Worst Uni of the 70s goes to the 1978 San Diego Padres. As if the fecal brown and mustard yellow color palette wasn't bad enough, the lettering on the jersey looks like Ray Kroc had 'em thrown together in about five minutes at an iron-on t-shirt store at the local mall. My '78 Little League jersey looked classier than that.Do you like the recent trend of teams bringing back alternate powder blue jerseys, another 1970s innovation? (Brewers, Royals, Blue Jays)I do, actually--or at least, I far prefer them to the dark solid "softball" alternates that have been so unfortunately prevalent in recent years. I wish the Phillies would go back to the zip-up powder blues (with the red "P" on the front) that they wore on the road for most of the '70s and into the '80s--I still think those look really sharp.Best year for Topps baseball card design? (I vote for 1972 or 1975)1972, no question. I would describe the design template for that year as psychedelic Hollywood retro; it's as if each player was briefly transported into the "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" sequence from Yellow Submarine. And it made even the scrubs look like superstars.What are the features you look for in an awesome 1970s baseball card, in terms of design, pose, facial hair, etc.?Simply depends on the card. It's hard to beat funky facial hair or a voluminous 'fro, and action shots can be really cool, too. Then again, would a card of Roberto Clemente or Hank Aaron be any more awesome if they'd sported Fu Manchu moustaches? I don't think so.Dock Ellis's no-hitter-on-acid has gotten a lot of renewed interest, thanks to the No Mas animated short that came out last year. How prevalent was recreational drug use in baseball in the 70s? What was the drug of choice among players? And had performance enhancing drugs entered the picture yet?I don't have anything other than anecdotal evidence to go on, but pot use seems to have been fairly prevalent among major leaguers in the '70s. Coke much less so, though (like in the rest of America), it became more common by the end of the decade. As far as performance-enhancing drugs, it's not inconceivable that steroids had entered the picture by then--they've been around since the '30s, and there's evidence that football players were using them as early as the late '60s--but they were hardly widespread. Back in those days, weight training and getting buff wasn't a regular part of the major league baseball fitness regimen; the prevailing wisdom of the time was that you should run a lot, and that lifting weights would make you too "muscle-bound" to be effective in the field. Use of amphetamines, however, was extremely common; I'm sure a lot of players wouldn't have made it through a 162-game season without them--though whether or not "greenie" use actually improved anyone's play or jacked up anyone's numbers in the long run is still pretty debatable. Is there a game or playoff series from the 1970s that you consider a "lost classic"--something that should still be remembered now but isn't?Well, it's not been completely forgotten, but the June 28, 1976 game between the Yankees and Tigers is pretty dear to my heart. That was the night that Mark "The Bird" Fidrych made his national TV debut, beating the Yankees 5-1 on Monday Night Baseball in front of an ecstatic Tiger Stadium crowd. He's so goofy on the mound, yet also so dominant--and during the post-game interview, he's just radiating pure joy. "The Bird" was the real deal, both as a pitcher and as a human being, and clips from this game always bring that home beautifully.What event marked the death knell of 1970s-style baseball (other than the arrival of the year 1980)?Just like the increasing freakiness of the '70s, it's hard to ascribe the demise of 70s-style ball to one particular event, though it's not too much of a stretch to say that, as America became increasingly conservative during the Reagan years, the game did so as well. I do think that 1980 was the last truly "70s" year of baseball--after being denied for half a decade, the Phillies and Royals finally made it to the World Series, and played the first all-Astroturf fall classic. Then came the players strike of 1981, followed by the "Pittsburgh Drug Trials" of 1985, owner collusion in the late '80s, and (as we know now) the spread of steroids. Baseball definitely changed in the '80s, and for the worse.Are there any modern players you can imagine playing--and thriving--in the 1970s?I'd say the most "70s" player out there today is Tim Lincecum -- not just because he has long hair and got popped for weed, but also because of his natural charisma, his unusually slight build (at least for a 21st century starting pitcher) and unorthodox delivery and mechanics. And if he can do this well against bulked-up batters in the PED era, just imagine how well he would have done in the '70s. ]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Big Hair and Plastic Grass: A Funky Ride Through Baseball and America in the Swinging '70s]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[13]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dan Epstein]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[Thomas Dunne]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9780312607548]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[The Bronx Is Burning