One for the Books: Hit a home run with one of these baseball-themed books
From heartwarming tales of underdog triumphs to the 'Shot Heard Round the World,' baseball-themed romances and more, these novels capture the spirit of the game in all its glory. Whether you're a lifelong fan or simply love a good sports story, here's a lineup of standout reads that really hit it out of the park!
'The Art of Fielding' by Chad Harbach
Harpooners baseball star Henry Skrimshander's fight against self-doubt threatens to ruin his future. Westish College president Guert Affenlight, a longtime bachelor, has fallen unexpectedly in love. Owen Dunne, Henry's gay roommate and teammate, becomes caught up in a dangerous affair. Mike Schwartz, the Harpooners' team captain and Henry's best friend, realizes he has guided Henry's career at the expense of his own. And Pella Affenlight, Guert's daughter, returns to Westish after escaping an ill-fated marriage, determined to start a new life. As the season counts down to its climactic final game, these five are forced to confront their deepest hopes, anxieties and secrets.
'Moneyball' by Michael Lewis
'Moneyball' tells the true story of how the low-budget Oakland A's, led by unconventional GM Billy Beane, used data-driven analysis to challenge baseball's old-school thinking — and win. Michael Lewis follows a cast of overlooked players, outsider statisticians and bold executives who proved that brains could beat budget. Both a gripping sports story and a sharp business tale, 'Moneyball' reveals how numbers changed the game forever.
'Underworld' by Don DeLillo
Set against the backdrop of one of baseball's most iconic moments, the 1951 'Shot Heard Round the World' that clinched the game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants, this novel intertwines a pivotal day in sports history with the chilling dawn of the Cold War, marked by Russia's first hydrogen bomb test. 'Underworld' then unfolds the intertwined lives of Klara Sax and Nick Shay, tracing half a century of American life through the turbulence of the Cold War and beyond.
'Shoeless Joe' by W. P. Kinsella
'If you build it, he will come.' These mysterious words inspire Ray Kinsella to create a cornfield baseball diamond in honor of his hero, Shoeless Joe Jackson. What follows is a rich, nostalgic look at one of our most cherished national pastimes and a remarkable story about fathers and sons, love and family and the inimitable joy of finding your way home.
'The Brothers K' by David James Duncan
A richly layered novel blending family tensions, baseball, politics and religion, both funny and heartbreaking. Narrated by Kincaid Chance, the youngest of seven children, it follows the family's journey from the Eisenhower era through the Vietnam years, shaped by their father's lost baseball career and their mother's deepening religious fervor.
'The Universal Baseball Association' by Robert Coover
J. Henry Waugh immerses himself in his fantasy baseball league every night after work. As owner of every team in the league, Henry is flush with pride in a young rookie who is pitching a perfect game. When the pitcher completes the miracle game, Henry's life lights up. But then the rookie is killed by a freak accident, and this 'death' affects Henry's life in ways unimaginable. In a blackly comic novel that takes the reader between the real world and fantasy, Robert Coover delves into the notions of chance and power.
'Caught Up' by Liz Tomforde
Kai Rhodes, a single father and star pitcher for Chicago's MLB team, is barely keeping it together. After burning through a string of nannies, his coach steps in, hiring his own daughter, Miller Montgomery, as a last resort. She's everything Kai doesn't need: young, free-spirited and only in town for the summer. Fresh off a major culinary award, Miller is a high-end pastry chef facing creative burnout. Hoping for a reset, she agrees to spend her break caring for Kai's son. What starts as a temporary arrangement quickly turns into something deeper, as unexpected sparks fly, and emotional walls begin to crumble.
