Notable, quotable books
A few days ago, I was walking around Barnes and Noble (official motto: "Even we can't believe people pay for bookmarks") when I overheard two middle-aged men discussing the merits of Ric Flair's autobiography, "To be the Man."
"Flair was the man," one of the guys said. "He was the man in pro wrestling for 20 years. I gotta get this book."
Now, I don't like to make fun of people for something as silly as what books they like to read. (That's a lie.) I'm very open to all sorts of ideas and opinions. (Another lie.) And I don't want to imply that I think middle-aged men discussing a ghost-written book about a pro wrestler is in any way sad or comical.
(Lies, all lies.)
I merely want to provide a public service for those of you who are preparing your summer reading list, or are desperately searching for that perfect Father's Day gift. (Hint: bookmarks.)
Now, I read a lot of books. Specifically, I read a lot of sports books. I think reading is a very important and enriching activity that is essential for the mental health of people who don't have cable. (i.e. me.)
Since this is the sports page, I'll limit this list to sports books, which eliminates pro wrestling, NASCAR and cheerleading.
(Bocce does count as a sport, but a quick look at the book shelves reveals that bocce has been severely underappreciated by the literary community.)
I'm fully confident that not only will this list serve as a helpful gift guide, but also that I've written a long enough introduction to this column to enrage anyone not offended by the above shots at NASCAR, pro wrestling and cheerleading.
(Frankly, I'm surprised I haven't taken a shot at soccer yet.)
Five bestsports books
So, without further rambling, here are my five favorite sports books, which is not the same as saying the five sports books I thought were the best.
1. "Ball Four" by Jim Bouton.
A few years back, Sports Illustrated ranked this as the third-best sports book ever written behind A.J. Liebling's "The Sweet Science" and Roger Kahn's "Boys of Summer." I've read both and, while I really liked Boys of Summer, I can't understand why Liebling's book is ranked in the top 25, much less No. 1. Maybe because it's yellow. (Probably not.)
Even though "Ball Four" was written in 1969, it holds up really well and it's unbelievably quotable. To wit, 'In baseball the only thing that's really changed in a hundred years is the attitude toward beards.'
2. "When Pride Still Mattered" by David Maraniss.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist wrote a pretty much perfect biography of Vince Lombardi. Interestingly enough, the editor of "Ball Four," Leonard Schechter, wrote an infamously critical profile of Lombardi for Esquire in 1968.
(OK, it's not that interesting.)
3. "Friday Night Lights" by H.G. Bissinger.
I liked this book so much that I refuse to see the movie, even though I hear the movie is pretty good. (Also because I really, really dislike Billy Bob Thornton.)
4. "The Perfect Mile" by Neil Bascomb.
An account of Roger Bannister, John Landy and Wes Santee's quest to become the first four-minute miler. Really well done.
5. "When All the World was Browns Town" by Terry Pluto.
Pluto's ABA history, "Loose Balls," is more renowned (and rightly so), but I'm a big Browns fan and this is my favorite Browns book.
(If you happen to be a Steelers fan, please don't get your dad anything for Father's Day. He obviously didn't raise you the right way.)
Some othernotable books
Most overrated sports book: "Paper Lion" by George Plimpton. Influential writer. Influential idea. Dull book. Don't read it.
Best sports book I read (so far) this year: (tie) "The Last Day of the Yankee Dynasty" by Buster Olney and "America's Game" by Michael MacCambridge.
Worst sports book I read (so far) this year: "Juiced" by Jose Canseco. The book will soon be released in Spanish, titled "El Hombre Quimico" (The Chemist.)
I haven't taken Spanish since my sophomore year of high school, but I'll do my best to help our bilingual readers: "El libro de Canseco is muy, muy malo."
XJoe Scalzo is a sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write him at scalzo@vindy.com.