meets Chuck Klosterman in this wild pop-culture history of baseball’s most colorful and controversial decade The Major Leagues witnessed more dramatic stories and changes in the ‘70s than in any other era. The American popular culture and counterculture collided head-on with the national pastime, rocking the once-conservative sport to its very foundations. Outspoken players embraced free agency, openly advocated drug use, and even swapped wives. Controversial owners such as Charlie Finley, Bill Veeck, and Ted Turner introduced Astroturf, prime-time World Series, garish polyester uniforms, and outlandish promotions such as Disco Demolition Night. Hank Aaron and Lou Brock set new heights in power and speed while Reggie Jackson and Carlton Fisk emerged as October heroes and All-Star characters like Mark “The Bird” Fidrych became pop icons. For the millions of fans who grew up during this time, and especially those who cared just as much about Oscar Gamble’s afro as they did about his average, this book serves up a delicious, Technicolor trip down memory lane.  A Q&A with Dan Epstein courtesy of Scratchbomb.com, May 2010 As a kid, I was fascinated by 1970s baseball. The huge afros, the amazing facial hair, the retina-burning uniform designs--it seemed like such an insane, colorful era, particularly when compared to the heavily moussed 80s, where I spent most of my kid-dom. (Of course, there were some colorful characters then, too, but that's a tale for another time.)Whenever I had some disposable income (which was not often), I would spend it at a baseball card convention or store, usually on a large plastic box filled with completely worthless cards from 1977 or 1975, just so I could savor such sartorial majesties as Willie McCovey's sideburns. My elementary school library had these slim books on each major league team, all published in the mid-'70s, which I borrowed repeatedly. And whenever my grampa took me to Cooperstown, I'd seek out the unbelievable mini-exhibit on the technicolor uniforms from those years (sadly, no longer there).While there are some chronicles of players and teams from the 1970s (The Machine and Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx Is Burning are great, recent examples), there haven't been many (if any) retrospectives about the decade in total. When people speak of a Golden Age of Baseball, they usually save such mythologizing for the 1950s and its stainless, sepia-tone heroes. But now there is finally an evangelist for game as played in the Me Decade. Journalist Dan Epstein has penned a love letter to 1970s baseball entitled Big Hair and Plastic Grass: A Funky Ride through Baseball and America in the Swinging 70s. ESPN's Rob Neyer has said of this tome, "What the 1960s were to America, the 1970s were to baseball, and Dan Epstein has finally given us the swinging book the '70s deserve." The book drops May 25 from Thomas Dunne Books, and there will be a big ol' release party at the Bell House in Brooklyn on May 26 (I for one am excited to try the Oscar Gamble hot dog that will be served there).Dan was generous enough to take some time out of his busy schedule and answer some questions via email about Astroturf, day-glo erseys, the best Topps card designs, and the worst promotions of all time. Read all about it after the jump. What compelled you to write this book?About ten years ago, I went in search of a good book on '70s baseball; I was born in 1966, so this was the era when I first fell in love with the sport, and I wanted to relive some of those memories, and maybe gain a greater understanding of the period. At the time, the only thing out there that came even close to what I was looking for was Phil Pepe's Talkin' Baseball: An Oral History of Baseball in the 1970s; but while that's a highly enjoyable read (and one I would recommend to anyone interested in the era) I didn't feel like it showed as much appreciation for the funkiness and uniqueness of the era as much as I would have liked--nor have any other of the decade-spanning '70s baseball books that have been published since then. I don't come from a sportswriting background--music and pop culture has been my beat for the past two decades--but I felt that, as a baseball fan, a student of pop culture, and a child of the '70s, I could write a love letter to '70s baseball that also truly celebrated the weirdness of the period. I have a theory that some of the excesses of 1970s baseball--huge afros, crazy facial hair, drugs, wacky uniform designs, etc.--were the product of the sport desperately trying to catch up after being so resolutely square for so long. Your thoughts?I would have to vehemently disagree--who exactly in the baseball establishment was desperately trying to be hip? Commissioner Bowie Kuhn was as square as they came, and would have been happiest if baseball had resembled a perpetual Norman Rockwell painting; most of the team owners and executives (with the notable exceptions of Bill Veeck and Ted Turner) weren't much hipper. I think the "excesses" you mention were more the result of the freak flag-flying spirit of the late '60s finally worming its way into all elements of mainstream America, baseball included. Think of the JC Penney fashion catalogs from the '70s with all the wacky leisure suits and patterned shirts with giant collars--white, middle-class