Baseball DIY

So wandering around the nearby mega book store the other day I was intrigued by the new crop of books out for Father's Day. These displays are taking the space of the Mother's Day books and I couldn't help but notice that while last month we were all about weight loss and touching romance (not to mention "make your hosue a clutter-free zone!", this go-round is all about books on things you can throw and bbq. (Not things that can be barbequed and thrown, but you get the idea.)

Interesting society we are living in.

But still, lots of new baseball books out there, many of which appear to be total dreck but these might pique your interest. Lou Gerhig gets the biography treatment in The Luckiest Man. I've always been interested in Gerhig, both as a ball player and then poster child for ALS. This book strives to address each side of his very public life equally, which should round out his legend much more so than Gary Cooper's rather squeaky clean portrayal did.

The 100th anniversary of Ty Cobb's debut in the majors brings Peach, an illustrated biography of one of the game's more contentious personalities. (How pc is that?) What interested me about this book is that it is not only a bio of Cobb but also looks at how his legend has been treated in modern times. What was Cobb really like and why is he better know for being a jerk than a great player to pop culture afficionados? I kept thinking of that line in Field of Dreams where Shoeless Joe says they wouldn't let Cobb play because they didn't like him when he was alive. So why even throw that in there? Should be cool to see what else the authors dug up and the photos are all outstanding as well.

And hot off the success of Moneyball, Michael Lewis has a slim little "feel good" book out right now: Coach, a memoir about his high school baseball coach. It's not going to reveal anything mindblowing about the game like Moneyball did, but I'm a sucker for jocks who say thanks to the person who taught them what matters both on and off the field. It positively screams Father's Day gift by the way, even if your dad isn't a fan I'm sure he will love considering himself the leader in your life (whether or not that is true, who cares. He's going to think what he wants anyway.)

As for me I heartily recommend any and all books by Sarah Vowell who is the best writer ever when it comes to American history and sarcasm. Powells has a great interview with her and if you bought The Incredibles be sure to check out the extra with Sarah at work. She is the voice of Violet which has made reading her books all the more enjoyable for me. (I keep hearing her say, "Is Dad in trouble or the trouble?)

Sarah Vowell rocks even if she is a basketball fan.