9 Innings
A Baseball History Reader
J. Manning, Editor
email: thatsbaseball@lycos.com
Baseball Library
Recommended Reading by the Editor
The Last Nine Innings: Inside the Real Game Fans Never See
Charles Euchner
Sourcebooks, Inc.
March 2006
288 pp

Euchner uses Game 7 of the 2001 World Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the New York Yankees for a detailed exploration of the complexities of 21st century professional baseball.


Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero
David Maraniss
Simon & Schuster
April 2006
416pp

"Maraniss deftly balances baseball and loftier concerns like racism; he presents a nuanced picture of a ballplayer more complicated than the encomiums would suggest. --Publishers Weekly          Click here to read a review by George F. Will

The Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth
Leigh Montville
Doubleday
May 2006
400pp

"Montville gives readers the measure of what made the man. [He] has also carefully sifted the factual from the hearsay, leaving us a volume that is reliable, readable, and deserving of a place in the sports or American culture collection." -- Booklist


Inside Baseball
Tom Verducci
Sports Illustrated
February 2006
318pp

"These 25 pieces span the generations from Sandy Koufax to Roger Clemens, from Ted Williams to Barry Bonds. They chronicle the important trends in the game and celebrate baseball's brightest stars and most breathtaking performances. They are the best work of a writer at the top of his game." -- Amazon


Game of Shadows: Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroids Scandal that Rocked Professional Sports
Mark Fainaru-Wada & Lance Williams
Gotham
352pp

"A sober, skillful and utterly damning account of not just the Bonds fiasco but the pervasive influence of steroids in sports." -- Los Angeles Times