Your Favorite Books on Sports for Good Summer Reads?

[LogansRun]

It can be a fiction or non-fiction book that you would recommend for a weekend at the cottage or the beach

I've always liked these:
1. Summer of 49 - David Halberstram
2. Paper Lion - George Plimpton
3. Baseball Between the Numbers - Baseball Prospectus
4. Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer
5. The Natural - Bernard Malamud

 

[FairWarning]

If you like baseball history, then these two books are a very interesting read: One for the AL and one for the NL

http://www.amazon.com/Deadball-Star...r_1_16?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214435385&sr=8-16

 

[RobFunk]

I havent been to a Barnes and Noble in a while, this is a good reminder.

 

[mamatried]

If you can find a copy of Joe Pepitone's "Joe, You Coulda Made Us Proud", get it and read it.

There are tell all books and there are tell books, but from Frank Sinatra firing off rounds in his living room to the Mafia offering to break Bill Skowren's legs so Pepitone could get more playing time, no book I've ever read tells more than this one.

I'd also recommend "Moneyball", "1964", and "That's My Story and I'm Sticking To It" by Alex Hawkins.

 

[BlackBart]

Off the top of my head:

The Education of a Coach --David Haberstam (Belichick--excellent read)
Next Man Up --John Feinstein (NFL--Ravens)
Blind Side -- Michael Lewis (Football, college mostly)
Senior Year --Dan Shaughnessy (High school baseball, parenthood)
The GM--Tom Callahan (NFL, Ernie Arcorsi)
Dixieland Delight--Clay Travis (SEC college football)
Friday Night Lights-- Bissinger (Texas high school football)
America's Game--Michael McCambridge (EXCELLENT history of pro
football from the 50's through the 70's)

 

[OAKAS]

A Good Walk Spoiled by John Feinstein is very good.

It is about the behind the scenes of the PGA.

 

[wilheim]

Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand.
The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn.
A Good Walk Spoiled by John Feinstein (See Oakas post above).
Ball Four by Jim Bouton .
Semi-Tough by Don Jenkins, in fact all of Don Jenkins' books are excellent. Dead Solid Perfect is a hilarious look at the world of pro golf.
The Breaks of The Game by David Halberstein (NBA season with the
Portland Trailblazers).
North Dallas Forty by Pete Gent. (season with the Dallas Cowboys).


Some are fiction like Semi Tough and others like Seabiscuit are nonfiction.

All very entertaining reading anytime of year.

All available at Amazon.com (used copies are very cheap).



wil.

 

[Iceman]

I havent been to a Barnes and Noble in a while, this is a good reminder.

In my area the Borders is the best book store with Barnes and Noble a distant second.

 

[steaktartar]

Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand

wils post here............1000x times better than the movie and the movie was good

 

[GoSooners]

Bootleggers Boy-The story of Barry Switzer. A great read both about his hard life growing up to his football days at Arkansas and head coach of OU. Some funny stories in it about his recruiting in Texas. And how close he was to his players because he grew up in the same kind of poverished life as many of them.

 

[JoeFalls]

Joe Dimaggio: The Hero's Life by richard ben cramer

Ted Williams: The Biography of an American Hero by leigh montville

 

[VIEJODINOSAUR]

John Feinstein also wrote a book about Q-School, all about qualifying for the PGA Tour...must read...

 

[hm2.0]

I haven't bought any sports books in a couple of years, at least, but here are a couple.

Scandals of '51 by Charley Rosen - covers the point-shaving that rocked the college b-ball world.

The American Football League by Ed Gruver - historical overview of the old AFL.

I wasn't around during these times so both were interesting reads.

 

[FairWarning]

In my area the Borders is the best book store with Barnes and Noble a distant second.

It better be since Borders is headquartered in Ann Arbor.

 

[TheRightSide]

It better be since Borders is headquartered in Ann Arbor.

Not for long. B & N is in the process of buying them.

 

[Railbird]

All for a Few Perect Waves- David Restin

 

[bellyputter]

1)2) "Dead Solid Perfect" and
"Slim and None" ---- Dan Jenkins 3) "Who's Your Caddy?" ---- Rick Reilly