Three For The Pennant Run

The Battling Buccos seem poised to make a run at the first or second Wild Card playoff berth, so let’s keep our fingers crossed that they can continue surging forward in September!  In the meantime, here are three titles for those among us who love Fall baseball.

 The Baseball Codes : Beanballs, Sign Stealing, And Bench-clearing Brawls : The Unwritten Rules Of America’s Pastime by Jason Turbow with Michael Duca. No stage reveals baseball’s many esoteric “unwritten” rules quite like the playoffs. This book will provide the perfect companion to anyone wondering why the catcher  suddenly stands up and hurls epithets at the batter, or why a seemingly accidental hit-by-pitch sparks a series of 95 mph retaliation strikes!

  It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over : The Baseball Prospectus Pennant Race Book edited by Steven Goldman.  This 2007 book looks at some of the most famous and fascinating baseball pennant run chases through the game’s long history. This slick collection of historical essays on the game includes a number of what-if stories, and also recounts great deadline trade deals, pennant races that weren’t, and much more.

  When The Red Sox Ruled: Baseball’s First Dynasty, 1912 – 1918 by Thomas J. Whalen. Love them or hate them, the Red Sox represent a key pillar of Major League Baseball, and one of its most storied franchises. Mr. Whalen’s book explores the golden age before the Babe, and provides a telling glimpse into the professional baseball world of a bygone era.

–Scott P.