What sports books are you reading this summer?

Just finished Esposito by Peter Goldenbock and Moneyball by Michael Lewis. Both are excellent. Espo was very enjoyable, lots of surprise anecdotes and insights and just well done. Highly recommend.

Moneyball was a classic, simple as that. Had never read it before after hearing so much hype about it and it did not let down.

What are you reading and recommending?

 

Soccernomics by Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski is a couple of years old but it was both informative and entertaining, even though it is filled with the kind of statistical analyses that would make Bill James cream himself.

 

Reading Rex Ryan's book right now.

Anyone here read "The Draft" by Pete Williams? I started it a couple years ago but got sidetracked with life (as I do any time I read books) and never finished it. Thinking about picking it up again, but I'll have to start all over.

 

Just finished Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. Excellent, excellent book for anyone who believes in the unlimited potential of the human being.

Mind over matter, folks - and throw aside conventional wisdom, too, that has been brought to us by Nike and others for 40 years.

 

Miracle of St. Anthony. I'm looking for other good stuff to read that will also improve my writing. Any suggestions?

 

Read the ESPN book. Like the beginning, about the founding of the company and how it survived its early years, the best.

 

Leavy's Mantle bio and Hauser's Ali bio. Currently Kindred's Morning Miracle.

 

"Unbroken" about Lou Zamperini

 

I'm a sports stats guy, but I lacked the background knowledge about soccer to really be able to get into that. I did find some of the essays, like about the misconceptions surrounding fanhood, to be really interesting. (Namely, that there are far less diehards than everyone assumes.)

Based on a Grantland article, I've reserved Ken Dryden's book from a local library; sounds like it'll be a good read.

 

I've about a third of the way thru Dan Barry's "Bottom of the 33rd," which is about the 33-inning minor league game between Pawtucket (featuring Wade Boggs) and Rochester (featuring Cal Ripken) in 1981. That was about the time I started following baseball seriously, so it's been a heckuva time capsule so far.

Next up are "The Extra 2 Percent," Jonah Keri's book about the Tampa Bay Rays, and "Cardboard Gods," Josh Wilker's semi-autobiographic paean to baseball cards.

 

I like to recommend Me and DiMaggio by Christopher Lehamnn-Haupt to sports writing folks. He chronicled the 1979 baseball season throughout the book, and it's actually the book that made me become a sports writer.

 

It is a little dense; so far, but I am really enjoying it.

I just wish I could write like author.