The Five Best Sports Books I’ve Ever Read
Yesterday evening I finished the best sports book I’ve ever read. It’s called “A False Spring,” by Pat Jordan, and chronicles the author’s brief career as a minor league pitcher for the Milwaukee Braves in the late 1950s and early 1960s. I’ve long known of Jordan, but I never paid much attention to his work. Well, this book is, in a word, beautiful. Literary, fascinating, reeking of a supposedly innocent time period that I’ve long been fascinated by.
With that point being made, here’s my list of the five best sports books I’ve ever read:
1. A False Spring, Pat Jordan—I’m in awe, but also jealous. I simply don’t have to chops to match this sort of writing. As introspective a sports book as I’ve ever seen.
2. Namath, Mark Kriegel—Mark’s a friend, but this comes without bias. Namath is a fascinating dude, and Mark digs inside his head. Wonderfully written.
3. Ted Williams, Leigh Montville—I couldn’t put this one down. Montville might be the best sportswriter of our generation. The insight into Williams is insane.
4. The Bronx Zoo, Sparky Lyle w/ Peter Golenbock—More about the information than the writing. Diary format, really, really funny, chronicles Lyle’s 1978 season with the Yankees. Can’t stop laughing.
5. Joe DiMaggio: The Hero’s Life, Richard Ben Cramer—An all-time classic. Painful, for those who love DiMaggio. But Cramer does exactly what a biographer should—he pulls no punches. The final days of Joe’s life are
some of the most gripping.
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February 27th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Just finished Roger Angell’s “The Summer Game.” Loved it. I did not live 1960s and early 1970s baseball, but Angell’s writing is eloquent and pure and has me re-reading.
February 27th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
jeff –
i’m shocked, in part because i know we’ve talked about it, that summer of ‘49 didn’t make this list.
February 28th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
the boys of summer, when pride still mattered, Clemente were some of my favorites. Ive read all on the list except for A False spring, i guess i got to get on that one.
February 28th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Seeing that you really liked Jordan try “The Stolen Season” by David Lamb. It would be your new #1 or #2
March 1st, 2009 at 1:22 pm
You forgot Ball Four.
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:28 am
I agree regarding “The Bronx Zoo.” When I was a kid in the middle of nowhere in the late ’70s, I had never heard of “Ball Four” so “The Bronx Zoo” WAS my “Ball Four.” Funniest book I have ever read.
March 2nd, 2009 at 2:30 pm
many halberstam books – breaks of the game; october 64
heaven is a playground by telander is terrific about a summer in coney island tracking a young albert king and supertalent fly williams
kreigels book on the pistol was also real good
June 16th, 2010 at 11:39 am
The Best Sports Writing of Pat Jordan
and The Best Sports Writing of the Century are both excellent anthologies