Americans actually wore that shit without batting an eye, but they wouldn't have even dared to do so ten years earlier. You also had players coming up to the majors who had been college students in the late '60s and early '70s, and thus felt more comfortable engaging the sort of self-expression (ranging from facial hair to outspoken sharing of political beliefs) and drug use that would have been unthinkable in the majors just a decade earlier. And while I do think many of the baseball uniforms of the era were reflective of the more flamboyant trends in '70s male fashion, they were chiefly designed to look impressive on color TV--a device which most American households didn't own until the 1970s.Arguably, the two greatest teams of the 1970s were a study in contrasts: the '72-'74 Oakland A's--a hirsute, hard living, pugnacious bunch--and The Big Red Machine--a mostly strait-laced group that was forbidden to grow long hair or beards. If you had to pick one (not necessarily for purely baseball reasons), which team do you prefer and why?Just from a purely aesthetic standpoint, I'm always gonna side with a team of hairy, ornery dudes in gold jerseys and white shoes. But while the Big Red Machine was obviously a force to be reckoned with, the '72-'74 A's were the most well-rounded team of the era. Like the Reds, they had speed and power, but they also had much stronger pitching (Catfish Hunter, Vida Blue, Kenny Holtzman, Rollie Fingers, et al.). And not only did the A's win three straight World Series, but they also won five straight AL West crowns ('71 through '75) and came very close to winning a sixth in '76. Sorry, Joe Morgan--the A's were the one true dynasty of the '70s.Let's say I'm a younger baseball fan unfamiliar with the game in the 1970s. What is the one event/team/player who would clue me in to the awesomeness of this era?God, there are so many to choose from, and for so many different reasons. But I guess Bill Lee or Dock Ellis would be the most obvious choices. Both men were way more outspoken, irreverent, hip and intelligent than your stereotypical major leaguers, both had great taste in music, and they both engaged in some pretty epic battles with the conservative baseball establishment. And, of course, Lee advocated pot use and Ellis pitched a no-hitter on LSD--but they were also incredible competitors who loved the game, and never let their teammates down on the field. If we're going to pick a single event, I'd have to go with the Atlanta Braves' Wet T-Shirt Night in 1977; they just don't do baseball promotions like that anymore!Looking back on it now, which player most exemplifies the 1970s?See above.Who were your favorite team and player as a kid? Least favorite?In the '70s, I split a lot of time between Los Angeles and Ann Arbor, Michigan, so my two favorite teams were the Dodgers and the Tigers. My favorite Dodger was Ron Cey. I loved that he was known as "The Penguin," and that this oddly-proportioned guy with the funny walk could actually be an All-Star third baseman. I wore #10 on my Little League jersey in his honor. For the Tigers, I loved Willie Horton, Mark Fidrych, Ron LeFlore, etc., but my true favorite was Lou Whitaker. When Sweet Lou came up from the minors, I told all my friends he was going to be a star; and unlike my other grade school baseball predictions (like my brief championing of the Blue Jays' Doug Ault as a sure bet for superstardom), it actually panned out! Least favorite team? I hated the Reds, because they were so damn good and always gave the Dodgers a hard time--and I also hated them for sweeping the Yankees (who I liked at the time) in the '76 World Series. Least favorite player would have to be Fred "Chicken" Stanley, at least when he was on the Yankees; he was the weak link in that lineup, and a really mediocre shortstop, and I couldn't understand how he continued to have a job in the majors.With the disappearance of non-retractable domed stadiums from baseball, Astroturf is all but gone from the game. What players from the 70s would suffer the most if they had to play in this new carpet-free world?The players who benefitted the most from artificial turf were the guys who didn't have a lot of power but could make contact with the ball and run like hell, and infielders (especially shortstops) who had good range but not so great arms. Dave Concepcion, Larry Bowa and Freddie Patek all fit the above profiles, and all figured out how to get extra mileage on a throw to first by one-hopping it off the turf. They were all key members of their teams, to be sure; but they also all would've had a tougher go of it playing full-time on real grass.Worst promotion: Cleveland's Nickel Beer Night or Chicago's Disco Demolition Night?Nickel Beer Night--actually, it was Ten Cent Beer Night [D'oh! -- ed.]