What do you think?
Rate this book
The Magical Game: The Spirit and History of Baseball's Superstitions, Rituals, and Curses
Not yet published
Expected 2 Jun 26This is the story of baseball’s rich magical history and the centuries-old culture of superstition in the sport. It is a love letter to the jinxes, curses, rituals and myths of baseball’s past and present ― and to the innate mysticism of the game.
For more than 150 years, a magical culture has been central to the game of At the turn of the 20th century, a battle between two lucky mascots defined early World Series matchups. Soon after, two generational curses spawned decades of heartbreaking losses for the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox. Today, players like Bryce Harper perform at-bat rituals, fans refuse to wash the jerseys of their favorite players, and baseball people everywhere refuse to utter the words “no-hitter” before there’s been a hit.
In The Magical Game, journalist and converted baseball fan Addy Baird turns her reporter’s eye to her favorite sport, investigating the roots of these magical practices and telling the story of baseball’s long history of superstition, rituals, curses, jinxes, hoodoos, and hexes. Spanning three centuries of baseball history and three dozen more of magical history, Baird takes readers through fascinating, forgotten tidbits in the sport, untangles the game’s legends, and considers baseball’s uncertain future. In the face of recent MLB rule changes and the rise of advanced statistics, Baird looks at the many decades of concern about baseball’s declining popularity and the evolution of the sport, as well as why and how a culture of magic has remained strong at the core of the game for so many years.
Funny, poetic, and deeply researched, The Magical Game will make readers fall in love with baseball all over again.
For more than 150 years, a magical culture has been central to the game of At the turn of the 20th century, a battle between two lucky mascots defined early World Series matchups. Soon after, two generational curses spawned decades of heartbreaking losses for the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox. Today, players like Bryce Harper perform at-bat rituals, fans refuse to wash the jerseys of their favorite players, and baseball people everywhere refuse to utter the words “no-hitter” before there’s been a hit.
In The Magical Game, journalist and converted baseball fan Addy Baird turns her reporter’s eye to her favorite sport, investigating the roots of these magical practices and telling the story of baseball’s long history of superstition, rituals, curses, jinxes, hoodoos, and hexes. Spanning three centuries of baseball history and three dozen more of magical history, Baird takes readers through fascinating, forgotten tidbits in the sport, untangles the game’s legends, and considers baseball’s uncertain future. In the face of recent MLB rule changes and the rise of advanced statistics, Baird looks at the many decades of concern about baseball’s declining popularity and the evolution of the sport, as well as why and how a culture of magic has remained strong at the core of the game for so many years.
Funny, poetic, and deeply researched, The Magical Game will make readers fall in love with baseball all over again.
304 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication June 2, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 8, 2026
3.5 stars. I expected this to be a humorous collection of story’s or a list of baseballs most famous superstitions. This book absolutely has that; cue Derek Jeter wearing Jason Giambi’s famous gold thong to break a hitting slump. The objective of the book aims for something deeper, to investigate why players & fans buy into the jinxes, superstitions & the baseball gods in the modern era.
Baird identifies when humans first started these behaviors (hint 70,000 years ago) and traces when they first appeared in baseball and how they’ve changed over time. It’s incredibly well researched. She uses first hand accounts from players, newspaper articles from the 1800s and various studies to clearly trace something like the rally hat from inception to modern day.
I was particularly interested in the section comparing rituals within Japanese vs American ball. Would have loved more plus where Latin players land in the spectrum. Also loved all the details about how different things were 100 years ago. Really want to read Christy Matthewsons autobiography now. Personally could have used less of the “connecting it all to what it means to be human”. Wanted more baseball less meaning of life stuff.
All in all a good read and was pleasantly surprised by how much I learned!
Baird identifies when humans first started these behaviors (hint 70,000 years ago) and traces when they first appeared in baseball and how they’ve changed over time. It’s incredibly well researched. She uses first hand accounts from players, newspaper articles from the 1800s and various studies to clearly trace something like the rally hat from inception to modern day.
I was particularly interested in the section comparing rituals within Japanese vs American ball. Would have loved more plus where Latin players land in the spectrum. Also loved all the details about how different things were 100 years ago. Really want to read Christy Matthewsons autobiography now. Personally could have used less of the “connecting it all to what it means to be human”. Wanted more baseball less meaning of life stuff.
