Writing Baseball

Rating:
Summary: A selection of enjoyable baseball writing
Review: I enjoyed reading every piece in this book, which although ostensibly scholarly, is a joy for any literate baseball fan. Jerry Klinkowitz is a college professor AND an executive for a minor league team (Waterloo Diamonds, formerly Waterloo Indians), who provides for our reading pleasure in this anthology a cross-section of baseball writing, from selections of old novels to contemporary ones, from personal essays to player biographies. For high-minded lit crit types like myself, Klinkowitz's introduction alone is worth the price of the book: talking about the explicit and definitive relationship between the sport of baseball and the language associated with it, and legitimizing scholarly interest in baseball for numerous reasons. (As if I needed proof!) The selections themselves are all a joy to read as well, including W.P. Kinsella's "How I Got My Nickname," Garrison Keillor's "Three New Twins Join Club In Spring," and other gems. Not dry or scholarly at all.