chrysleraspen08 Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Are there any good sports non-fiction novels that I should get? I am looking for either baseball or hockey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scooter13 Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Non-fiction novels? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJTank Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Check out the Bad Guys Won by Jeff Pearlman about the 1986 Mets. Its got everything coke, booze, women and dominant baseball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfwabel Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Non-fiction novels?Exactly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d_hav Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Moneyball....great book about Billy Beane and the A's by Michael Lewis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the admiral Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 The Boys of Summer by Howard Kahn, but stop at the halfway mark unless you're a Dodgers fan and/or find yourself extremely interested in the post-baseball whereabouts of Andy Pafko and Pee Wee Reese. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
infrared41 Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 I have to ask, what exactly is a "non-fiction novel?" Here are some of my favorite books on baseball. In no particular order after Ball Four. Ball Four should be the first book on your list. Ball Four - Jim BoutonThe Machine - Joe PosnanskiThe Bullpen Gospels - Dirk HayhurstThe Glory Of Their Times - Lawrence S. RitterHistorical Baseball Abstract - Bill JamesThe Summer Game - Roger AngellMoneyball - Michael LewisJust about anything by Roger Angell is a good baseball read. I know you said baseball and hockey but Bill Simmons' The Book Of Basketball is really good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrysleraspen08 Posted April 24, 2011 Author Share Posted April 24, 2011 Thanks for the suggestions. To clear this up for some people, I am looking for the opposite of fiction (so not a made up plot line). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerbreadmann Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 A baseball book that has been my favorite for many years is The Last Best League by Jim Collins. It's about a summer in the Cape Cod League (the 2002 Chatham A's, specifically) and having experienced Cape baseball extensively in person -- partially because this book inspired me so much -- I can say it really portrays what makes baseball so blissfully pure and lovable -- not just on the Cape, even, but in general. I still remember all the players' names and smile when one of them is on SportsCenter, which nowadays is pretty much only Tim Stauffer and Chris Iannetta. I can't recommend this enough; I think my copy is worn out from re-readings.The Boys of Summer by Howard Kahn, but stop at the halfway mark unless you're a Dodgers fan and/or find yourself extremely interested in the post-baseball whereabouts of Andy Pafko and Pee Wee Reese.It's Roger Kahn, but the point stands.Thanks for the suggestions. To clear this up for some people, I am looking for the opposite of fiction (so not a made up plot line).The issue was that you said "non-fiction novels." A novel, by definition, is a work of fiction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the admiral Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 I said Howard? D'oh. Gonna go eat a knife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winghaz Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 I just finished "The Last Boy" about Mickey Mantle. Fantastic book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CS85 Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 "Lady in the Locker Room" by Susan Fornoff is the only one I know the title and author for sure, a good read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viper Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports Are Played And Games Are Won by Tobias J. Moskowitz and L. Jon Wertheim. It just came out in January and it's basically a sports-specific version of Freakonomics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcgd Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 "Friday Night Lights" and "3 nights in august" are really great books even if you don't like the author Buzz Bissinger. I think even if you aren't a cardinals fan 3 nights would be a good read. Some call it the "anti-Moneyball" but I thought it was just a good look at baseball from a manager's perspective."now I can die in peace" by bill Simmons was also good and I'm not a red sox fan at all."Fever Pitch" by Nick Hornby was ok. Worth a read but nothing amazing. It's not like the movie AT ALL. The book is about soccer for one..."the soul of baseball" features stories from Buck O'Neil and it's excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnythingChicago Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 Iowa Baseball Confederacy by W.P. Kinsella (the same guy who wrote the book that turned into the movie Field of Dreams). It is fiction, but it's very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon_Matrix Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 I had fun with Bill Lee's "The Wrong Stuff" - quick read with some interesting pieces of information. Ball Four is a must read, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WSU151 Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 "I Had a Hammer" - Hank Aaron"Education of a Coach" - David Halberstam"Summer of '49" - David Halberstam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epper Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 The Bullpen Gospels - Dirk HayhurstNow I Can Die In Peace - Bill SimmonsThe Extra 2% - Jonah Keri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueSky Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 I highly recommend all of these. In One Dream, the author followed 10 undrafted free agents trying to make the Saints. I think the titles of the other two are self-explanatory. This only covers 1920-1969 but for anyone interested in the NFL it provides a very interesting perspective on the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mania Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Check out the Bad Guys Won by Jeff Pearlman about the 1986 Mets. Its got everything coke, booze, women and dominant baseball.I can't vouch for this one, but his book on the 90s Cowboys, Boys Will Be Boys, was really excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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