-- hands down; if not the "worst" promotion, it was certainly the era's most idiotic. Disco Demolition Night was obviously a disaster, but that was largely because the White Sox organization had no real understanding of how popular the "Disco Sucks" movement was in Chicago, or that it would primarily bring rowdy rock fans to Comiskey. But you can't offer your fans unlimited beer at a dime per cup, like the Indians did, and not expect that things will eventually get WAY out of hand; Jesus, even a third grader could tell you that.Bigger waste of talent: Dave Kingman or Dick Allen?I don't think it's fair to dub either Kingman or Allen a "waste of talent"--they both enjoyed long careers and put up some impressive numbers along the way. Did Allen's attitude hamper his production during his final few seasons? Possibly, but he was also getting into his mid-30s and dealing with the after-affects of the broken leg he suffered during the 1973 season. And would Kingman hit 442 career homers--would he have hit more if he were less of an asshole? I doubt it. To me, a true waste of talent was someone like David Clyde, the brilliant Texas high school pitcher who the Rangers signed and immediately sent to the big leagues--without necessary minor league training or seasoning -because they knew he would bring the locals out to the ballpark. Clyde couldn't handle the pressure, or the hard-partying lifestyle of the veterans he hung out with, and he was out of the majors for good by the time he was 24. That's just sad.Best uniform of the 1970s? Worst? (My vote for the latter goes for those black and red Indians tops with the inexplicably jagged letters or pretty much any Padres jersey from the entire decade.)Hideous as they were, I'm actually really fond of the Houston Astros' "tequila sunrise" jerseys--to me, they beautifully embody both the colorfulness and ridiculousness of the era. But aside from the truly awful 1976 White Sox uniforms with short pants (which the players only wore in a handful of regular season games), my vote for Worst Uni of the 70s goes to the 1978 San Diego Padres. As if the fecal brown and mustard yellow color palette wasn't bad enough, the lettering on the jersey looks like Ray Kroc had 'em thrown together in about five minutes at an iron-on t-shirt store at the local mall. My '78 Little League jersey looked classier than that.Do you like the recent trend of teams bringing back alternate powder blue jerseys, another 1970s innovation? (Brewers, Royals, Blue Jays)I do, actually--or at least, I far prefer them to the dark solid "softball" alternates that have been so unfortunately prevalent in recent years. I wish the Phillies would go back to the zip-up powder blues (with the red "P" on the front) that they wore on the road for most of the '70s and into the '80s--I still think those look really sharp.Best year for Topps baseball card design? (I vote for 1972 or 1975)1972, no question. I would describe the design template for that year as psychedelic Hollywood retro; it's as if each player was briefly transported into the "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" sequence from Yellow Submarine. And it made even the scrubs look like superstars.What are the features you look for in an awesome 1970s baseball card, in terms of design, pose, facial hair, etc.?Simply depends on the card. It's hard to beat funky facial hair or a voluminous 'fro, and action shots can be really cool, too. Then again, would a card of Roberto Clemente or Hank Aaron be any more awesome if they'd sported Fu Manchu moustaches? I don't think so.Dock Ellis's no-hitter-on-acid has gotten a lot of renewed interest, thanks to the No Mas animated short that came out last year. How prevalent was recreational drug use in baseball in the 70s? What was the drug of choice among players? And had performance enhancing drugs entered the picture yet?I don't have anything other than anecdotal evidence to go on, but pot use seems to have been fairly prevalent among major leaguers in the '70s. Coke much less so, though (like in the rest of America), it became more common by the end of the decade. As far as performance-enhancing drugs, it's not inconceivable that steroids had entered the picture by then--they've been around since the '30s, and there's evidence that football players were using them as early as the late '60s--but they were hardly widespread. Back in those days, weight training and getting buff wasn't a regular part of the major league baseball fitness regimen; the prevailing wisdom of the time was that you should run a lot, and that lifting weights would make you too "muscle-bound" to be effective in the field. Use of amphetamines, however, was extremely common; I'm sure a lot of players wouldn't have made it through a 162-game season without them--though whether or not "greenie" use actually improved anyone's play or jacked up anyone's numbers in the long run is still pretty debatable. Is there a game or playoff series from the 1970s that you consider a "lost classic"--something that should still be remembered now but isn't?Well, it's not been completely forgotten, but the June 28, 1976 game between the Yankees and Tigers is pretty dear to my heart. That was the night that Mark "The Bird" Fidrych made his national TV debut, beating the Yankees 5-1 on Monday Night Baseball in front of an ecstatic Tiger Stadium crowd. He's so goofy on the mound, yet also so dominant--and during the post-game interview, he's just radiating pure joy. "The Bird" was the real deal, both as a pitcher and as a human being, and clips from this game always bring that home beautifully.What event marked the death knell of 1970s-style baseball (other than the arrival of the year 1980)?Just like the increasing freakiness of the '70s, it's hard to ascribe the demise of 70s-style ball to one particular event, though it's not too much of a stretch