Blue Moon Blog

Up here in Minnesota, the temperatures are finally starting to rise, the snow is melting and the last week or two my daughter Emily has been asking, “Daddy, do you wish it was Spring?” Yes, I do. Almost here, but it can take its time, as we may not have regular 70+ degree temps for another six-to-eight weeks. So, to help get through this last push, my thoughts turn to baseball. Despite the steroids and scandals and high ticket prices, I feel like a little kid again as each April approaches and spring training begins, and long for the official first pitch, that first crack of the bat.

Over the years around this time, I’ve been reading a baseball book to get in the mood and whet the appetite. If you like baseball at all, you may want to dip into one of these best I’ve found before the ump says “Play Ball!”

Wrigleyworld - Sports columnist Kevin Kudak quit his job to move back to Chicago to live in Wrigleyville, with an intent to attend as many Cubs games as he could during the 2005 season. He found an apartment in the area to share, and bought no tickets in advance, usually snagging scalped tickets just before the game. Filled with fun and funny anecdotes, chronicling his adventures and those of fellow Cubs enthusiasts who make up the obsessed and crazy culture that’s grown in and around Wrigley Field. A quick read, this one’s a must for Cubs and baseball fans.

If I Never Get Back - Out of print for some time, this charming genre melange is now available in paperback. Mixing time travel, romance, baseball and historical fiction in an utterly entertaining fantasy in which the protagonist finds himself playing on the first official baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, and gallivanting with the likes of Mark Twain. I’ve just discovered author Daryl Brock followed up in 2002 with a sequel, Two in the Field, which I’ve not yet read (next year!).

Ball Four: The Final Pitch - Pitcher Jim Bouton chronicles his last days in baseball with this humorous tell-all. Written in the form of a journal or diary, Bouton exposes behind the scenes dugout and locker room anecdotes with no holds barred and self deprecation. Quick, light reading.

Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game - Micheal Lewis explores how Billy Beane, general manager of the A’s and a former player figures how to win in the Major Leagues on a small budget. Starting with using mathematical analysis of the game concocted by Bill James and his annual stats newsletter, Baseball Abstract, the book is a fascinating look at creative and imaginative ways a GM can run a small market team.

This year, I’m reading We Are the Ship and The Boy Who Saved Baseball, and both look great so far. The former is a beautifully illustrated overview of the Negro League, the latter a novel actually for ages 9-12, but if the beginning is any indication, there’s plenty for adult baseball fans to chew on.

Of course, if reading isn’t your cuppa, there are many great baseball movies to take in, my favorites being Field of Dreams, The Natural, Bull Durham, Pride of the Yankees, Damn Yankees, Eight Men Out, A League of Their Own, and the lesser known TV movie, Long Gone, starring CSI’s William Peterson, along with team owner Henry Gibson, and his son, played by Teller (he speaks); a perfect casting match. Also worth while are Ken Burns’ documentary on baseball (particularly the first few episodes, before it becomes too New York-centric) and This Old Cub, the recent documentary about former Cub and present-day radio sportscaster, Ron Santo, which covers his efforts to be voted into the Hall of Fame and his struggles with diabetes. Great stuff, written and directed by his son, Jeff Santo.

Grab one of these that sounds up your alley, ’cause it’s almost time to…play ball!