Baseball Books

Memorial Day is the unofficial kickoff to summer. A little summer reading never hurt. Here are some fresh baseball takes on some Ernest Hemingway classics. Be sure to pick them up before you book your vacation to the beach.

“The (Robin)son Also Rises”- The protagonist is not an impotent war veteran in this coming-of-age installment of Hemingway’s bullfighting, bar-hopping classic. In fact, the main character is quite potent—at the plate, that is. Robinson Cano discovers his batting swing and in doing so, matures into the player the Yankees knew they were grooming for the second base job. Melky Cabrera is the modern day version of Roger Cohn, the struggling wanderlust writer. Cabrera is transported to Atlanta, where he loses touch with his good friend, Cano.
“To Walk-off and Walk Not”- The uplifting tale turned tragic is updated to present day Anaheim, California. Harry Morgan isn’t the brooding fishing boat captain, but this story still involves Cuba. Budding Cuban native, 26 year old first baseman, Kendry Morales, provides a new spin on critical decision making after he hits a walk-off grand slam in a late May baseball game. Morales celebrates for only a few brief minutes before breaking his leg while jumping around with teammates at home plate. A stirring string of calamities haunt Morales and his Angel-mates throughout the remainder of the season. The theme here is clear: You have to live with the consequences of your actions.
“For Whom the Ball Tolls”- Seventy years after its publication, a different kind of guerilla force is upon us. Mired in a losing season, Cleveland Indians’ pitcher David Huff, takes a drilling to the head during a game against the New York Yankees. The San Diego native’s experience sheds light on the dangers and vulnerability of pitching, much as Robert Jordan’s expertise is utilized to blow up a bridge. Alex Rodriguez adds the Spanish element in “For Whom the Ball Tolls”, and the entire Cleveland medical staff plays the part of Huff’s guide, Anselmo.
“A Farewell to Farms”-The descriptive and dreary “Farewell” evokes shades of Hemingway’s original novel. The setting is a deteriorating Detroit, Michigan in 2010. Sports are the only thing keeping the Motor City alive. Triple-A farmhand, Max Scherzer, is called back up to the majors to pitch against the Oakland A’s. The contest ends in a 10-2 victory and Scherzer striking out 14 batters. The saga lacks the tragic romance between Frederic Henry and Catherine Barkley, but Scherzer does change the mechanical flaw in his arm just as Henry becomes the stoic hero under duress.
“The Old Man and the C’s”-Tony LaRussa is the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, who venture up the river to Chicago. Instead of a fictitious marlin that raises the hairs of an old fisherman, it’s the rival Cubs LaRussa must endure with the help of young friend, Albert Pujols. LaRussa dreams of his youth after watching Pujols club three homeruns and take down Lou Piniella’s shark-like Cubs. Although Pujols assumes the role of Manolin, his slumping struggles prior to the homerun eruptions are not unlike Santiago’s failure to catch a fish in 84 days. The novella doesn’t mention Joe DiMaggio, but there is a reference to the great Cardinal, Stan Musial.