to say that, as America became increasingly conservative during the Reagan years, the game did so as well. I do think that 1980 was the last truly "70s" year of baseball--after being denied for half a decade, the Phillies and Royals finally made it to the World Series, and played the first all-Astroturf fall classic. Then came the players strike of 1981, followed by the "Pittsburgh Drug Trials" of 1985, owner collusion in the late '80s, and (as we know now) the spread of steroids. Baseball definitely changed in the '80s, and for the worse.Are there any modern players you can imagine playing--and thriving--in the 1970s?I'd say the most "70s" player out there today is Tim Lincecum -- not just because he has long hair and got popped for weed, but also because of his natural charisma, his unusually slight build (at least for a 21st century starting pitcher) and unorthodox delivery and mechanics. And if he can do this well against bulked-up batters in the PED era, just imagine how well he would have done in the '70s. ]]></dc:description>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Hardcover]]></dc:format>
<dc:date>2010-05-25T00:00:00-04:00</dc:date>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Rickwood Field: A Century in America's Oldest Ballpark]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780393069334</link>
<description><![CDATA[The extraordinary social history of Rickwood Field becomes the story of baseball itself, gloriously evoked for the centennial of America's oldest ballpark.]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Rickwood Field: A Century in America's Oldest Ballpark]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[14]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Allen Barra]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[Norton]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9780393069334]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[The extraordinary social history of Rickwood Field becomes the story of baseball itself, gloriously evoked for the centennial of America's oldest ballpark.]]></dc:description>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Hardcover]]></dc:format>
<dc:date>2010-07-01T00:00:00-04:00</dc:date>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Cooperstown Confidential: Heroes, Rogues, and the Inside Story of the Baseball Hall of Fame]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781608192106</link>
<description><![CDATA[This penetrating, funny book reveals the inner workings of the Hall of Fame: the politics, the players, and the people who own and preserve it. From the history of the founding Clark family to a day on the town with the newly inducted Goose Gossage; from the battle over steroids to the economics of induction and secret campaigns by aspiring players, this is a highly irreverent and highly entertaining tour through the life of an American institution. For anyone who cares about baseball, this is essential reading.]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Cooperstown Confidential: Heroes, Rogues, and the Inside Story of the Baseball Hall of Fame]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[15]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Zev Chafets]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[Bloomsbury]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9781608192106]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[This penetrating, funny book reveals the inner workings of the Hall of Fame: the politics, the players, and the people who own and preserve it. From the history of the founding Clark family to a day on the town with the newly inducted Goose Gossage; from the battle over steroids to the economics of induction and secret campaigns by aspiring players, this is a highly irreverent and highly entertaining tour through the life of an American institution. For anyone who cares about baseball, this is essential reading.]]></dc:description>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Paperback]]></dc:format>
<dc:date>2010-05-25T00:00:00-04:00</dc:date>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Ball Four]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780020306658</link>
<description><![CDATA[Twentieth-anniversary edition of a baseball classic, with a new epilogue by Jim Bouton.  
  
When first published in 1970, Ball Four stunned the sports world. The commissioner, executives, and players were shocked. Sportswriters called author Jim Bouton a traitor and "social leper." Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn tried to force him to declare the book untrue. Fans, however, loved the book. And serious critics called it an important social document. Today, Jim Bouton is still not invited to Oldtimer's Days at Yankee Stadium. But his landmark book is still being read by people who don'tordinarily follow baseball.]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Ball Four]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[16]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jim Bouton]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[Wiley]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9780020306658]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[Twentieth-anniversary edition of a baseball classic, with a new epilogue by Jim Bouton.  
