Prospectus radio
 

Larry Dierker interview, touches on players mental game, and the Stros move to Enron and their adjustment to it after the Dome, managing a pitching team vs hitting team ect.

http://radio.baseballprospectus.com/

I enjoyed that one. I wish Zumsteg would speak up, but it made me want to buy Larry's book.

No doubt, mumble, mumble... FYI the dude is pretty large, at the BP Pizza feed i noted that as well as his loud gregaroius nature, he's probably a little microphone shy.

We should start a Redszone "Baseball" Book Club, we could list any books that we're looking to read without buying and then do the book rate ship, all the mail and stuff would be between posters and you could post what books you're looking for or what books you're willing to throw out in the fray, I have lots of books, some I wouldn't want to throw out there but others I wouldn't mind.

I ponder Larrys book at times, but I'm looking for it used first and foremost.

Excellent idea, woy. Unfortunately, I recently purged some books but I may one or two at home. I'm interested in Whitey Herzog's book and, believe it or not, I heard it was terrific, Keith Hernandez's.

I have Whiteys first book (White Rat) in paperback, I too am interested in Whiteys 2nd book

"You're Missing a Great Game" Is that it?

The recently revised edition Dollar Sign on the Muscle is available used in paperback all over the internet. Perhaps my favorite baseball book ever. I'm not parting with my copy. It's marked up and dog-eared anyway.

Other favorites of mine "Prophet of the Sandlot" and of course "Moneyball" and anything by Bill James.

Anyone read "The Teammates" yet? That's supposed to be good.

If anyone wants a copy of "The Long Ball" (which has a lot of 1975 Reds stuff in it), I'd sell it for 1/2 of list price plus shipping. It's very compelling at times and slow in others.

One of the better baseball books of last year was Paths to Glory by Mark Armour and Daniel Levitt. Excellent analysis on how several successful teams were built (big surprise, it wasn't by overpaying marginal veterans and trying a new pitching staff every year). I was disappointed by Long Ball. Anyone read Triumph and Tragedy in Mudville?

For those of us unfamiliar with some of the books, it would be extremely helpful to tag them as fiction or nonfiction.

No problem. Everything I listed above was non-fiction. In terms of fiction, I've heard good things about "If I Never Get Back." I own in, and have never read it.

Mark Armor is the head of the SABR Bio project,

Rojo, that's the title.

Past Time - Baseball as History by Jules Tygiel is a great non fiction read.

Thanks, Chili. I own it too. You really should read it; it's a good book.

If I Never Get Back is the best baseball fiction book I've ever read. I would also highly recommend another of Daryl Brock's books Havana Heat, which doesn't have the Reds focus of If I Never Get Back, but is a fascinating look at baseball in the deadball era through the eyes of Giants pitcher Luther "Dummy" Taylor".

chili, If I Never Get Back is a great novel with a little history, a little baseball, a little intrique, and a little romance. I smiled all the way through. Now, you have to "suspend you disbelief" since it involve time travel and all, but it's worth it.

There's a wonderful conversation between the narator Sam and Andy Leonard who befriends him about stats, sort of. I think Sam asks him about his BA and Andy is puzzled. He ends up saying something like "it's runs that count and not making outs."

I found it a great way to introduce the the differences in the game, then and now.

As for a RedsZone book club, I'd be willing to share, although I doubt I have much that others would be interested in.

woy, great idea.

John Helyar's Lords of the Realm is outstanding.

Don't be scared away by the topic, but it's a history of the business of baseball. It's written by a Wall Street Journal Reporter.

It really does read like a novel, with great "characters" (Ted Turner, Bowie Kuhn, Charlie Finley), even though it's non-fiction.