In 2026, international superstars dominate the leaderboards and female coaches hold major league staff positions. The sport looks entirely different than it did fifty years ago. Reading the historical texts that document this … Read more
By Avery Collins Originally Published: 2012 Updated: March 19, 2026
In the landscape of 2026, where every swing is decomposed into a series of biomechanical data points and exit velocities, reading Bernard Malamud’s 1952 masterpiece, The Natural, feels like … Read more
I used to think books fell into two groups: those for plot and those for art. But then, I read a baseball book. It was more than a sports story; it was a story about stories. My move from thrillers … Read more
George Plimpton once said that sports writing quality is the opposite of the ball size. This is a funny idea, but it’s wrong. The amount of writing about baseball shows it’s more than just a game. It’s a place where … Read more
We’re not just eating hot dogs; we’re enjoying the luxury of literary box seats. The real question is not if baseball novels make great films, but why they excel. They offer a treasure trove of material.
Take Jim Bouton’s Ball … Read more
We don’t just watch baseball for the stats. We watch for the feeling of a bygone era. A time when the world seemed simpler, and the sound of a bat was music to our ears. This is the magic of … Read more
What does a box score tell you about Kirk Gibson’s 1988 World Series home run? It shows it was a walk-off in Game 1. But it doesn’t tell you about Gibson’s injured legs or the crowd’s roar. The story is … Read more
America loves tall tales, from Paul Bunyan to Pecos Bill. Baseball is no exception. Its long history and stats create a perfect place for baseball magical realism. This mix of the impossible and the real makes the game … Read more
What does it mean to be a celebrant? This isn’t a question for a church, but for the green cathedral of the ballpark. In fiction, a great baseball novel doesn’t just recount a game. It explores the sacred. It … Read more
By Books on Baseball Staff | February 13, 2026
There is no clock in baseball, but there is a calendar. And on that calendar, mid-February is the holiest of times.
As we write this, equipment trucks have arrived in Arizona … Read more
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