  
When first published in 1970, Ball Four stunned the sports world. The commissioner, executives, and players were shocked. Sportswriters called author Jim Bouton a traitor and "social leper." Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn tried to force him to declare the book untrue. Fans, however, loved the book. And serious critics called it an important social document. Today, Jim Bouton is still not invited to Oldtimer's Days at Yankee Stadium. But his landmark book is still being read by people who don'tordinarily follow baseball.]]></dc:description>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Paperback]]></dc:format>
<dc:date>1990-07-01T00:00:00-04:00</dc:date>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[As They See 'em: A Fan's Travels in the Land of Umpires]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780743294133</link>
<description><![CDATA[MILLIONS OF AMERICAN BASEBALL FANS KNOW, WITH ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY, that umpires are simply overpaid galoots who are doing an easy job badly. Millions of American baseball fans are wrong. As They See ’Em is an insider’s look at the largely unknown world of professional umpires, the small group of men (and the very occasional woman) who make sure America’s favorite pastime is conducted in a manner that is clean, crisp, and true. Bruce Weber, a New York Times reporter, not only interviewed dozens of professional umpires but entered their world, trained to become an umpire, then spent a season working games from Little League to big league spring training. As They See ’Em is Weber’s entertaining account of this experience as well as a lively exploration of what amounts to an eccentric secret society, with its own customs, its own rituals, its own colorful vocabulary. Writing with deep knowledge of and affection for baseball, he delves into such questions as: Why isn’t every strike created equal? Is the ump part of the game or outside of it? Why doesn’t a tie go to the runner? And what do umps and managers say to each other during an argument, really? Packed with fascinating reportage that reveals the game as never before and answers the kinds of questions that fans, exasperated by the clichés of conventional sports commentary, pose to themselves around the television set, Bruce Weber’s As They See ’Em is a towering grand slam.]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[As They See 'em: A Fan's Travels in the Land of Umpires]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[17]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Bruce Weber]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[Scribner]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9780743294133]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[MILLIONS OF AMERICAN BASEBALL FANS KNOW, WITH ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY, that umpires are simply overpaid galoots who are doing an easy job badly. Millions of American baseball fans are wrong. As They See ’Em is an insider’s look at the largely unknown world of professional umpires, the small group of men (and the very occasional woman) who make sure America’s favorite pastime is conducted in a manner that is clean, crisp, and true. Bruce Weber, a New York Times reporter, not only interviewed dozens of professional umpires but entered their world, trained to become an umpire, then spent a season working games from Little League to big league spring training. As They See ’Em is Weber’s entertaining account of this experience as well as a lively exploration of what amounts to an eccentric secret society, with its own customs, its own rituals, its own colorful vocabulary. Writing with deep knowledge of and affection for baseball, he delves into such questions as: Why isn’t every strike created equal? Is the ump part of the game or outside of it? Why doesn’t a tie go to the runner? And what do umps and managers say to each other during an argument, really? Packed with fascinating reportage that reveals the game as never before and answers the kinds of questions that fans, exasperated by the clichés of conventional sports commentary, pose to themselves around the television set, Bruce Weber’s As They See ’Em is a towering grand slam.]]></dc:description>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Paperback]]></dc:format>
<dc:date>2010-03-01T00:00:00-05:00</dc:date>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Game Six: Cincinnati, Boston, and the 1975 World Series]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781401310264</link>
<description><![CDATA[Frost recreates what many consider to be the most exciting baseball game ever played--the match-up between the Boston Red Sox and the Cincinnati Reds in the 1975 World Series.]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Game Six: Cincinnati, Boston, and the 1975 World Series]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[18]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mark Frost]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[Hyperion]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9781401310264]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[Frost recreates what many consider to be the most exciting baseball game ever played--the match-up between the Boston Red Sox and the Cincinnati Reds in the 1975 World Series.]]></dc:description>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Paperback]]></dc:format>
<dc:date>2010-05-01T00:00:00-04:00</dc:date>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Giants Past & Present]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780760338063</link>
<description><![CDATA[With a history that straddles two coasts and more than a century of winning, the Giants baseball club stands out as one of the great franchises of professional sports. The organization boasts more Hall of Fame inductees than any other baseball team, as well as twenty National League pennants gathered over nine different decades. From McGraw and Mathewson to Mays and Marichal, Hubbell and Ott to Sandoval and Lincecum, the Giants have been bringing excitement and drama to the diamond for generations. Giants Past & Present goes around the horn to celebrate the legends at each position on the field—from the little-remembered stars of the nineteenth century to the heroes of tomorrow--and visits the memorable and distinctive ballparks that have housed the team on two ends of the continent. The book presents the players, dugout and front-office wizards, voices from the broadcast booth, hard-luck heroes, ballparks, and myriad rites of spring that keep fans coming back year after year.]