Reviews
This is everything I have reviewed.
Book Review: The Cloudbuster Nine - by Anne R. Keene
by Fred Hofstetter on January 30, 2024Keene's comprehensive book tells several stories behind the V-5 Pre-Flight School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina: home to one of the rarest, greatest baseball teams in American history.
Book Review: The Glory of Their Times
by Fred Hofstetter on February 11, 2023There's good reason why The Glory of Their Times appears on every "best baseball book of all time" list you'll find anywhere.
Book Review: Future Value - Eric Longenhagen & Kiley McDaniel
by Fred Hofstetter on January 8, 2023Discover how amateur and pro baseball scouting is done, how departments are built, and how organizations find talent in Future Value.
Book Review: The Baseball 100 - Joe Posnanski
by Fred Hofstetter on March 19, 2022Roam the hallways of baseball history and observe baseball's greatest characters and practitioners in Joe Posnanski's The Baseball 100.
Book Review: The Baseball Book of Why
by Fred Hofstetter on July 25, 2021The meandering baseball trivia you'll pick up from this volume will make you crack a smile. Plop this on the tank of your toilet for bathroom break reading.
Book Review: Our Team: The Epic Story of Four Men and the World Series that Changed Baseball
by Fred Hofstetter on July 2, 2021Luke Epplin's Our Team expertly weaves the narratives of four key figures in the Cleveland Indians' 1948 World Series championship season.
Book Review: Cheated: The Inside Story of the Astros Scandal and a Colorful History of Sign Stealing
by Fred Hofstetter on June 27, 2021Martino's Cheated tells all from key figures in the Astros sign stealing scandal - but something tells me there's still story missing regarding the culture of sign stealing in baseball.
How Baseball Happened - Book Review
by Fred Hofstetter on June 18, 2021Get a brief and entertaining peek at the early days of baseball, and learn a bit about mid-19th century America while you do.
Book Review - Big Sexy: In His Own Words
by Fred Hofstetter on May 14, 2020Just when you thought you couldn’t love Bartolo Colón any more. This charming autobiography cements the folk hero as a bona fide MLB legend.
Book Review - The Shift: The Next Evolution in Baseball Thinking
by Fred Hofstetter on May 3, 2020Russell Carleton's The Shift is an entry-level introduction to the way a really, really smart bleeding-heart baseball fan thinks about the modern game.
Book Review: The MVP Machine - Profiling Baseball's Nonconformists
by Fred Hofstetter on April 20, 2020Pick up The MVP Machine and brush up on what's happening in player development in MLB baseball. Prepare to hate or really like Trevor Bauer.
Book Review - K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches
by Fred Hofstetter on April 13, 2020Tyler Kepner's K tells a story of pitching full of joy and enthusiasm for the game we love. This is essential reading for any baseball history buff.
Book Review: The Cup of Coffee Club
by Fred Hofstetter on March 22, 2020Jacob Kornhauser tells the stories of 11 ballplayers and the unique journeys carving the path to their single MLB appearance.
Book Review: The Wax Pack - Baseball's Afterlife, Found.
by Fred Hofstetter on March 13, 2020A story of fantasy and humility. Baseball is a microcosm of the things that really matter to people and this book is a reminder.