All in all a good read and was pleasantly surprised by how much I learned!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC ebook copy of "The Magical Game: The Spirit and History of Baseball’s Superstitions, Rituals, and Curses" by Addy Baird.
There is something magical and impelling about the start of a new baseball season. Addy Baird has written just the book for avid baseball fans anticipating spring training. THE MAGICAL GAME explores the many intracracies involved in what was "America's pastime". The book tracks a cross section of interesting jinxes, superstitions, rituals, and lore that has been part of the game since inception. Baird artfully blends all of this with history and antidotes on players, teams, and the rules of baseball. A fascinating, must read for all baseball fans. "Play Ball"
There is something magical and impelling about the start of a new baseball season. Addy Baird has written just the book for avid baseball fans anticipating spring training. THE MAGICAL GAME explores the many intracracies involved in what was "America's pastime". The book tracks a cross section of interesting jinxes, superstitions, rituals, and lore that has been part of the game since inception. Baird artfully blends all of this with history and antidotes on players, teams, and the rules of baseball. A fascinating, must read for all baseball fans. "Play Ball"
February 27, 2026
As a very superstitious person when it comes to baseball (really sports in general), I had such a good time reading this book. Some of these stories I was familiar with, all Yankee fans look on the Curse of the Bambino very fondly, but there were plenty that were new to me. I loved the story about the Curse of the Colonel for the Hanshin Tigers, that was such a fun one.
I also really liked the chapter on luck and the difference between wOBA and xwOBA, sabermetrics are awesome so that was fun to read. A great read for any baseball fan.
I also really liked the chapter on luck and the difference between wOBA and xwOBA, sabermetrics are awesome so that was fun to read. A great read for any baseball fan.
May 11, 2026
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
All opinions are my own.
Overall I enjoyed this book, which explores famous curses and superstitions within baseball. While I am of the belief that in 150 years of history strange things are bound to happen, it was fun to explore the crazy things people believe. I especially enjoyed the chapter about Japanese baseball. I would also like to thank the author for pointing out that my beloved Cubs were cursed by bad management and a terrible scouting department and not a goat. Definitely worth a read for the baseball fanatics out there.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press!
All opinions are my own.
Overall I enjoyed this book, which explores famous curses and superstitions within baseball. While I am of the belief that in 150 years of history strange things are bound to happen, it was fun to explore the crazy things people believe. I especially enjoyed the chapter about Japanese baseball. I would also like to thank the author for pointing out that my beloved Cubs were cursed by bad management and a terrible scouting department and not a goat. Definitely worth a read for the baseball fanatics out there.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
In a book that at least sometimes covers the quirks of the game of baseball that make converts in sometimes the craziest of ways, I find it more than a little amusing that the series that made author Addy Baird a fan of the game (and the Mets)was the same series that justified my years of waiting in futility for my team (the Kansas City Royals) to reward me for all the years I stuck with them when they were really, REALLY bad. It was interesting to view the series from her memorable moment instead of my own ones, but understand how a certain moment becomes indelibly stuck in your mind, and hooks you on a sport anyone will tell you has been waning in popularity for years.
Baseball is a completely different ballgame than most other sports, and as such, it draws more than its fair share of superstitions, jinxes, curses, luck, myths, and nostalgia for the game from players, managers, owners, fans, and media-the premise behind the book.
In full disclosure, the book is often equal parts social anthropology, psychology, and baseball lore. I find psychology interesting, I minored in Anthropology, and I love baseball, so perhaps the time Baird spent exploring the origins of the magic associated with baseball in a book the publisher bills as being about the way these things impact the game of baseball wasn’t as disappointing for me as someone looking for a book strictly about the quirks of the game, but I still wanted the focus to be more on the historical aspect of superstitions, jinxes, curses, etc. of the game.
These are covered. If you want a rehash of the Bambino’s curse or him calling his shot, they’re both there, as is the Billy Goat curse of the Cubs. Bartman, however, is not. The same can be said for the quirks of Wade Boggs or the habits players have at the plate or on the mound. Left out (perhaps I am a product of my times) is Nomar Garciaparra’s extensive routine before every pitch that he wouldn’t have time for with today’s pitch clock - a thing I’m grateful for that Baird, a newer convert, initially resents.
