Summer’s here and the time is right … for reading about baseball.
I’m not suggesting perusing Rockies box scores. Recommending that would constitute cruel and unusual punishment. I’m talking about baseball books: filled with humor, history and nostalgia.
No other sport reads as well. So, whether you’re sitting on the beach, hanging out in your backyard hammock, chilling on a mountain deck or waiting out the Rockies’ next call to the bullpen, I’ve got a few recommendations for you.
Start with Tony DeMarco’s “Tales From the Colorado Rockies.” It’s a quick read full of lively anecdotes, insights and colorful characters. For anyone new to Colorado, or for those of you who hopped on the “Rocktober” bandwagon last fall (and haven’t hopped off it just yet), DeMarco’s book is a must-read. DeMarco was a Rockies beat writer for The Denver Post during the club’s early days, so he’s got plenty of juicy stuff. One of my favorite anecdotes recalls Larry Walker’s obsession with the number three.
Good stuff.
If I were to recommend one writer who captures the feeling of baseball — dare I say — the poetry of the game, it would be Roger Angell. Years ago, my father handed down his worn copy of Angell’s classic, “The Summer Game.” It remains one of my all-time favorite sports books. In this day and age of huge money and Scott Boras, Angell comes off as a bit of a romantic, but that’s fine with me.
I met Angell by happenstance two years ago at a Rockies-Giants spring training game in Scottsdale, Ariz. I quoted something he wrote about Choo Choo Coleman, a backup catcher for the infamous 1962 Mets.
“Coleman is quick on the base paths, but this is an attribute that is about as essential for catchers as neat handwriting. . . . He handles outside curveballs like a man battling bees.”
Angell seemed pleased, then said, “Yes, I remember writing that. Choo Choo was quite a character.”
Finally, if you’re interested in baseball and its place in our culture, here are three must-haves: “October 1964,” by the late, great David Halberstam; “Babe: The Legend Comes to Life,” by Robert W. Creamer; and “Clemente,” by David Maraniss.
