Okay, so the main books to start out with (imho) are The Natural by Bernard Malamud and Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella. Those are both fiction, FANTASTIC movies made from both of them but the books are both great at the sort of dreamy, endless-summer vibe that baseball gives.
Non-fiction, The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn about the 1950s Brooklyn Dodgers, and Moneyball by Michael Lewis which explains how sabremetrics/fantasy baseball ruined modern baseball (okay it really doesn't say that but again my thoughts for me).
The Ken Burns PBS documentary from the 90s is also fire if you're interested in the early history of baseball and goes into the racial history more than most of the great "literary" works on the sport do.
If you want more, hmu! I've been there, done that, got the tattoo (yikes)...
A pair of local historians have published a book making public for the first time transcripts from a 1924 trial that sheds new light on a qu
This book came out in 2023 edited by two Chicago historians Jacob Pomrenke and David J. Fletcher. The book sheds light on the transcripts of the 1924 case between Shoeless Joe Jackson vs the Chicago White Sox for his back pay. The transcripts were believed lost until they were discovered. An attorney had put them away in the 1950s when they were to have been disposed of.
It should be an interesting read for those of you who are interested in the black Sox scandal and its aftermath viz-a-viz Shoeless Joe Jackson.
A Kid Interview with Chris Rylander, Author of The Hurricanes of Weakerville
We’re so excited to have an interview with author Chris Rylander on the blog today! Chris nicely agreed to sit for some hard-hitting questions from a budding journalist about his new middle grade novel THE HURRICANES OF WEAKERVILLE. Jack is a 10-year-old whose two favorite things in life are baseball and books, so he seemed like the perfect candidate to step in as a guest interviewer. Jack had a lot of questions about the plot of The Hurricanes of Weakerville, the writing of the book, as well as Chris’ baseball preferences in his own life. Read on to find out how The Hurricanes came to be, and which MLB team Chris loves so much he got a tattoo in their honor.
⚾️ The Hurricanes of Weakerville is on sale now! ⚾️
Hi Chris! Thank you for answering my questions about The Hurricanes of Weakerville. First up - How did you first come up with the idea for this book?
It came from talking to my editor, Jordan. We both love baseball and I particularly love fantasy baseball, and he was saying how he always thought the idea of a kid managing a real semi-pro baseball team could be a lot of fun. Almost like a Bad News Bears with the roles of manager and players reversed. When I heard that idea, I loved it!
How did you come with Tex's crazy stories?
They all came from somewhere different. It would take a while to explain each one, but one example is a story Tex tells that ends with a law making it illegal to change the weather in Texas. That came from a magazine article I was reading about absurd real-life laws. So, it’s actually true: It is illegal to attempt to change the weather in Texas. When I heard that, I knew it’d be a perfect story for Tex. I love that I was able to make his great grandpappy responsible for that law existing. And I even borrowed a little bit of the real-life story behind the law, too. In the end, I just love absurd stories with either multiple meanings or possibly no meaning at all.
Do you have a favorite baseball team? Do you have a least favorite baseball team?
My favorite team is definitely the Chicago Cubs. I even have a Cubs tattoo, which means now I have to be a fan forever, no matter what! Haha. And of course, as a Cubs fan, it is obviously my duty to root against the St. Louis Cardinals in every way possible.
How did you choose the town name Weakerville, and why did you set it in Iowa?
One of my favorite bands are The Weakerthans. So, it was kind of a nod to them. Also, I liked the idea of the main character, given the struggles he faces in the book, having this looming label of being “weak” literally attached to his name for rest of time. I chose Iowa because it’s a good baseball state, in the heart of the Midwest, with a lot of small towns the rest of the country has never heard of. I’m from North Dakota originally, so I can really relate to the small midwestern town experience.
Why did you choose the name The Hurricanes?
I went through a few different team names while writing/revising this book. They were originally the Mighty Pheasants, because nobody thinks of pheasants as actually being mighty. It was later changed to the Hurricanes to fit with a tale about Weakerville’s past.
Was the "potty sauce" based on something from real life?
Sadly, no. But now I sort of want to try and make the recipe as it appears in the book just to see if it really is that good…
Do you know how to score baseball games, like Alex?
Yes, I do. I even used to keep fake scorecards for a baseball video game I played. I still have several notebooks full of baseball stats for totally fictional baseball games that occurred only on my PlayStation.
How did you come up with Flumpo?
Alex as a character, struggled with his confidence from the very first draft. I knew I always wanted to present this idea that Alex has that some kids (and people in general) just seem to be inherently likeable, while some don’t. And, after a few revisions, it just became clear that this belief needed a concrete label/name, something that could literally be one of Alex’s worst enemies throughout much of the book.
How did Tex get so rich?
You know, like Alex, I have spent many hours Googling his name and trying to figure that out myself. Alas, in many ways, Tex seems to just be a man of mystery.
Do you have a favorite baseball stadium? Do you have a favorite game that you attended?
As a Cubs fan, my favorite stadium is of course Wrigley Field, and my favorite game was getting to go to a World Series game there in 2016, even though they lost that game. It was still unforgettable. Some other favorite stadiums I’ve been to: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Oracle Park (which was AT&T Park when I went), and I’ll always fondly remember the very first one I ever went to: Kauffman Stadium (which was called Royals Stadium back then).
