Bury My Heart at Cooperstown

February 1, 2006
The first biography of the gifted centerfielder (1938 -1997) who challenged the reserve clause by which a team's right to a player was automatically extended in perpetuity. Belth, a Yankees blog host, traces Flood's rough childhood and the racism that he experienced on and off the field. When, after 12 years with the St. Louis Cardinals, with multiple Gold Gloves and All-Star appearances, Flood refused to accept a trade to the Phillies, he blazed a path for free agency but sacrificed his career. A fine read on a pioneer in baseball and African American history. For collections in both areas.

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2006
If you've ever enjoyed a game of dead-guy baseball (choosing all-star teams made up of players with odd deaths), here is an indispensable reference. When Russo started his Web site (thedeadballera.com), he wasn't thinking dead guys; the "dead-ball era" refers to that period of early baseball history before the ball was juiced, and the home run became the ticket to fortune. Naturally, though, most of the players Russo researched were, well . . . dead, and many of them died outlandish deaths. Suddenly, Russo had a necrology on his hands, and a bizarre one at that. This volume gives in completely to the ghoulish angle, focusing specifically on the deaths of the dead-ballers with chapters on such somber swan songs as syphilis ("Clap for Your Heroes") and suicide ("Suicide Squeeze"). Unfortunately, the majority of the players from the dead-ball era will have faded from the memories of most fans; one can only hope that Russo plans another volume devoted to death in the live-ball era. You won't respect yourself in the morning, but you won't put this one down either.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)