With baseball in full swing, here are a few to take you around the diamond
Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest For Truth, Authenticity And The Perfect Knuckleball by R.A. Dickey- The summer R.A. won the Cy Young Award...I lived and breathed him. Every start..watched. Stats..kept. Book...read. Fantasy team...first round drafted. Beyond all that, this book was an absolute honest look at a like overcoming abuse, injury, defeat, and loss. Dickey pulls back his jersey and shows you his true self as a Christian and human who has dealt with more than most people could take. Languishing in the minor leagues, and his career, R.A. Dickey chose to give up his career as a fastball pitcher and take on the mastery of the knuckleball. A pitch that defies all logic, and plenty of hitters, that is as mercurial as anything in sports. Perfection is unattainable, but through out the book the reader sees Dickey strive everyday at that goal. I highly recommend this book to anyone struggle with issues in their life, and the baseball fan wishing to learn more about one of the most successful knuckleballers in the history of baseball.
Moneyball: The Art Of Winning An Unfair Game by Michael Lewis- The story of the Oakland A's and Billy Bean will ab..so..lutely change how you look at the world if...if...you are willing to change. More than just baseball, this is a deep dive into a paradigm shift that can be applied to any or all aspects of your life. I have used this book in my professional and personal life on countless occasions. Throw out all your notions of how the world works and get down to the very basics of things. What is your goal and how can you effectively reach that goal with the resources you have. In this case the goal remains getting baserunners on base, and win baseball games. And the Oakland A's did that with enormous effectiveness under the leadership of Billy Bean. Michael Lewis's book should be on your bookshelf if you are a baseball fan or not.
Ball Four by Jim Bouton- Known as the first "tell all" books in baseball, and one of the first in the genre, Bouton runs through the dirty laundry of baseball like no one else. Despite the scandalous stories, this is a really interesting story told by someone who simply wanted to play the game. From literally Yankee Stadium to the independent Portland Mavericks of the Pacific Coast League, Bouton played the game of baseball with a love and passion few others offered. Sure, there are titillating details that shocked the baseball world, but this is a truly one of a kind story
Eddie Neville Of The Durham Bulls by Bill Kirkland- This is a little obscure, BUT if you are a fan of minor league baseball or the Durham Bulls..for those of you uninitiated the team made famous by Bull Durham with Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon..you're going to love the history of the Bulls during the 1950's. Neville was a workhorse throwing inning after inning as he helped bull the Bulls from the basement of the Carolina leagues. Interesting as well was his time in what today would be the now defunct Rookie Leagues with the Kinston. Many of the places and people will be unfamiliar to folks outside North Carolina, but this one is a good one to pick up if you love baseball history
Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella- "If you build it, they will come." What more do you need to say? This book was the bases for Field Of Dreams starring Kevin Costner about a man who struggles with loving his distant father. More heartwarming than your typical sports book, this one has PLENTY of baseball lore. I enjoyed it from cover to cover as a great mystical story.
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