Of all the reccomendations I've made thus far, this one is probaly my least favourite. Well, you might ask, why are you recommending it? Because I believe a baseball outlook (or any outlook) should be well rounded.
So, Cooperstown Confidential: Heroes, Rogues, and the Inside Story of the Baseball Hall of Fame by Zev Chafets is worth the read. I will admit that at times the way Chafets presents his information is organized by the merest threads of commonality between stories/facts.
I did enjoy the blunt truth approach to what getting into the HoF can mean for a player other than just emotionally. Chafets freely admits he's not a sportswriter (outside of this book) and I think that's part of the reason I really did find his approach to baseball stories and the Hall quite refreshing. He doesn't pull any punches describing some of the not-quite-so-wholesome characters in the Hall (ex. Ty Cobb) and the very subjective Rule 5 (a.k.a. the "Character Clause") when looking at inductions. Chapter 4, "A Question of Character" was probably my favourite to read.
I will say though that the most thought inducing part of the book was the last chapter, "Mitchell and Clemens". Although I don't agree completely with Chafets view on steroids and PEDs in the game, he did make me consider the other side. Like I said, well rounded outlook = good.
An interesting read for beach or deck this summer.
Enjoy!
JaysGirl5
P.S. Not that this should be a reason for you to read this book, but I definitely got some more additions to my baseball reading list.