Throughout the book she covers the gamut of superstitions players and fans have, from the expected lucky clothing, cleats, or pre-game routines (a generally non-superstitious person, I confess to my own lucky Salvy shirt I wore for every postseason game in 2014 and 2015, because I was wearing it during the epic Wild Card Game win the Royals had against the Athletics in 2014 - two straight series sweeps after that had even me believing) to the downright bizarre.
While some situations defy the statistics, like the unusually high death rate of active players for Angels players or players who have recently played for the team compared to the other 29 teams (also personal for me as I was due to watch a start by Nick Adenhart before he was killed in a car crash earlier in the week), most things that could be accounted for outside of luck are-by either bad ownership or management, or odds evening out over the course of the season. And just like the placebo effect in medicine, believing in something, good or bad, can actually have an impact on how you play the game, resulting in better or worse results.
I wish I found the research and the history Baird includes about the origins of such things like superstition, jinxes, curses, and luck more interesting, but truthfully I really wanted the focus to be almost exclusively on the history of them within the game of baseball, and at times it felt like baseball was serving as the context for explaining these concepts that can be somewhat vague in nature.
It’s still enjoyable, but at the end of the book you can see the passion Baird has developed for the game, and I wish more of the theme of the book had been centered around the sport and the people that will make it enjoyable and watchable for years to come, no matter what ’expert’ tells us it isn’t what it used to be or isn’t as exciting to watch as football. Those experts haven’t felt the anticipation of watching a perfect game, watched Bobby Witt Jr. make a diving play that seems to defy the odds, or dreamed of a day when they got to witness a triple play happen in person.
Oh, and maybe you’re taking your life in your hands a little bit more than average if you play for the Angels. Luck may be one thing, but the statistics don’t lie.
A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Baseball is a completely different ballgame than most other sports, and as such, it draws more than its fair share of superstitions, jinxes, curses, luck, myths, and nostalgia for the game from players, managers, owners, fans, and media-the premise behind the book.
In full disclosure, the book is often equal parts social anthropology, psychology, and baseball lore. I find psychology interesting, I minored in Anthropology, and I love baseball, so perhaps the time Baird spent exploring the origins of the magic associated with baseball in a book the publisher bills as being about the way these things impact the game of baseball wasn’t as disappointing for me as someone looking for a book strictly about the quirks of the game, but I still wanted the focus to be more on the historical aspect of superstitions, jinxes, curses, etc. of the game.
These are covered. If you want a rehash of the Bambino’s curse or him calling his shot, they’re both there, as is the Billy Goat curse of the Cubs. Bartman, however, is not. The same can be said for the quirks of Wade Boggs or the habits players have at the plate or on the mound. Left out (perhaps I am a product of my times) is Nomar Garciaparra’s extensive routine before every pitch that he wouldn’t have time for with today’s pitch clock - a thing I’m grateful for that Baird, a newer convert, initially resents.
Throughout the book she covers the gamut of superstitions players and fans have, from the expected lucky clothing, cleats, or pre-game routines (a generally non-superstitious person, I confess to my own lucky Salvy shirt I wore for every postseason game in 2014 and 2015, because I was wearing it during the epic Wild Card Game win the Royals had against the Athletics in 2014 - two straight series sweeps after that had even me believing) to the downright bizarre.
While some situations defy the statistics, like the unusually high death rate of active players for Angels players or players who have recently played for the team compared to the other 29 teams (also personal for me as I was due to watch a start by Nick Adenhart before he was killed in a car crash earlier in the week), most things that could be accounted for outside of luck are-by either bad ownership or management, or odds evening out over the course of the season. And just like the placebo effect in medicine, believing in something, good or bad, can actually have an impact on how you play the game, resulting in better or worse results.
I wish I found the research and the history Baird includes about the origins of such things like superstition, jinxes, curses, and luck more interesting, but truthfully I really wanted the focus to be almost exclusively on the history of them within the game of baseball, and at times it felt like baseball was serving as the context for explaining these concepts that can be somewhat vague in nature.
