The Yankee Years, Forever Blue, and Lovin' the World Champion Phillies

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'Tis the season for hot dogs, green grass, baseball ... and BTW's annual baseball book recommendations.

Though the Philadelphia Phillies won last year's World Series, the New York Yankees appear to be the dominant subject matter of many of this year's new releases. Or maybe it just seems that way since the most publicized -- and controversial -- baseball book to be released this winter was The Yankee Years by Joe Torre, with Tom Verducci (Doubleday). In addition, the closing of Yankee Stadium, the cathedral of baseball, warranted a number of books looking back on the stadium's and the team's illustrious history. That said, the Phillies' amazing 2008 season got its due in a number of tomes and the Red Sox remained a hot topic again this year.

Most years, I read a few baseball books over the winter, but this year was different. I got caught up in some very lengthy, but excellent novels (Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke, followed by Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth) and read only one baseball book. Fortunately, the one book I did read, I enjoyed immensely: Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Legends: The Truth, the Lies, and Everything Else (Fireside Books). Neyer's book is an easy read that you can pick up and put down at your leisure, but with fascinating stories regarding the history of America's pastime -- highly recommended.

Currently on my immediate to-read list are two books: As They See 'Em: A Fan's Travels in the Land of Umpires by Bruce Weber (Scribner) and a book released back in 2006, Baseball: A History of America's Favorite Game by George Vecsey (Modern Library).

And though, as a Yankee fan, it pains me to do this, I have to recommend Now I Can Die in Peace: How The Sports Guy Found Salvation Thanks to the World Champion (Twice!) Red Sox by Bill Simmons (ESPN Books), aka The Sports Guy. I am regular reader of The Sports Guy's highly entertaining, very funny Page 2 column on ESPN.com. If you're a fan of the Red Sox -- or any other team (other than the Yankees) -- check it out.

So, with the season set to begin on April 5, and under the guise of work, here is a very selective list of baseball books -- some classics, some recently published, and some upcoming books. The books are listed in alphabetical order. --David Grogan

  • 101 Reasons to Love the Phillies by Ron Green, Jr. (Stewart, Tabori, & Chang)

  • As They See 'Em: A Fan's Travels in the Land of Umpires by Bruce Weber (Scribner Book Company)

  • Babe Ruth: Remembering the Bambino in Stories, Photos & Memorabilia by Julia Ruth Stevens, Bill Gilbert, (Stewart, Tabori, & Chang)

  • Ball Four by Jim Bouton (John Wiley & Sons)
  • Baseball: A History of America's Favorite Game by George Vecsey (Modern Library)

  • Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero by David Maraniss (Simon & Schuster)

  • The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca, and the Shot Heard Round the World by Joshua Prager (Vintage Books USA)

  • Faith and Fear in Flushing: An Intense Personal History of the New York Mets by Greg Prince and Gary Cohen (April 2009, Skyhorse Publishing)

  • Few and Chosen Mets: Defining Mets Greatness Across the Eras by Phil Pepe and Rusty Staub; Foreword by Keith Hernandez (Triumph Books)

  • Forever Blue: The True Story of Walter O'Malley, Baseball's Most Controversial Owner, and the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles by Michael D'Antonio (Riverhead)

  • The Gashouse Gang: How Dizzy Dean, Leo Durocher, Branch Rickey, Pepper Martin, and Their Colorful, Come-From-Behind Ball Club Won the World Series -- and America's Heart by John Heidenry (PublicAffairs)

  • The Greatest Game: The Day That Bucky, Yaz, Reggie, Pudge, and Company Played the Most Memorable Game in Baseball's Most Intense Rivalry by Richard Bradley (Free Press)

  • Now I Can Die in Peace: How The Sports Guy Found Salvation Thanks to the World Champion (Twice!) Red Sox by Bill Simmons (ESPN Books)

  • Odd Man Out: A Year on the Mound With a Minor League Misfit by Matt McCarthy (Viking)

  • Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season by Jonathan Eig (Simon & Schuster)

  • Playing With the Enemy: A Baseball Prodigy, World War II, and the Long Journey Home by Gary W. Moore (Penguin Books)

  • Remembering Yankee Stadium: An Oral and Narrative History of the House That Ruth Built by Harvey Frommer (Stewart, Tabori, & Chang)

  • Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Legends: The Truth, the Lies, and Everything Else by Rob Neyer (Fireside Books)

  • Rollie's Follies: A Hall of Fame Revue of Baseball Stories and Stats, Lists and Lore by Rollie Fingers and Yellowstone Ritter (April 2009, Clerisy Press)

  • The Rocket That Fell to Earth: Roger Clemens and the Rage for Baseball Immortality by Jeff Pearlman (Harper)

  • Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Takes a Swing at Baseball by Bathroom Readers' Institute (Bathroom Readers' Press)

  • Vindicated: Big Names, Big Liars, and the Battle to Save Baseball by Jose Canseco (March 2009, Simon Spotlight Entertainment)

  • Yankee for Life: My 40-Year Journey in Pinstripes by Bobby Murcer and Glen Waggoner (April 21, 2009)

  • Yankee Stadium: A Tribute: 85 Years of Memories: 1923 - 2008 [with DVD] by Les Krantz (HarperEntertainment)

  • The Yankee Years by Joe Torre, with Tom Verducci (Doubleday)
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