'Homerun Proposal' by Maren Moore
The plan was simple: hit a home run, then lose my virginity. Only … the proposal landed in the wrong hands. It was meant for my best friend, but fate had other plans, and Lane Collins, his infuriatingly handsome and charming older brother, got it instead. Lane is Orleans University's All-Star baseball captain: cocky, a talented pitcher, and the ultimate player on and off the field. The guy I've secretly crushed on since we were kids. When Lane signs on to my proposal and offers to teach me everything, there's only one rule: once it's over, we walk away. But with my heart in play, this game just got a lot more complicated.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
R.I.P. Tom Lehrer, mathematician and musical satirist
Tom Lehrer, the renowned Cold War-era musical satirist whose jaunty and grim show tunes inspired generations, has died. Per Variety, Lehrer was found dead at his Cambridge, MA, home on July 26. He was 97. Lehrer infiltrated the world of music from the ivory tower of academia. Born in New York City in 1928, Lehrer was a math prodigy. He entered Harvard at the age of 15 and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in mathematics, magna cum laude, before his 20th birthday. He received his master's in 1947 and went on to teach math at MIT, Harvard, Wellesley, and UC Santa Cruz, where he remained for much of his career. After being drafted into the army in 1955, he served in the NSA. There, he made his first contribution to American society: The Jell-O shot. 'We were having a Christmas party on the naval base where I was working in Washington, D.C. The rules said no alcoholic beverages were allowed,' Lehrer told San Francisco Weekly. 'We wanted to have a little party, so this friend and I spent an evening experimenting with Jell-O. It wasn't a beverage.' Lehrer's unassuming rule-bending served him well as a satirist who couched a sardonic worldview in upbeat show tunes. After some time on the nightclub circuit, where he delighted Isaac Asimov with songs about venereal disease, Lehrer recorded his first album, Songs By Tom Lehrer, for $15 in 1953. Mocking his alma mater, the Boy Scouts, and Confederate nostalgia, Lehrer established himself as a bespectacled firebrand with a wry smile who didn't pull punches. He returned six years later with More Of Tom Lehrer, which included 'Poisoning Pigeons In The Park' and 'The Elements,' perhaps his most famous song. Parodying Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates Of Penzance tongue twister, 'Major-General's Song,' Lehrer's 'Elements' recounted all 102 chemical elements on the periodic table. It became a staple of elementary school science classes and popular culture. Yakko Warner used 'The Elements' as the basis for 'Yakko's World,' an Animaniacs fan favorite that has found currency in social media memes. Daniel Radcliffe said a recitation of 'The Elements' landed him the role of 'Weird Al' in Weird. Lehrer's political engagement extended beyond the United States. While touring New Zealand in 1960, he criticized Prime Minister Walter Nash and the New Zealand Rugby Football Union for its racist exclusion of Māori players from a tour of apartheid South Africa. 'When the team goes to South Africa, we all must act politely,' Lehrer sings in 'Oh, Mr. Nash. 'So to all their local problems, let's be mute. It might be a friendly gesture as a token of affection if we brought along some Blacks for them to shoot.' Saying he was banned and threatened with arrest for his satire, Lehrer stopped touring in the early '60s. He found work on the satirical news programs That Was The Week That Was and the BBC's The Frost Report. Later, Lehrer wrote songs for The Electric Company. Though he retired from music, his legend grew, influencing Dr. Demento, 'Weird Al' Yankovic, Randy Newman, and Steely Dan's Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. In 2012, his parody of 'The Old Lamplighter,' entitled 'The Old Dope Peddler,' was sampled by 2 Chainz for the track 'Dope Peddler.' When asked permission to use the song, Lehrer reportedly responded, 'I grant you motherfuckers permission to do this. Please give my regards to Mr. Chainz, or may I call him 2?' In 2020, Lehrer put all his songs and lyrics in the public domain before relinquishing the copyrights to his songbook two years later. Though he retired from music, Lehrer remained a keen observer of the political world. In 2000, responding to questions about his musical retirement, he told The New York Times, 'Political satire became obsolete when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.' More from A.V. Club The biggest news (so far) from San Diego Comic-Con 2025 What's on TV this week—Chief Of War and Eyes Of Wakanda R.I.P. Tom Lehrer, mathematician and musical satirist Solve the daily Crossword
Washington Post
3 hours ago
- Washington Post
Tom Lehrer, song satirist and mathematician, dies at 97
LOS ANGELES — Tom Lehrer, the popular and erudite song satirist who lampooned marriage, politics, racism and the Cold War, then largely abandoned his music career to return to teaching math at Harvard and other universities, has died. He was 97. Longtime friend David Herder said Lehrer died Saturday at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He did not specify a cause of death.