It’s still enjoyable, but at the end of the book you can see the passion Baird has developed for the game, and I wish more of the theme of the book had been centered around the sport and the people that will make it enjoyable and watchable for years to come, no matter what ’expert’ tells us it isn’t what it used to be or isn’t as exciting to watch as football. Those experts haven’t felt the anticipation of watching a perfect game, watched Bobby Witt Jr. make a diving play that seems to defy the odds, or dreamed of a day when they got to witness a triple play happen in person.
Oh, and maybe you’re taking your life in your hands a little bit more than average if you play for the Angels. Luck may be one thing, but the statistics don’t lie.
A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Anyone who follows baseball, even just casually, knows that the game has many rituals, that both players and fans carry superstitions (even if those are not publicly shared) and that it has some of the most famous curses in sports. This book by Addy Baird is a very good explanation of how these became part of baseball lore.
Many times when an author inserts themselves into a non-fiction book, it takes away from the information they are trying to tell (unless it’s a memoir, of course). That is not the case with this book as Baird explains her own rituals and even believed that she had jinxed her favorite team, the New York Mets, until they won a game in which she was able to sit in the broadcast booth with two of the Mets TV announcers.
The book isn’t all baseball stories as Baird takes the reader inside the history of rituals, superstition and jinxes. This was quite interesting as these sections helped explain why people who otherwise would not do something so out of character when encountering a certain event or situation. The stories of the rituals and superstitions of fans, including Baird’s own, were excellent.
Some of the more famous examples of these are covered in an amount of detail that’s just right for those who may not be familiar with them. But for readers who have read other sources about these events, there’s nothing new to learn. The best example of this is the chapter on curses and the two most famous curses in the game - the “Billy goat” curse on the Chicago Cubs and the “Curse of the Bambino” on the Boston Red Sox. Because I’ve read multiple books on both of these, I didn’t find anything new but readers who are not as familiar with them will enjoy these stories.
This was a fun book to read and it’s clear that Baird is not only a loyal Mets fan but she truly enjoyed writing this book. Whether one considers themself superstitious or not, it’s one that can be enjoyed by baseball fans of any level of interest in the sport.
I wish to thank St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.
http://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/202...
Many times when an author inserts themselves into a non-fiction book, it takes away from the information they are trying to tell (unless it’s a memoir, of course). That is not the case with this book as Baird explains her own rituals and even believed that she had jinxed her favorite team, the New York Mets, until they won a game in which she was able to sit in the broadcast booth with two of the Mets TV announcers.
The book isn’t all baseball stories as Baird takes the reader inside the history of rituals, superstition and jinxes. This was quite interesting as these sections helped explain why people who otherwise would not do something so out of character when encountering a certain event or situation. The stories of the rituals and superstitions of fans, including Baird’s own, were excellent.
Some of the more famous examples of these are covered in an amount of detail that’s just right for those who may not be familiar with them. But for readers who have read other sources about these events, there’s nothing new to learn. The best example of this is the chapter on curses and the two most famous curses in the game - the “Billy goat” curse on the Chicago Cubs and the “Curse of the Bambino” on the Boston Red Sox. Because I’ve read multiple books on both of these, I didn’t find anything new but readers who are not as familiar with them will enjoy these stories.
This was a fun book to read and it’s clear that Baird is not only a loyal Mets fan but she truly enjoyed writing this book. Whether one considers themself superstitious or not, it’s one that can be enjoyed by baseball fans of any level of interest in the sport.
I wish to thank St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.
http://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/202...
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
As the life-long devoted fan of a franchise that credits an Etsy-witch for an amazing winning streak last season and has evolved the rally hat into a rally shoe in recent years (you read about that in Chapter 4), I am well acquainted with the magical rituals and superstitions surrounding baseball. My friends and I have talked about our own magical contributions on a continual basis, and it has lead to things like staying in the bathroom during a home run-filled inning or changing a shirt during a disaster of an away game or aggressively insulting a player we like so they a hit or rubbing a friendship bracelet for each player when they are at bat. (And we’ve also had sanity-checking moments when we touch grass and absolve ourselves of blame for these outcomes we truly have no control over.)