Did you play baseball growing up? What position did you play?
I played until about 5th or 6th grade. I wish I had played longer. It’s definitely a regret I have, even though I wasn’t very good. I played second base and outfield and despite hitting many singles and doubles, I never once hit a homerun.
Did you have a favorite baseball player growing up? (I love Mookie Betts and Kiké Hernandez.)
Ryne Sandberg, hands down. Then later as a teenager it was Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. (Mookie Betts is great, though!)
The Hurricanes of Weakerville Synopsis:
Middle grade star author Chris Rylander brings his signature sense of humor, a compelling and original baseball story, and tons of heart to the story of The Hurricanes of Weakerville.
All his life, Alex Weakerman has had one passion: baseball. Specifically, the Hurricanes of Weakerville, Iowa—the scrappy independent-league team owned by his Grandpa Ira.
Even as team and the town have fallen on tough times, there's no place Alex would rather be than at the ballpark—a hot dog in one hand, a pencil and scorebook in the other, keeping track of each and every statistic. Alex has never been all that great at playing baseball, but that doesn’t matter. For someone as painfully awkward as Alex, being a fan—and a wiz with baseball stats—is all he needs.
When Grandpa Ira passes away, though, Alex is crushed. He's lost his best friend, and he doesn’t see any way that the team will survive. But Ira, it seems, has one last trick up his sleeve: his will names Alex the new manager of the Hurricanes.
Alex is as excited as he is terrified at the chance to finally put some of his fantasy baseball genius to use. But as he sets to work trying to win over the players, he soon learns that leading them to victory is about more than just stats. Will he be able to save his team, his hometown, and his family legacy?
From the author of The Fourth Stall, a SCBWI Sid Fleischman Humor Award winner and multiple state-award favorite, The Hurricanes of Weakerville is sure to appeal to middle grade readers looking for a funny book about real kids.
About the Author:
Chris Rylander is the author of the acclaimed and bestselling “Fourth Stall” saga, the “Codename Conspiracy” trilogy, and co-author of book three in the New York Times bestselling “House of Secrets” series. He lives in Chicago, where he eats a lot of raspberry jam and frequently tries to befriend the squirrels on his block.
It may have been delayed by a pandemic, but you can't keep baseball down forever. While attending a game in person is not an option this season, you can recreate the feeling a bit with a number of books and movies that take you out to the ball game. Glove, ball, and giant foam finger - optional.
Carleton succeeds in writing a “love poem (with decimal points)” that belongs on the shelf of every baseball fan; a worthy contribution to the many works by and about former New York Yankees; casual baseball fans young and old will greatly enjoy this book; an excellent addition to works on the history of baseball
Play ball! Celebrate the opening of 2018 Major League Baseball season with these ten titles.
Summer is the season of ice cream, pool parties, and baseball. So to celebrate the sport of summer, we’ve put together a list of books about baseball today and past.
(Also, this gif is amazing.)
THE GRIND: INSIDE BASEBALL’S ENDLESS SEASON by Barry Svrluga:
Shortlisted for the 2016 PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing
In The Grind, Barry Svrluga, The Washington Post’s national baseball correspondent, zooms in on the 2014 Washington Nationals, reporting not just on the roster’s star players, but also on the typically invisible supporting cast who each have their own sacrifices to make and schedules to keep.
THE LAST HERO: A LIFE OF HENRY AARON by Howard Bryant:
In the thirty-four years since his retirement, Henry (Hank) Aaron’s reputation has only grown in magnitude. But his influence extends beyond statistics, and at long last here is the first definitive biography of one of baseball’s immortal figures.
BASEBALL: GREAT RECORDS, WEIRD HAPPENINGS, ODD FACTS, AMAZING MOMENTS, & OTHER COOL STUFF by Ron Martriano:
Jam-packed with cool baseball trivia, history-making records, unforgettable moments, and wacky true tales of your favorite games, players and events. This book hits a grand slam right out of the park!
SHADES OF GLORY: THE NEGRO LEAGUES AND THE STORY OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN BASEBALL by Lawrence D. Hogan:
Celebrating African America’s contribution to our great national pastime, this comprehensive, lively history combines vivid narrative, visual impact, and a unique statistical component, to recreate the excitement and passion of the Negro Leagues. Packed with stories, biographical essays, scores of archival photographs and other evocative artifacts, it is an important contribution to sports history and a wonderful tribute to the players and teams who wrote a unique chapter in the annals of baseball and American culture.
CASEY STENGEL: BASEBALL’S GREATEST CHARACTER by Marty Appel:
Appel creates an intimate portrait of a private man who was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966 and named “Baseball’s Greatest Character” by MLB Network’s Prime 9. Casey Stengel is a biography that will be treasured by fans of our national pastime.
A NICE LITTLE PLACE ON THE NORTH SIDE by George F. Will:
In A Nice Little Place on the North Side, leading columnist George Will returns to baseball with a deeply personal look at his hapless Chicago Cubs and their often beatified home, Wrigley Field, as it enters its second century. Baseball, Will argues, is full of metaphors for life, religion, and happiness, and Wrigley is considered one of its sacred spaces. But what is its true, hyperbole-free history?
For more baseball books, visit the Edelweiss collection
