Before we take the field we must warm up properly. Paul Dickson is one of our foremost baseball scribes. This collection of quotations about America’s Pastime will get you into that baseball state of mind for those innings to come. Here are a few sample quotes:
“Baseball isn’t statistics, it’s Joe DiMaggio rounding second base.” — Jimmy Breslin
“Baseball is a skilled game. It’s America’s game — it, and high taxes.” — Will Rogers
“Baseball is the only thing besides the paper clip that hasn’t changed.” — Bill Veeck
“The Baseball: Stunts, Scandals, and Secrets Beneath the Stitches” by Zack Hample (Anchor Books, 356 pages, $14.95)
This was one book that I was eagerly anticipating. Zack Hample is a baseball expert. This book has a wealth of trivia about baseballs. Hample has spent a lifetime snagging stray balls, 4,662 (so far) at 48 different major league parks. We find an exotic litany on baseball manufacturing, marketing, and how baseballs have evolved over the years. The author provides tips on how he has been able to obtain so many baseballs. Here’s his primary rule: Always bring your baseball glove to games.
“The Baseball Codes: Beanballs, Sign Stealing, and Bench Clearing Brawls — the Unwritten Rules of America’s Pastime” by Jason Turbow (Anchor Sports, 294 pages, $15)
Here’s another book for the baseball completist who lives and breathes the sport. A sample of the arcane knowledge contained within: “A deke is essentially a baseball pantomime, a player catching a ball that isn’t really there, then tagging a befuddled opponent. Its inverse is the hidden-ball trick, in which a fielder applies a tag with a ball the runner thinks is somewhere else.”
“Uppity: My Untold Story About the Games People Play” by Bill White (Grand Central, 304 pages, $26.99)
Bill White was an All-Star first baseman who was fearless about taking on issues of racial segregation in baseball. The word “uppity” in White’s title is a reference to a derogatory term that was applied to him by people who felt he had a contrary attitude. White went on to team up with Phil Rizzuto as the first black to do regular play-by-play broadcasting for a major league sports team. And he knocked down another racial barrier when he became National League president. White hammers a home run with this book.
“Baseball Now!” by Dan Bortolotti (Firefly Books, 160 pages, $24.95)
This gorgeous volume will appeal to fans who crave information on current stars in both leagues. There are lots of statistical highlights and full color photos.
Vick Mickunas interviews authors every Friday at 1:30 p.m. and on Sundays at 11 a.m. on WYSO-FM (91.3). For more information, visit www.wyso.org/BookNook.html. Contact him at vick@vickmickunas.com.
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