Because of my intimate history with baseball, I was especially prepared for this book full of history, magical theory, and stories of the game and players I love (I might be the only person who squealed with delight to see one of my emotional support utility guys, Brad Miller, mentioned in chapter 1). Some of these stories I knew, but many I did not, and I enjoyed learning about how baseball rituals and superstitions fit into our wider history and culture. Addy Baird clearly did a lot of research, based on the footnotes alone. I also appreciated the deep dive into baseball fandom, the dichotomy of being cursed versus being lucky, and the psychology surrounding the nostalgia of baseball. A lot about this sport has changed over the last 180 years, much of it for the better as the sports shifts along with our culture as a whole. I love to see the different changes outlined and clarified.
This book is a fantastic read for anyone who is already a baseball fan, but also for anyone who is baseball-curious, or who likes to read about the history of sports in general. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this bio for review purposes. This book will be realized on June 2nd and is available for pre-order and audio processing as needed.
Because of my intimate history with baseball, I was especially prepared for this book full of history, magical theory, and stories of the game and players I love (I might be the only person who squealed with delight to see one of my emotional support utility guys, Brad Miller, mentioned in chapter 1). Some of these stories I knew, but many I did not, and I enjoyed learning about how baseball rituals and superstitions fit into our wider history and culture. Addy Baird clearly did a lot of research, based on the footnotes alone. I also appreciated the deep dive into baseball fandom, the dichotomy of being cursed versus being lucky, and the psychology surrounding the nostalgia of baseball. A lot about this sport has changed over the last 180 years, much of it for the better as the sports shifts along with our culture as a whole. I love to see the different changes outlined and clarified.
This book is a fantastic read for anyone who is already a baseball fan, but also for anyone who is baseball-curious, or who likes to read about the history of sports in general. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this bio for review purposes. This book will be realized on June 2nd and is available for pre-order and audio processing as needed.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book contains some interesting and amusing anecdotes. I particularly the story behind “Take me out to the ball game” and the verses of the song, not just the chorus fans sing at games. Also, the origin of Friday the 13th being unlucky. I was familiar with some of the superstitions and rituals of specific players but enjoyed learning about those of other players.
I liked that the author includes a wider discussion of superstitions and rituals and luck, why and how they developed, the “science” behind them, etc. and then explored those concepts in the realm of baseball. The comparison between rituals/superstitions of American and Japanese baseball players was interesting.
The author discusses some of the best known baseball curses, separating truth from fiction regarding the events surrounding the curses, and noting that the common denominator of “cursed” teams is actually bad management — such as the Red Sox taking more than a decade after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier to integrate the team, thus losing out on the talents and contributions of top black players.
The author also makes it personal by telling how her love of baseball and the Mets developed, as well as her own fears that she was a “jinx”, and how that impacted her. She also aptly describes what makes baseball such a magical game for so many.
One of my superstitions involves TV announcers. When watching Cardinals games, I hate it when the announcers talk about how an opposing hitter is due for a big or clutch hit or has not hit a home run in X games or at-bats. Intellectually I know that nothing the announcers say during the at-bat affects the outcome of the at-bat. However, there have been too many instances where announcers talk about an opposing player being “due” for a big hit and then it happening that it feels like the announcers are jinxing the Cardinals with their comments.
I liked that the author includes a wider discussion of superstitions and rituals and luck, why and how they developed, the “science” behind them, etc. and then explored those concepts in the realm of baseball. The comparison between rituals/superstitions of American and Japanese baseball players was interesting.
The author discusses some of the best known baseball curses, separating truth from fiction regarding the events surrounding the curses, and noting that the common denominator of “cursed” teams is actually bad management — such as the Red Sox taking more than a decade after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier to integrate the team, thus losing out on the talents and contributions of top black players.
The author also makes it personal by telling how her love of baseball and the Mets developed, as well as her own fears that she was a “jinx”, and how that impacted her. She also aptly describes what makes baseball such a magical game for so many.
One of my superstitions involves TV announcers. When watching Cardinals games, I hate it when the announcers talk about how an opposing hitter is due for a big or clutch hit or has not hit a home run in X games or at-bats. Intellectually I know that nothing the announcers say during the at-bat affects the outcome of the at-bat. However, there have been too many instances where announcers talk about an opposing player being “due” for a big hit and then it happening that it feels like the announcers are jinxing the Cardinals with their comments.
February 11, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC e-copy of The Magical Game: The Spirit and History of Baseball’s Superstitions, Rituals, and Curses by Addy Baird.
