audiobooks

This is a kind of book that you would love to take with you for a short trip to the bathroom. Really, I do not mean to be insulting, but the truth is that each story is so short but crisp, and often pretty funny that it makes perfect light reading.

I especially like that Shannon tells stories of not only superstars, but also of players with true character. But I think the title is a bid overblown. Read a story about your favorite player and see if you like the rest. I enjoyed reading the stories for players that I do not even know.

Shannon's research is great, and his love of the sport comes through, but simply put the stories included aren't anything special. Anyone who has grown up listening to and loving our national pastime has certainly heard many stories much better than the ones here.

Shannon explains that his intent was not to repeat old anecdotes, but to write a book full of new ones. It's a noble goal, but unfortunately it results in a collection of mediocre and mostly uninteresting stories.

The easiest way to write a book is to have other people tell the story while you write it down and take credit. This is not meant to discredit the author, Mike Shannon. However, as a lifelong baseball fan, I already heard many of these stories. In many cases, I enjoyed reading these stories from the original source or a witness. Additionally, many of the stories chosen for the book are just not interesting.

If you like the Yankees, you will like the book. There are plenty of Yankee stories in here. If you hate the Yankees, this will make this a less than pleasurable read. I particulary enjoyed reading the Marge Schott stories. The exploits of the late Reds owner are always good for a laugh. Many of the stories seem to be about miserly owners. I particularly enjoyed reading about Bobby Thigpen's attempts at using poetry to get a raise. While many of the stories are informative, they aren't very entertaining. I was hoping to read more "inside the game stories."

To the casual fan or even big baseball fans, many of these stories are old news. I believe that this book is more geared toward younger readers who are learning about the game. This is probably a book most baseball fans can live without.