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Giants Past & Present]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[19]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dan Fost]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[MVP Books]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9780760338063]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[With a history that straddles two coasts and more than a century of winning, the Giants baseball club stands out as one of the great franchises of professional sports. The organization boasts more Hall of Fame inductees than any other baseball team, as well as twenty National League pennants gathered over nine different decades. From McGraw and Mathewson to Mays and Marichal, Hubbell and Ott to Sandoval and Lincecum, the Giants have been bringing excitement and drama to the diamond for generations. Giants Past & Present goes around the horn to celebrate the legends at each position on the field—from the little-remembered stars of the nineteenth century to the heroes of tomorrow--and visits the memorable and distinctive ballparks that have housed the team on two ends of the continent. The book presents the players, dugout and front-office wizards, voices from the broadcast booth, hard-luck heroes, ballparks, and myriad rites of spring that keep fans coming back year after year.]]></dc:description>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Hardcover]]></dc:format>
<dc:date>2010-04-01T00:00:00-04:00</dc:date>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[The Funniest Baseball Book Ever]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780740791284</link>
<description><![CDATA[That old baseball saying is right: It is a funny game. No other sport can compare to the national pastime's vast catalog of silly quips and quotations, unforgettable characters, memorable nicknames, and inventive pranks.The Funniest Baseball Book Ever captures it all between two covers. It's simply the most complete, contemporary resource for baseball humor. This compendium expertly draws on a century of history and several hundred sources to lend the game a new, hilarious perspective. With over 90 percent of its material never before collected in a single volume, The Funniest Baseball Book Ever will entertain and surprise everyone from casual fans to diehards, and from newcomers to veterans.The Funniest Baseball Book Ever is the perfect antidote for those who'd prefer to laugh along with the fun and games--it's one book that lives up to its title's promise.]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[The Funniest Baseball Book Ever]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[20]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Peter Handrinos]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[Andrews McMeel]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9780740791284]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[That old baseball saying is right: It is a funny game. No other sport can compare to the national pastime's vast catalog of silly quips and quotations, unforgettable characters, memorable nicknames, and inventive pranks.The Funniest Baseball Book Ever captures it all between two covers. It's simply the most complete, contemporary resource for baseball humor. This compendium expertly draws on a century of history and several hundred sources to lend the game a new, hilarious perspective. With over 90 percent of its material never before collected in a single volume, The Funniest Baseball Book Ever will entertain and surprise everyone from casual fans to diehards, and from newcomers to veterans.The Funniest Baseball Book Ever is the perfect antidote for those who'd prefer to laugh along with the fun and games--it's one book that lives up to its title's promise.]]></dc:description>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Paperback]]></dc:format>
<dc:date>2010-05-01T00:00:00-04:00</dc:date>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Big League Ballparks: The Complete Illustrated History]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781435114524</link>
<description><![CDATA[Baseball fans may argue over the all-time best pitchers, worst plays in history, or which team will win the pennant, but everyone can agree that the baseball stadium holds a sacred place in American cultural life. In this breathtakingly comprehensive tour of ballparks past and present, readers can enjoy an intimate view of every major league park (more than sixty-five in all): cozy Wrigley Field, magnificent Dodger Stadium, historic Fenway Park, newcomer Miller Park, and much more. Packed with nearly a thousand breathtaking photos that zoom right into the action, this massive tome is a box seat for baseball’s evolution from the crude grounds of the 1890s to the opulent new stadiums opened in New York in 2009. ]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Big League Ballparks: The Complete Illustrated History]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[21]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Gary Gillette, et al.]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[Metro]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9781435114524]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[Baseball fans may argue over the all-time best pitchers, worst plays in history, or which team will win the pennant, but everyone can agree that the baseball stadium holds a sacred place in American cultural life. In this breathtakingly comprehensive tour of ballparks past and present, readers can enjoy an intimate view of every major league park (more than sixty-five in all): cozy Wrigley Field, magnificent Dodger Stadium, historic Fenway Park, newcomer Miller Park, and much more. Packed with nearly a thousand breathtaking photos that zoom right into the action, this massive tome is a box seat for baseball’s evolution from the crude grounds of the 1890s to the opulent new stadiums opened in New York in 2009. ]]></dc:description>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Hardcover]]></dc:format>
<dc:date>2010-02-01T00:00:00-05:00</dc:date>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Baseball: An Illustrated History]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780375711978</link>