Superstitions, curses, jinxes… the world is rife with them, but nowhere moreso than in the game of baseball. In this book, Addy Baird, an admittedly superstitious Mets fan herself, explores the history of “magic” within the game of baseball.
I consider myself to be a relatively new baseball fan, but an extremely passionate one nonetheless. After my first game (at least since I was a baby) three years ago, when I watched the Los Angeles Dodgers (the team I hadn’t even gone to the stadium to root for) walk it off against the Cubs late into the night, I was hooked. I could feel the magic of baseball from day one, that fandom culminating in two miraculous world series wins. So, I was excited to read this book and learn more about the history of the supernatural forces at play in the game of baseball.
There are so many great stories and anecdotes in this book—some that I was aware of, some that I wasn’t. The content is organized into chapters—rituals, jinxes, curses, luck, myths, etc.—with supporting ‘evidence’ under each headline. I liked this book, but I did often feel that there were a lot of repeated sentiments throughout, sentences that gave me déjà vu, like I’d read them already, and it happened more than once.
This is a nice little read for baseball fans new and old, and I especially loved that it was written by a woman. It isn’t often that you can pick up female-driven sports non-fiction, so I hope that the author considers writing more.
☆ ☆ ☆ - GOOD
Superstitions, curses, jinxes… the world is rife with them, but nowhere moreso than in the game of baseball. In this book, Addy Baird, an admittedly superstitious Mets fan herself, explores the history of “magic” within the game of baseball.
I consider myself to be a relatively new baseball fan, but an extremely passionate one nonetheless. After my first game (at least since I was a baby) three years ago, when I watched the Los Angeles Dodgers (the team I hadn’t even gone to the stadium to root for) walk it off against the Cubs late into the night, I was hooked. I could feel the magic of baseball from day one, that fandom culminating in two miraculous world series wins. So, I was excited to read this book and learn more about the history of the supernatural forces at play in the game of baseball.
There are so many great stories and anecdotes in this book—some that I was aware of, some that I wasn’t. The content is organized into chapters—rituals, jinxes, curses, luck, myths, etc.—with supporting ‘evidence’ under each headline. I liked this book, but I did often feel that there were a lot of repeated sentiments throughout, sentences that gave me déjà vu, like I’d read them already, and it happened more than once.
This is a nice little read for baseball fans new and old, and I especially loved that it was written by a woman. It isn’t often that you can pick up female-driven sports non-fiction, so I hope that the author considers writing more.
☆ ☆ ☆ - GOOD
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
The Magical Game is a delightful plunge into the lore, legend, and lovable oddities that have made baseball America’s “magical” pastime. Addy Baird blends deep research with vivid storytelling to trace more than 150 years of baseball superstitions, rituals, jinxes, and curses — from early World Series mascots and the infamous curses of the Cubs and Red Sox to modern‑day at‑bat quirks and fan traditions. Her passion for the sport and its quirky heart shines through every page, making even the most obscure tales feel essential to the game’s mystique.
What makes this book special is how it connects these beliefs to baseball’s enduring appeal. Baird doesn’t just catalog stories; she explores why superstition persists in a sport increasingly dominated by analytics, and why we keep rooting for the magical, improbable moments that define baseball. The Magical Game is a fun, thoughtful tribute for fans of history, folklore, and that inexplicable love of baseball that keeps us coming back each spring.
What makes this book special is how it connects these beliefs to baseball’s enduring appeal. Baird doesn’t just catalog stories; she explores why superstition persists in a sport increasingly dominated by analytics, and why we keep rooting for the magical, improbable moments that define baseball. The Magical Game is a fun, thoughtful tribute for fans of history, folklore, and that inexplicable love of baseball that keeps us coming back each spring.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
I know and care very little about baseball so this book was a bit long and over written for me, but I do know what it is like to have rituals before playing a sport. Addy Baird describes the history of baseball through the routines players believe will win the game. The many superstitions described are entertaining and reminded me of a few of my own. Baird's love for the game is clear and even if you are like me and don't care too much about baseball, you will gain an appreciation of it through this well thought out and exceptionally researched story. It brought me back to how I felt attending my first baseball game at Angel's stadium in Anaheim, or the day I visited Cooperstown and sat in the bleachers at Doubleday Field, or even taking my own daughter to her first game. An American tradition, whether you care for the sport or are like me and just enjoy the entertainment and hotdogs, every one has that baseball memory and this book helped me feel that joy of being in the stands again.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I write this review, wearing my game day clothes for a Duke Basketball game -- yes I am superstitious, and have created a variety of habits that have morphed and changed over the years when necessary. Just an aside, it was my fault that Duke lost last year in the Final Four because I did not stay up and watch the game (I was in England at the time and had to drive the Cotswolds' in the morning).
