Sports books

I just started "A Civil War" by Feinstein, about the Army/Navy game. I've always been very interested in military academy sports and life and so far, just a few chapters in, I'm getting just what I had hoped for.

 

Paper Lion and Open Net by Plimpton.

 

Thanks to all who responded to my request.

I shall return the favour and recommend two books by veteran English sports writer David Foot - Fragments of Idolatry and Beyond Bat and Ball.

Both contain penetrating portraits, Beyond Bat and Ball of cricketers and Fragments of Idolatry of cricketers, rugby and football players and managers, writers, and the Jewish boxer Kid Berger.

Two beautifully written collections ... even if you don't know the subjects, you'll love the words.

 

One I just remembered:

Among the Thugs by Bill Buford, in which he penetrates a gang of soccer hooligans to see what makes them tick. Often times you will find yourself laughingly hysterically only to turn the page and finding yourself horrified. This book contains one of the most horrifying eye injuries I can possibly imagine. It reads like something out of an "Evil Dead" flick...except it's real.

 

One more thing. I assume WC Heinz's Once They Heard the Cheers is a cracker. Any comments?

 

"Foul Ball" by Bouton is pretty good, too.

 

FWIW, I second this redommendation. Tremendous read -- and in case you want a slightly too Hollywood-but-brutal/entertaining nonetheless look at Brit soccer Hooliganism, check out "Green Street Hooligans" with Elijah Wood -- and that horrific eye thing still gives me shivers....bad, bad, almost nauseous shivers.

 

Plimpton's hilarious follow-up to Paper Lion: Mad Ducks and Bears. If you can find it.

A Sense of Where You Are, John McPhee.

That was a helluva great list to start with!

 

One great way to find good baseball books is to look at Spitball Magazine's Casey Award finalists every year.

Last year, for example, they had Montville's Babe Ruth biography, Maraniss's Clemente bio, Brad Snyder's Curt Flood bio ("A Well-Paid Slave") and Josh Praeger's terrific book about the Bobby Thomson home run ("Echoing Green"). I think last year's winner was a two-volume book about changes in baseball through the year or something along those lines.

I think you can Google the list of winners each year and probably find the finalists from every year, as well.

 

Flashing Before My Eyes-Dick Schaap

 

Nice one. Thanks to all who responded...