Paperback(Expanded edition)
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Overview
No other sport has inspired as many great writers as baseball has, and this exceptional anthology brings together 34 short stories about the nation’s favorite pastime. The stories span several decades and are written by some of America’s favorite writers, including Zane Grey, James Thurber, Robert Penn Warren, T. Coraghessan Boyle, and Michael Chabon, among others. Many of the stories are about the game itself, while others use baseball as a backdrop for timeless themes, such as morality, greed, and love. Eight new stories have been added to this expanded edition and include “Bullet in the Brain” by Tobias Wolff, in which baseball is the surprising last memory of a dying man; George Plimpton’s “The Curious Case of Sidd Finch,” a fictional story about a baseball player who throws a 150-mph fastball that was a notorious April Fools’ Day hoax in Sports Illustrated; and Leslie Pietrzyk’s “What We All Want,” about a pitcher’s wife’s concern for her aging husband. This collection is for all baseball lovers—long after the season is over.
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9781613743768 |
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Publisher: | Chicago Review Press, Incorporated |
Publication date: | 04/01/2012 |
Series: | Sporting's Best Short Stories series |
Edition description: | Expanded edition |
Pages: | 440 |
Product dimensions: | 6.04(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.88(d) |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Preface to the Expanded Edition ix
Preface to the Original Edition xi
Casey at the Bat Ernest L. Thayer 1
Casey at the Bat Frank Deford 5
The Thrill of the Grass W. P. Kinsella 33
The Rube's Waterloo Zane Grey 43
Alibi Ike Ring Lardner 55
Three New Twins Join Club in Spring Garrison Keillor 73
A Family Game Brendan DuBois 77
Goodwood Comes Back Robert Penn Warren 99
The Rookie Eliot Asinof 109
The Crab Gerald Beaumont 123
Baseball in April Gary Soto 139
You Could Look It Up James G. Thurber 147
Smoke Michael Chabon 161
One Throw W. C. Heinz 171
A Game of Catch Richard Wilbur 177
A Pitcher Grows Tired Ashley Buck 183
Baseball Hattie Damon Runyon 189
Bullet in the Brain Tobias Wolff 201
The Master's Touch Herbert Warren Wind 207
What Did We Do Wrong? Garrison Keillor 223
Horseshoes Ring Lardner 233
Fielder's Choice Edward L. McKenna 255
Brooklyns Lose William Heuman 261
The Pitcher and the Plutocrat P. G. Wodehouse 269
Gandhi at the Bat Chet Williamson 281
The Curious Case of Sidd Finch George Plimpton 287
Jamesie J. F. Powers 301
Leg Steven Polansky 319
The Crambury Tiger Arthur "Bugs" Baer 333
What We All Want Leslie Pietrzyk 343
Who's on First? Lloyd Biggle Jr 361
Death of a Right Fielder Stuart Dybek 391
The Umpire Was a Rookie Arnold Hano 395
The Hector Quesadilla Story T. Coraghessan Boyle 409
Acknowledgments 421
Credits 423
What People are Saying About This
"You needn't be a sports fan to enjoy these 34 hugely entertaining tales."—Reader's Digest
"A thoroughly enjoyable addition to any library, whether or not the original is still on the shelves." —Booklist
“An exciting collection of some of the best 20th-century writers venturing into some unexpected venues.” —Arizona Daily Star
"This delightful collection, running from photographic realism to fantasy, is baseball at its best. Truth may be stranger than fiction, but these stories demonstrate that fiction can be truer than fact. If you like baseball, you owe yourself this treat." —Leonard Koppett, Hall of Fame Sportswriter
“Staudohar has hit it out of the park.” —Publishers Weekly
"[Baseball's Best Short Stories] brings back a lot of good memories of my playing days. Also, great stories of old-time players." —Stan Musial
"Baseball fans and those who appreciate its cultural impact will welcome this. Highly recommended."—Library Journal Xpress
"The classic collection for the 21st century...Every American home needs a bookcase devoted to baseball literature, from Bernard Malamud's The Natural to Elliot Asinof's Eight Men Out. Make a little more room for this one." —Creative Loafing Tampa