I really wanted to love this book, but the first third bored me to no end. I am thankful that I didn't give up because some of the actual stories were great, but the "history" of superstition was too long and repetitive. I would edit the first third to at most half of its size because it really didn't add anything to the my thrust of the book.
Overall, it is a good book that could great. I would recommend it to anyone who is a baseball fan.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
I really wanted to love this book, but the first third bored me to no end. I am thankful that I didn't give up because some of the actual stories were great, but the "history" of superstition was too long and repetitive. I would edit the first third to at most half of its size because it really didn't add anything to the my thrust of the book.
Overall, it is a good book that could great. I would recommend it to anyone who is a baseball fan.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
(ARC - out 06/02/26 via St. Martin's Press) If you’re a fan of baseball and also of whimsy, you’ll enjoy this. The book tracks the superstitious nature of baseball players and fans, over the decades of pro ball. Divided into chapters centering on jinxes, curses, and luck, among other mythical concepts that have made their way into modern sports, the author does a good job of balancing her own personal relationship with baseball (all the way up through the 2024 season) along with the history of baseball superstitions as a whole. This book did make me feel a little better about my own OCD compulsions as well, because there are some unwell people mentioned here. Anything for the team, I guess? Baseball watchers, keep this one on your radar!
Did Not Finish
March 3, 2026DNFed @ 11%
There was absolutely nothing wrong with this book. The writing was very well done and it was overall very informative. I've just realized that unfortunately the nonfiction genre just isn't for me.
If that is a genre you normally read and tend to enjoy then I think this book is worth checking out.
There was absolutely nothing wrong with this book. The writing was very well done and it was overall very informative. I've just realized that unfortunately the nonfiction genre just isn't for me.
If that is a genre you normally read and tend to enjoy then I think this book is worth checking out.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
***Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this upcoming book***
This is a fun, informative and very well written book about many of the superstitions and nuances of the game that we lovingly refer to as America's pastime. What made the book even more enjoyable is that the author is a Mets fan, albeit one who is still wet behind the ears. Only a newly christened Mets fan would make the cardinal error of misquoting Vin Scully's immortal words "...in comes KNIGHT (she says Wright) and the Mets win it!" PLEASE FIX THIS!!! :)
I highly recommend this book to all baseball fans, especially fans of the Metsies as she spends a little more time discussing the orange and blue.
This is a fun, informative and very well written book about many of the superstitions and nuances of the game that we lovingly refer to as America's pastime. What made the book even more enjoyable is that the author is a Mets fan, albeit one who is still wet behind the ears. Only a newly christened Mets fan would make the cardinal error of misquoting Vin Scully's immortal words "...in comes KNIGHT (she says Wright) and the Mets win it!" PLEASE FIX THIS!!! :)
I highly recommend this book to all baseball fans, especially fans of the Metsies as she spends a little more time discussing the orange and blue.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I loved, loved, loved this book. What a great topic and the author's take on it is engrossing. Yes, at its heart it's obviously a baseball book (and could it be written by anyone other than a Mets fan?) but it delves into mythology, religion, astrology, and myriad topics that not only scaffold her story but make this more than a surface look at baseball curses, fans, and myths.
And then there is the baseball. Great stories from across generations covering Rube Waddell's singular personality, Babe's called shot, Sam Sianis' goat curse, and even McDonald's icon, Grimace. (I look forward to seeing the Mariners' Etsy witch making the paperback...) Brought me joy and even as a diehard fan did not find it boring.
