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8 new baseball books to carry you through spring training

Check out these recent books about America's pastime.

3. '100 Years of Who’s Who in Baseball,’ by the staff of Who’s Who in Baseball and Douglas B. Lyons

  • By Ross Atkin

Spring is accompanied each year by the arrival of one of the most cherished publications of baseball insiders and serious fans, the annual "Who's Who in Baseball." This year the book's 100th anniversary is celebrated with a collection of cover photos, analysis of why the players featured merited the coveted attention, and a review of the major news developments of each season. 

Here's an excerpt from the book:

“In and Around Baseball 1971: 

“Batting helmets become mandatory in both leagues. Bob Montgomery, a backup catcher to the Red Sox Carlton Fisk, continued to play through 1979 with only a protective wafer in his hat ... The Giants’ Willie Mays opens the season by doing something nobody has done before: he homers in the first four games ... April 27: Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hits his 600th career home run ... July 31: With the American League behind 3-0 [in the All-Star Game] in the bottom of the third, Reggie Jackson of the Oakland A’s pinch-hits for AL pitcher Vida Blue. Jackson’s one-out blast hit the light tower 540 feet away. The AL wins 6-4 – their first win in eight years, and their last until 1983 ... September 1: The Pittsburgh Pirates field the first all-minority lineup in history ... September 30: the second Senators team, managed by Ted Williams, plays its final game in Washington, D.C., before moving to Arlington to become the Texas Rangers. Rowdy fans jump onto the field in the top of the ninth inning at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium with Washington leading 7-5, impeding play. They dig up the pitcher’s mound and literally steal some of the bases including home plate. A forfeit was declared, giving the Yankees a 9-0 win.”

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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