<description><![CDATA[The acclaimed nationwide best seller and companion volume to Ken Burns’s grand-slam PBS documentary—updated and expanded to coincide with the broadcast of a new, two-part Tenth Inning that lokos back on the age of steroids, home-run records, the rise of Latino players, and so much more.With a narrative by Geoffrey C. Ward, a preface to the new edition by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, a new chapter by Kevin Baker, and an introduction by Roger AngellEssays by Thomas Boswell, Robert W. Creamer, Gerald Early, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Bill James, David Lamb, Daniel Okrent, John Thorn, George F. WillAnd featuring an interview with Buck O’Neil]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Baseball: An Illustrated History]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[22]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Geoffrey C. Ward]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[Knopf]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9780375711978]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[The acclaimed nationwide best seller and companion volume to Ken Burns’s grand-slam PBS documentary—updated and expanded to coincide with the broadcast of a new, two-part Tenth Inning that lokos back on the age of steroids, home-run records, the rise of Latino players, and so much more.With a narrative by Geoffrey C. Ward, a preface to the new edition by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, a new chapter by Kevin Baker, and an introduction by Roger AngellEssays by Thomas Boswell, Robert W. Creamer, Gerald Early, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Bill James, David Lamb, Daniel Okrent, John Thorn, George F. WillAnd featuring an interview with Buck O’Neil]]></dc:description>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Paperback]]></dc:format>
<dc:date>2010-09-21T00:00:00-04:00</dc:date>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780061999819</link>
<description><![CDATA[ In his classic tribute to America's pastimenow with a new introductionpolitical commentator, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and lifelong sports enthusiast George F. Will travels from the baseball field to the dugout to the locker room to get to the root of the game we all love. He breaks down the sport to its four basic components, managing, pitching, hitting, and fielding, and analyzes the way four of its notables, manager Tony La Russa, pitcher Orel Hershiser, outfielder Tony Gwynn, and shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., approach the game. One of the most acclaimed sports books ever written, Men at Work is a revelatory, and often surprising, study of professional baseball. ]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[23]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[George F. Will]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[Harper]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9780061999819]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[ In his classic tribute to America's pastimenow with a new introductionpolitical commentator, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and lifelong sports enthusiast George F. Will travels from the baseball field to the dugout to the locker room to get to the root of the game we all love. He breaks down the sport to its four basic components, managing, pitching, hitting, and fielding, and analyzes the way four of its notables, manager Tony La Russa, pitcher Orel Hershiser, outfielder Tony Gwynn, and shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., approach the game. One of the most acclaimed sports books ever written, Men at Work is a revelatory, and often surprising, study of professional baseball. ]]></dc:description>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Paperback]]></dc:format>
<dc:date>2010-04-01T00:00:00-04:00</dc:date>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Are We Winning?: Fathers and Sons in the New Golden Age of Baseball]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781401323707</link>
<description><![CDATA[]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Are We Winning?: Fathers and Sons in the New Golden Age of Baseball]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[24]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Will Leitch]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[Hyperion]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9781401323707]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[]]></dc:description>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Hardcover]]></dc:format>
<dc:date>2010-05-01T00:00:00-04:00</dc:date>
</item>

<item>
<title><![CDATA[Fifty-Nine in '84: Old Hoss Radbourn, Barehanded Baseball, and the Greatest Season a Pitcher Ever Had]]></title>
<link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780061825866</link>
<description><![CDATA[ In 1884, Providence Grays pitcher Charles "Old Hoss" Radbourn won an astounding fifty-nine gamesmore than anyone in major-league history ever had before, or has since. He then went on to win all three games of baseball's first World Series.   Fifty-nine in '84 tells the dramatic story not only of that amazing feat of grit but also of big-league baseball two decades after the Civil Wara brutal, bloody sport played barehanded, the profession of uneducated, hard-drinking men who thought little of cheating outrageously or maiming an opponent to win.   It is the tale, too, of the woman Radbourn loved, Carrie Stanhope, the alluring proprietress of a boarding-house with shady overtones, a married lady who was said to have personally known every man in the National League.   Wonderfully entertaining, Fifty-nine in '84 is an indelible portrait of a legendary player and a fascinating, little-known era of the national pastime. ]]></description>
<ttl>360</ttl>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Fifty-Nine in '84: Old Hoss Radbourn, Barehanded Baseball, and the Greatest Season a Pitcher Ever Had]]></dc:title>
<bsbl:rank><![CDATA[25]]></bsbl:rank>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Edward Achorn]]></dc:creator>
<dc:publisher><![CDATA[Smithsonian]]></dc:publisher>
<dc:identifier><![CDATA[9780061825866]]></dc:identifier>
<dc:description><![CDATA[ In 1884, Providence Grays pitcher Charles "Old Hoss" Radbourn won an astounding fifty-nine gamesmore than anyone in major-league history ever had before, or has since. He then went on to win all three games of baseball's first World Series.   Fifty-nine in '84 tells the dramatic story not only of that amazing feat of grit but also of big-league baseball two decades after the Civil Wara brutal, bloody sport played barehanded, the profession of uneducated, hard-drinking men who thought little of cheating outrageously or maiming an opponent to win.   It is the tale, too, of the woman Radbourn loved, Carrie Stanhope, the alluring proprietress of a boarding-house with shady overtones, a married lady who was said to have personally known every man in the National League.   Wonderfully entertaining, Fifty-nine in '84 is an indelible portrait of a legendary player and a fascinating, little-known era of the national pastime. ]]></dc:description>
<dc:format><![CDATA[Hardcover]]></dc:format>
<dc:date>2010-03-01T00:00:00-05:00</dc:date>
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