Wild Pitches

As the end of the year is near, I was thinking about how this year has gone for me relating to baseball.

I took a great road trip through the Carolinas. I visited the great Ty Cobb Museum in Georgia, the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, and went to a ton of ball parks.

I read a bunch of good books too. I thought now might be a great time to mention a couple of great books I read recently (and mentioned before) that I really liked.

I don't know about you, but I don't think I can ever read another baseball scandal type book. I doubt I will ever read another biography of today's top players either.

I love books about underdogs, the guys in the minors, and books about guys who had a baseball career, but went on to live productive lives in other areas.

I really enjoyed Dave Baldwin's "Snake Jazz." Dave wrote a great book about his days in baseball, and his life after ball. Dave is witty and just fun to read. I might almost say his writing could be compared to Bill Lee's, but Dave's is a bit more family friendly, and more focused.

Norm Bass III put together an amazing volume (the book is the size of an encyclopedia) about his dad, Norm Bass Jr. This is a great read on many levels. Top musicians, a legendary boxer, and other athletes make appearances in this book. "Color Him Father" is a vivid book about Norm Bass Jr. and his career, while also painting a great picture of race relations, and baseball and football during this time.

Nellie King wrote a GREAT book about his brief playing days in Pittsburgh and his radio career after that. He has very humble beginnings in the Hershey PA area. He talks about his wife, and his family, and he even talks about his health later in life. I was VERY sad to hear about the passing of Nellie just a couple of months ago. I am VERY happy that he wrote "Happiness is like a Cur Dog" before his passing. His blog is still maintained by his family, and a scholarship fund has been set up!