The Best Sports Books

Joe Posnanski challenged his readers to come up with the greatest sports books ever. Here is the link. So far there are 457 comments (the last two by me). Here was my input:

Thank you, Joe, for bringing this subject up and to all of you for your input. I’ve made a reading list based on your comments that should keep me busy for many years. Even though I’m comment #456 (or so), I have noted a number of books that I have not seen in the first 455. I’ve listed my favorite 10 sports books, some of which have not been noted by others, and have added some other wonderful books below that also have not been listed.


1 - I know Joe will be embarrassed by this, but if I can only read 1 book, make it Joe’s Soul of Baseball. I purchased 45 copies of that book, 44 in hardcover. I gave away all but the last one, which I bought at the Negro League Museum in KC, and which I had signed by Bob Kendrick. That’s the one I kept for myself.

2 – Missing Links by Rick Reilly. How is it that this book has not yet been listed here yet? The funniest book ever. I only bought 30 copies of this one, 29 for gifts. Everyone who has read all the way down to this comment should go buy this book now!

3 – Life on the Run by Bill Bradley. Great stuff written by my only sports hero.

4 – Moneyball by Michael Lewis. I’ll read anything by Lewis.

5 – Breaks of the Game by David Halberstam. It’s hard not to put The Teammates on this list of 10, or October, 1964 for that matter.

6 – The Match by Mark Frost. Another book not yet mentioned. Great stuff. If you are a golfer, you should go buy this book.

7 – Heart of the Game by Joe’s fellow SI writer, S. L. Price. That boy can really write! Another book that hasn’t been mentioned by anyone yet.

8 – Vision Quest by Terry Davis. The classic book (and great movie) about high school wrestling. Nobody has noted this one either. I corresponded recently with Terry about the story, and he said that it was NOT based on Larry Owings’ upset of Dan Gable in the 1970 NCAA finals. He did not know that like Louden Swain, Owings dropped over 30 pounds just so he could wrestle the unbeatable Gable. It was the only match Gable lost in high school or college, an athlete who unfairly is never remembered in the discussions of greatest American athlete. He was not even in SI's top 100 athletes of the 20th century when they published that 10 years ago. Are you kidding?

9 – 1941 by Mike Vaccaro. Only Joe has noted this one. This is a great picture of the big sports events of the year in the context of the world preparing for war. The story of the Joe Louis – Billy Conn fight was unforgettable.

10 – The Catch by Gary Myers. The biggest moment in Bay Area sports history, and possibly in the history of the NFL. Also has gone unmentioned.

A few other fine books that have not been listed:

War as They Knew It by Michael Rosenberg. This is about the Michigan – Ohio State football rivalry in the era of Woody and Bo.

Strokes of Genius by L. Jon Wertheim. This is the story of the 2008 Wimbledon final when Nadal beat Federer in what Johnny Mac calls the greatest match ever.

Willie’s Boys by John Klima. This is the story of Willie Mays and the 1948 Birmingham Black Barons. I’m reading this now, and it is wonderful stuff.

Shanks for Nothing by Rick Reilly. The sequel to Missing Links, and just as funny.

Harrington On Hold ‘Em. With all due respect to Doyle Brunson, this trilogy is the bible for Hold ‘Em players.

Foul Ball by Jim Bouton. Bouton wrote the truly classic and still in print Ball Four, listed many times here. He wrote another book just a few years about his struggle to save classic old Wahconah Park in Pittsfield, MA. Despite the huge success of Ball Four, Bouton had to self publish this book. It’s not Ball Four, and it’s a little self-serving, but it is nonetheless a good story.

The Yogi Book, by Yogi Berra. Yogi talks about the circumstances around his famous quotations. Everyone in America should buy this book. Here is my favorite, less well known Yogi-ism: “If you don’t set goals, then you can’t regret not achieving them.”

Finally, I’ve got to mention two books which changed by life:

The Chip Hilton Sports Series by Clair Bee. I learned to read with this series, and I’m the proud owner of 5 copies of the incredibly rare “Hungry Hurler”, one of which is autographed by Bee.

The original Rotisserie League Baseball. My wife would say this one changed my life for the worse.