Chicago Tribune
3 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Tom Lehrer, song satirist and mathematician, dies at 97
LOS ANGELES — Tom Lehrer, the popular and erudite song satirist who lampooned marriage, politics, racism and the Cold War, then largely abandoned his music career to return to teaching math at Harvard and other universities, has died. He was 97. Longtime friend David Herder said Lehrer died Saturday at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He did not specify a cause of death. Lehrer had remained on the math faculty of the University of California at Santa Cruz well into his late 70s. In 2020, he even turned away from his own copyright, granting the public permission to use his lyrics in any format without any fee in return. A Harvard prodigy (he had earned a math degree from the institution at age 18), Lehrer soon turned his very sharp mind to old traditions and current events. His songs included 'Poisoning Pigeons in the Park,' 'The Old Dope Peddler' (set to a tune reminiscent of 'The Old Lamplighter'), 'Be Prepared' (in which he mocked the Boy Scouts) and 'The Vatican Rag,' in which Lehrer, an atheist, poked at the rites and ceremonies of the Roman Catholic Church. (Sample lyrics: 'Get down on your knees, fiddle with your rosaries. Bow your head with great respect, and genuflect, genuflect, genuflect.') Accompanying himself on piano, he performed the songs in a colorful style reminiscent of such musical heroes as Gilbert and Sullivan and Stephen Sondheim, the latter a lifelong friend. Lehrer was often likened to such contemporaries as Allen Sherman and Stan Freberg for his comic riffs on culture and politics and he was cited by Randy Newman and 'Weird Al' Jankovic among others as an influence. He mocked the forms of music he didn't like (modern folk songs, rock 'n' roll and modern jazz), laughed at the threat of nuclear annihilation and denounced discrimination. But he attacked in such an erudite, even polite, manner that almost no one objected. 'Tom Lehrer is the most brilliant song satirist ever recorded,' musicologist Barry Hansen once said. Hansen co-produced the 2000 boxed set of Lehrer's songs, 'The Remains of Tom Lehrer,' and had featured Lehrer's music for decades on his syndicated 'Dr. Demento' radio show. Lehrer's body of work was actually quite small, amounting to about three dozen songs. 'When I got a funny idea for a song, I wrote it. And if I didn't, I didn't,' Lehrer told The Associated Press in 2000 during a rare interview. 'I wasn't like a real writer who would sit down and put a piece of paper in the typewriter. And when I quit writing, I just quit. … It wasn't like I had writer's block.' He'd gotten into performing accidentally when he began to compose songs in the early 1950s to amuse his friends. Soon he was performing them at coffeehouses around Cambridge, Massachusetts, while he remained at Harvard to teach and obtain a master's degree in math. He cut his first record in 1953, 'Songs by Tom Lehrer,' which included 'I Wanna Go Back to Dixie,' lampooning the attitudes of the Old South, and the 'Fight Fiercely, Harvard,' suggesting how a prissy Harvard blueblood might sing a football fight song. After a two-year stint in the Army, Lehrer began to perform concerts of his material in venues around the world. In 1959, he released another LP called 'More of Tom Lehrer' and a live recording called 'An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer,' nominated for a Grammy for best comedy performance (musical) in 1960. But around the same time, he largely quit touring and returned to teaching math, though he did some writing and performing on the side. Lehrer said he was never comfortable appearing in public. 'I enjoyed it up to a point,' he told The AP in 2000. 'But to me, going out and performing the concert every night when it was all available on record would be like a novelist going out and reading his novel every night.' He did produce a political satire song each week for the 1964 television show 'That Was the Week That Was,' a groundbreaking topical comedy show that anticipated 'Saturday Night Live' a decade later. He released the songs the following year in an album titled 'That Was the Year That Was.' The material included 'Who's Next?' that ponders which government will be the next to get the nuclear bomb … perhaps Alabama? (He didn't need to tell his listeners that it was a bastion of segregation at the time.) 'Pollution' takes a look at the then-new concept that perhaps rivers and lakes should be cleaned up. He also wrote songs for the 1970s educational children's show 'The Electric Company.' He told AP in 2000 that hearing from people who had benefited from them gave him far more satisfaction than praise for any of his satirical works. His songs were revived in the 1980 musical revue 'Tomfoolery' and he made a rare public appearance in London in 1998 at a celebration honoring that musical's producer, Cameron Mackintosh. Lehrer was born in 1928, in New York City, the son of a successful necktie designer. He recalled an idyllic childhood on Manhattan's Upper West Side that included attending Broadway shows with his family and walking through Central Park day or night. After skipping two grades in school, he entered Harvard at 15 and, after receiving his master's degree, he spent several years unsuccessfully pursuing a doctorate. 'I spent many, many years satisfying all the requirements, as many years as possible, and I started on the thesis,' he once said. 'But I just wanted to be a grad student, it's a wonderful life. That's what I wanted to be, and unfortunately, you can't be a Ph.D. and a grad student at the same time.' He began to teach part-time at Santa Cruz in the 1970s, mainly to escape the harsh New England winters. From time to time, he acknowledged, a student would enroll in one of his classes based on knowledge of his songs. 'But it's a real math class,' he said at the time. 'I don't do any funny theorems. So those people go away pretty quickly.'
