Winter Reading List

Remember those dreaded summer reading lists? The ones where you skimmed a few pages, maybe looked up the synopsis on Wikipedia, and faked it for the first week or so of Literacy class while that one nerd in the corner answered all of the teacher's questions? Those were the days...

As much as I hate to admit it, adult me finds reading to be much less of a chore. At times, I even claim to enjoy it (usually just when I'm in the bathroom, sitting on an airplane, or trying to wear my eyes out so I can crash). For avid baseball fans, our "summer vacation" isn't the dog days of summer but rather the cold, miserable days of winter when going outside is only reserved for walking the dog and shoveling snow. And if you're stuck inside with nothing but Law & Order reruns, why not pick up a good baseball book.

Now that I've alienated half of the already very few people who read this site by suggesting that they pick up a book, I present you with DroppedStrikeThree's definitive Winter Reading List...

Are We Winning? by Will Leitch
The author's name probably looks familiar to the casual blog reader, but it's a household name to those of us who have been reading Deadspin for years. Leitch took sports blogging to a new level in the late aughts. This book is a classic as well. I picked it up on a recent flight across the country and read it cover to cover in the amount of time it takes to get from Philadelphia to Santa Barbra (it actually inspired me to write about this topic). It's a comical story that tells of relationships between fathers and sons and how baseball and of course, beer, bring them together. Leitch is a St. Louis fan and the story tells of a 2008 trip to see the Cardinals play the Cubs while Chicago was on the cusp of clinching a playoff spot. The book brings me back to dozens of experiences I've had with my own father and grandfather and reminds the reader that sports can be the only common language between generations of men.


The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn
A classic that belongs on the shelf of any baseball fan. The Bad Boys of Summer chronicles the lives of the players on the 1955 Dodgers WS team prior to, during, and following their glory days. It's about a team that broke the color barrier, became one of the greatest teams in the history of the game, and the successes and hardships that faced guys like Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella once their career was over. It takes baseball's greatest heroes and humanizes their struggles with racism, prejudice, and loss. This one has landed on hundreds of "best of" lists so it would have been crazy not to include it.


Fantasyland by Sam Walker
Another book that I couldn't put down during a flight, this book tells the story of an accomplished sports columnist but novice fantasy player who weasels his way into the creme de la creme of fantasy baseball leagues and goes on a quest to define the science of winning a fantasy sports championship. This book has anecdotes involving all of your favorite players and columnists and shows just how deep the love for fantasy baseball is. Every year, thousands of players invest millions of dollars into this "sport" with a very slim chance at seeing any return on their investment. They develop algorithms, computer programs, and "hunches" that even Miss Cleo would call crazy. Sam Walker dives into this world head first and learns that stat heads are more than just the nerdy underbelly of the baseball world. This book is a great read for all Fantasy Geeks.

Ball Four by Jim Bouton
This book didn't earn former player Jim Bouton any fans within baseball circles, but when first published in the 70s, the public found Ball Four to be the first true peek behind the curtain of a baseball team. This book exposed baseball and some of its biggest stars for their alcoholism, womanizing, and rampant drug use. Bouton was deemed one of the biggest pariahs in baseball upon release of this book and his career was over a year later. But the book represents a great snapshot in time of a major league player from the above mentioned over indulgences to the way the social and pop climate outside of baseball impacted players. .

The Baseball Fan's Bucket List by Robert & Jenna Santelli
This one is worth keeping in the glove box of the car as a checklist for any baseball road tripper.I'm working on a Bucket List of my own, but this is a great start. In this book, you'll find some great baseball history in your own back yard, you'll learn about some of the game's greatest stories, and you'll feel inspired to make the kind of pilgrimage that only the most religious dare to make. Some of the books I mentioned above even make the list. Most importantly, it inspires all baseball fans to make a list of their own.