2 Baseball books and a football book for your

[Baumbastic_Hawg]

… summer reading:

The Road to Omaha by Ryan McGee (of Marty & McGee) is about the 2008 CWS. 2008 was the year that the new ball park was announced. Many in Omaha were not happy to think of Rosenblatt closing, but it was inevitable. McGee did not dwell as much on the individual games as a lot of the surrounding details and the strategies of the games. If you have been to the “Blatt” you will appreciate it. If you have not, it will give you some insight.

Miracle on Grass by David Fanucchi is the story of the 2000 USA Olympic baseball team. At the time, Cuba was the world power in baseball. The win by a group of mostly unknown minor league players was shocking. I’ve just started this book, but it is interesting so far.

I also just reread The Real All Americans by Sally Jenkins. This book is about the Carlisle Indian School and their football team. It is also about the way football developed and how the game changed during its early days. Most think that Notre Dame was the first team to incorporate passing into the game. Not so fast, the Indians used passing several years before Notre Dame. The Indians coach for much of its time was Pop Warner. He came up with both the single wing and the double wing while coaching there.

[bobghawg]

the real AA sounds like an interesting book. Jim Thorpe played at Carlisle and I knew passing was around before Knute Rockne but I think at first the field was actually laid out in grids, thus gridiron, and you could not throw a ball outside the grid in which you had possession. The rule was changed and Notre Dame became the big power.

Thanks for the tip. I;ll try to find the book.

[ClayHenry]

Sally Jenkins did a wonderful job with the Real All-Americans. It really is a story about the country, not just the Carlisle school. I put it in the post on the football board.

I believe I recommended it about 10 years ago on this forum. My wife pulled it off a list of sports books she saw on-line and bought it for my birthday. I devoured it.

Another good book – very long – is Veek As in Wreck. Like I said, incredibly long. But it’s a fascinating story with great detail about one of the great salesman and sportsman of baseball.

[Baumbastic_Hawg]

I read both of those books on your recommendation. They are well worth the read.