Best Sports Books You've Ever Read?

[Mitchell]

What are some of the best sports books that forum members have ever read? I am not looking for any specific sports book here, it can be fictional, autobiographical, about a team, season, the career of a player, manager, coach, owner, or what not. I look forward to the replies. Here are my choices.
These arent in any particular order.

1. A Magic Summer. A very old book written in 1986 by an author named Stanley Cohen. The book details the amazing season of the 1969 Mets, day by day, series by series, from opening day, through to the World Series win against the Orioles. Cohen interviews players from the 69 Mets, and recounts history of that wonderful season.

2. The Last Season- Coach Phil Jackson's autobiographical account of the 2003-2004 Lakers season, his troubles with the team, management, the owner, and Kobe Bryant. Very interesting reading behind the scenes of the three time world champs, I thought.

3. Built To Win. Atlanta Braves General Manager John Scherholtz's book about his career, and incredible success as GM of the Atlanta Braves. Scherholtz provides the behind the scenes look at his career, and the specific formula of the success of the Braves.

4. Luckiest Man. Written in 2004, details the life and death of Yankee great Lou Gehrig. Describes his life, his playing career, his relationships with the great Babe Ruth, and Joe Dimaggio, and provides a perspective of both baseball, and life in the 1920s and 1930s.


5. My Unforgettable Season. Coach Red Holtzman's account of the 1969-1970 World Champion Knicks. Has interviews with former players, and really gives the fan a feel for what that season was like for that magical team.

I'm sure I can think of others, but those are some of my top choices. Any other thoughts?

Mitch

[Goodieluver]

"Cant anyone play this game?" Story about the Mets in their first season after the dodgers left new york and became the worst team in MLB history

Its full of rediculous happenings that its hard to believe its true, like a journeyman pitcher who worked years and years to get back to the show, finally makes it, 1 pitch, one hr, he retires

or the best, they had a hr contest for the mets, u hit it certain spots and u get points over the span of the season, winner gets a prize, so a guy won with 12 hrs so he got a prize, a 20 foot boat. Problem is he lived in the middle of like kansas, no bodies of water to use it, also he had to pay taxes on it
"it wasnt a gift, u won it"

and arguable if u wanna debate sport or not but the arn anderson biography or the 1st bobby heenan autobiography(the second is just too spitefilled)

[milagros317]

"Koufax" by Sandy Koufax with Ed Linn

Long out of print, pubished in 1966. A rare thing among sports books, in that it is an honest autobiography.

[kered]

Ball Four....

[shyguy]

"A Season on the Brink" - A good read about the 1985-86 Indiana Hoosiers and Bob Knight.

"Friday Night Lights" - A fascinating look into the world of Texas high school football.


Anthony

[Knox The Hatter]

"Cant anyone play this game?" Story about the Mets in their first season after the dodgers left new york and became the worst team in MLB history

Its full of rediculous happenings that its hard to believe its true, like a journeyman pitcher who worked years and years to get back to the show, finally makes it, 1 pitch, one hr, he retires

or the best, they had a hr contest for the mets, u hit it certain spots and u get points over the span of the season, winner gets a prize, so a guy won with 12 hrs so he got a prize, a 20 foot boat. Problem is he lived in the middle of like kansas, no bodies of water to use it, also he had to pay taxes on it
"it wasnt a gift, u won it"

and arguable if u wanna debate sport or not but the arn anderson biography or the 1st bobby heenan autobiography(the second is just too spitefilled)

I have a true rarity here. I have Maury Allen's paperback quickie about the '69 Mets that came out like the week after the World Series ended. It really captures the moment in a snapshot. I got it at one of the local Flea Markets for about five dollars.

Favorite sports book...well, I have three that I love: 1) David Halberstam's 'Summer of '49', 2) Roger Kahn's 'The Era', and 3) David Halberstam's 'October 1964'. Special mention: Douglas Wallop's 'The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant', a first print...from which the musical 'Damn Yankees' sprung forth, and Sparky Lyle's 'The Bronx Zoo', which you have to read while NOT eating or drinking, or you will make a mess all over yourself.

[Ray<3tiklishft]

I've read all of Ernie Harwell's books but the one I love best is "The Babe Signed My Shoe." Classic stuff and a must read for any baseball fan!

Another book I love is called "The Final Season" by Tom Stanton chronicling the last season at Tiger Stadium (1999). It actually had me in tears reminiscing all the years I went to the old ballpark on Michigan and Trumbull.

[CitY of MicA]

I loved "Ball Four," too, Kered. It's so funny- a great read. The last time I picked it up I ended up reading almost the entire thing again. His negotiations with the Yankees in the first chapter were so hilarious. It's just the ultimate insider sports book and the one that kicked off the craze. And to think he played for years after writing it with so many of the players he wrote about still around. Takes some guts...

[KoocheeKoo]

"Clean Old Fashioned Hate"

awesome book detailing the storied football rivalry between the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech (esp. interesting to me since I'm a lifelong UGA fan....but my dad and sis are both rabid Tech fans; she a Tech alum. Needless to say, the annual Tech-UGA game is always a huge event in my family :D

[Knox The Hatter]

Here's one. 'The Open Man', by the late Dave DeBusschere. It was his day-by-day diary of the '69-70 Knicks championship season. Long out of print...you're gonna have to hit the library, or a used book store.

[Mitchell]

If At First...

Keith Hernandez's day by day account of the 1985 New York Mets season. He provides insight to the pennant race, the climate of the team, and his own personal struggles with divorce, and testimony at a drug trial of major leaguers in Pittsburgh. The Mets, as most fans know, fell just short that year, but Hernandez paints a picture of the season with his day by day account, that makes the reader feel as if they were experiencing that turbulent year with him.

Mitch

[pseudonym]

Three about soccer, two about (American) football, two about golf:

The Game of Their Lives : The Untold Story of the World Cup's Biggest Upset,
by Geoffrey Douglas. How a rag-tag US soccer team upset mighty England in the 1950 World Cup.

The girls of summer : the U.S. women's soccer team and how it changed the world, by Jere Longman. Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, and the rest party like it's 1999.

The Glory Game, by Hunter Davies. A season with Tottenham Hotspur in the 1970s. Gritty classic on English soccer.

The Biggest Game of Them All: Michigan State, Notre Dame, and the Fall of '66, by Mike Celizic. Number One and Number Two meet in the final game of the season. As Celizic says, it was a game neither team deserved to lose, and neither team did.

Instant Replay. by Jerry Kramer. The classic diary on Vince Lomdardi's Green Bay Packers. Also see Kramer's followup "Distant Replay" and Lombardi's own "Run to Daylight."

Golf's Greatest Championship: the 1960 US Open, by Julian Graubart. Young Nicklaus, old Hogan, and Arnie in his prime.

Golf is my Game, by Bobby Jones. His writings on the Grand Slam are great, especially the British Amateur at Saint Andrew's and the match with Cyril Tolley, after which Jones said he felt as if he'd "fought Tolley with broadswords or cudgels."

[sammyanderton]

Soul Crew by David Jones and Tony Rivers. As the cover says, The inside story of Britain´s most notorious hooligan gang. Not exactly a sports book but I would place it in the category. Anyway it´s a good book!

[toyou444]

The last sports related book I read was the biography of Ted Williams. What an amazxing read.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385507488/103-1454161-7986241?v=glance&n=283155

That man could be complete ass and almost godlike in a matter of a few minutes.

I recommend it.

~ toyou

[luvgirlsfeet]

Wayne Gretzky's Autobiography