Books and movies about baseball

[Machiavelli]

• What baseball books have you read?
• What baseball movies have you seen?
• Which ones do you recommend?
• Which ones do you not recommend?

@EasyAce

[Wingnut]

Ball Four and I'm Glad you didn't Take it personally
-Jim Bouton

And the usual suspects on the Movie front  (leaving out Field of Dreams because it really isn't a Baseball movie) But the ones I watch when they are on:

The Rookie
The Stratton Story
Bang The Drum Slowly
61
For Love Of the Game
42.

[Machiavelli]

Baseball books I've read and enjoyed:

The Long Season -- Jim Brosnan
The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant (source of the musical, Damn Yankees!) -- Douglass Wallop
Veeck -- As in Wreck -- Bill Veeck, with Ed Linn*
Fear Strikes Out -- Jimmy Piersall
The Fireside Book of Baseball -- various authors
The Second Fireside Book of Baseball -- various authors
Baseball is a Funny Game -- Joe Garagiola

Unfortunately I've not read the Henry Wiggen tetralogy (The Southpaw, Bang the Drum Slowly, A Ticket for a Seamstitch, It Looked Like For Ever) by Mark Harris.

Years ago I started to read Ball Four but got disgusted with Jim Bouton's moral posturing.

Books that I thought sucked big time:

Pull Up a Chair: The Vin Scully Story -- Curt Smith


*Ed Linn is FReeper Hildy's late father. (1), (2)

[goatprairie]

I've read a number of books about baseball and other sports.  Recently, I've read books concerning Ruth and DiMaggio.  The problem I have with many sports bios is that they don't really describe very well what it was like to play against superstars.  In the case of Ruth and DiMaggio what it was like to pitch to them.
I read the latest book about DiMaggio "A Hero's Life,"  and was extremely dissatisfied.   The book seemed to spend a lot more time discussing DiMaggio's off the field life than the on the field one.  A typical description of his baseball exploits was simply mentioning how many hits he got that day and then back to his off the field life. 
I want to know what it was like for pitchers to try and get baseballs past Ruth and DiMaggio.
But most sports bios are very poor in doing so.  So I can't really recommend any of them.

[Old Warrior in Exile]

I realize it is more or less a fantasy type movie and even though I despise the leftist Robert Redford's politics, I still enjoy watching The Natural when it is on.

Eight Men Out is another fine baseball film that comes to mind.

[goatprairie]

I realize it is more or less a fantasy type movie and even though I despise the leftist Robert Redford's politics, I still enjoy watching The Natuaral when it is on.

Eight Men Out is another fine baseball film that comes to mind.

You should read the book "The Natural"  by Bernard Malamud from which the movie is derived.  The ending is different.

[Old Warrior in Exile]

You should read the book "The Natural"  by Bernard Malamud from which the movie is derived.  The ending is different.

Thank you for the recommendation.

I will do just that.

[dfwgator]

Major League.

"It's very bad to drink Jobu's rum.....very bad."

[Old Warrior in Exile]

Major League.

"It's very bad to drink Jobu's rum.....very bad."

[dfwgator]

"You may run like Hayes....but you hit like s__!"

[Old Warrior in Exile]

"You may run like Hayes....but you hit like s__!"

And Charlie "Wild Thing" Sheen with those glasses and haircut.

Classic.

[dfwgator]

And Charlie "Wild Thing" Sheen with those glasses and haircut.

Classic.

And Bob Uecker...."Juuuuust a bit outside!"