And then there is the baseball. Great stories from across generations covering Rube Waddell's singular personality, Babe's called shot, Sam Sianis' goat curse, and even McDonald's icon, Grimace. (I look forward to seeing the Mariners' Etsy witch making the paperback...) Brought me joy and even as a diehard fan did not find it boring.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I loved this book, with the curses, the superstitions, doing certain things that made them better players. How a certain thing they saw, could convince them they were the best players and it would happen. I am not a baseball fan, but have always been intrigued with how people thought certain teams was cursed, and this book highlights it all. Put the years of what people said about baseball into a new perspective. I made me wonder if you really believe something, it really will happen. Some of it made me laugh, some of it had me shaking my head, but it always, enlightened me. Even if you aren't a baseball fan, the book is full of stories, facts, that you may start to wonder about things.
I received an ARC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley.
I received an ARC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
This is a book that any die hard baseball fan is sure to love. Author Addy Baird is admittedly obsessed with baseball, and it shows. By all appearances, her research must have been exhaustive; a little too exhaustive for my taste. It's an interesting book but I would have preferred more baseball stories involving rituals and superstitions and less history regarding what a ritual, superstition, and curse is. I found myself flipping past the pages of definitions and history of the words and seeking out more anecdotal stories. If you're a rabid fan of the game, this might be the book for you!
March 31, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Baseball IS magical (literally and historically)
Super interesting but some of the waxing poetic about humanity and the meaning of life was a slog to get thru— very thoroughly reported; some of the details veered towards info-dumping, particularly at the start
Going to a baseball game really jumpstarted my interest in picking this back up again lol
Why can’t everyone be a fan of MY baseball team and only talk about them instead of the Mets 😠😠😠😖😕🙁😔😔😤😤🤯😠😡🥺
Baseball IS magical (literally and historically)
Super interesting but some of the waxing poetic about humanity and the meaning of life was a slog to get thru— very thoroughly reported; some of the details veered towards info-dumping, particularly at the start
Going to a baseball game really jumpstarted my interest in picking this back up again lol
Why can’t everyone be a fan of MY baseball team and only talk about them instead of the Mets 😠😠😠😖😕🙁😔😔😤😤🤯😠😡🥺
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I anticipated that this book would be filled with the various superstitions of players over the years. There was some of that, particularly in the second have of the book. There was a lot of background on superstitions and it was a bit repetitive at times. Others seem to have enjoyed this book more that I did, so I will leave it up to you as to whether or not is worth you while.
I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog.
I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog.
Review of advance copy received from Author
A book full of fascinating baseball history, but the absolute best parts are the author’s personal stories, insights and reflections. The love and care that went into this book, and the love that she has for baseball (and the New York Mets, sorry to her) is evident the whole way through. I would recommend this to any baseball lover but this is so much more than just a baseball book. This is one that anybody with a passion for the human experience, good storytelling, and magic will enjoy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
First and foremost I received an eARC from NetGalley.
The Magical Game was very informative and interesting. As a long time baseball fan, I found myself enjoying all the history behind the game. There were times when I felt like some of it was redundant but it doesn’t hurt the overall story. If you’re a baseball fan that doesn’t know much or knows a lot, I think that you’d enjoy this book.
The Magical Game was very informative and interesting. As a long time baseball fan, I found myself enjoying all the history behind the game. There were times when I felt like some of it was redundant but it doesn’t hurt the overall story. If you’re a baseball fan that doesn’t know much or knows a lot, I think that you’d enjoy this book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. This was a fun read about the various superstitions in baseball. Some of these I’ve heard of and others were new to me. One of the more famous ones is of Babe Ruth calling his home run shot. If you’re into baseball; this is an interesting read.
Read
March 25, 2026I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for review.
I expected something different when I requested this book. I don’t think that I am the correct audience for the themes found in this book. I am sure others could find it more enjoyable than I did for the few pages I read.
I expected something different when I requested this book. I don’t think that I am the correct audience for the themes found in this book. I am sure others could find it more enjoyable than I did for the few pages I read.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I wrote this book, and I am really proud of it. I hope
you all enjoy it. 🥲
you all enjoy it. 🥲
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I would like to thank Net Galley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. This is definitely a niche book. I am huge baseball fan, and while I enjoyed it, it was heavily skewed to the author's favorite team, the Mets. There was a lot about Babe Ruth and the Cub long draught, but I felt there was a lot more that could be added. It was fun , and informative, but really only skimmed the surface. I enjoyed it, but felt more teams could have been included.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews