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The Baseball 100
A magnum opus from acclaimed baseball writer Joe Posnanski, The Baseball 100 is an audacious, singular, and masterly book that took a lifetime to write. The entire story of baseball rings through a countdown of 100 greatest players in history, with a foreword by George Will and published in partnership with The Athletic.
An instant classic of baseball literature and a must-read for any fan, The Baseball 100 is a one-of-a-kind work by award-winning sportswriter Joe Posnanski that tells the story of the game through the remarkable lives of its 100 greatest players. In the book’s foreword, Pulitzer Prize–winning commentator George Will marvels, “Posnanski must already have lived more than two hundred years. How else could he have acquired such a stock of illuminating facts and entertaining stories about the rich history of this endlessly fascinating sport?”
Baseball’s legends come alive in these pages, which are not merely rankings but vibrant profiles of the game’s all-time greats. Posnanski dives into the biographies of iconic Hall of Famers, stars of the Negro Leagues, forgotten heroes, talents of today, and more. He doesn’t just rely on records and statistics—he lovingly retraces players’ origins, illuminates their characters, and places their accomplishments in the context of baseball’s past and present. Just how good a pitcher is Clayton Kershaw in the twenty-first-century game relative to Greg Maddux dueling the juiced hitters of the nineties? How does the career and influence of Hank Aaron compare to Babe Ruth? Which player in the top ten most deserves to be resurrected from history?
Engrossing, surprising, and heartfelt, The Baseball 100 is a magisterial tribute to the game of baseball and the stars who played it.
An instant classic of baseball literature and a must-read for any fan, The Baseball 100 is a one-of-a-kind work by award-winning sportswriter Joe Posnanski that tells the story of the game through the remarkable lives of its 100 greatest players. In the book’s foreword, Pulitzer Prize–winning commentator George Will marvels, “Posnanski must already have lived more than two hundred years. How else could he have acquired such a stock of illuminating facts and entertaining stories about the rich history of this endlessly fascinating sport?”
Baseball’s legends come alive in these pages, which are not merely rankings but vibrant profiles of the game’s all-time greats. Posnanski dives into the biographies of iconic Hall of Famers, stars of the Negro Leagues, forgotten heroes, talents of today, and more. He doesn’t just rely on records and statistics—he lovingly retraces players’ origins, illuminates their characters, and places their accomplishments in the context of baseball’s past and present. Just how good a pitcher is Clayton Kershaw in the twenty-first-century game relative to Greg Maddux dueling the juiced hitters of the nineties? How does the career and influence of Hank Aaron compare to Babe Ruth? Which player in the top ten most deserves to be resurrected from history?
Engrossing, surprising, and heartfelt, The Baseball 100 is a magisterial tribute to the game of baseball and the stars who played it.
34 pages, Audible Audio
First published September 28, 2021
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3888 people want to read
About the author
Joe Posnanski
21 books547 followersJoe Posnanski is a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of eight books, a Writer at Large at Esquire, and the co-host of The PosCast with Michael Schur. He writes a newsletter called JoeBlogs. He has been named national sportswriter of the year by five different organizations including the Associated Press Sports Editors and the National Sports Media Association. He also won two sports Emmys as part of NBC's digital Olympic coverage.
His newest book is Why We Love Baseball, which will be published by Dutton on Sept. 5, 2023. His last book, The Baseball 100, won the Casey Award as the best baseball book of 2020.
His newest book is Why We Love Baseball, which will be published by Dutton on Sept. 5, 2023. His last book, The Baseball 100, won the Casey Award as the best baseball book of 2020.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 694 reviews
June 17, 2024
Let me pose this question: If you’re not a real “fan” of baseball, do you really want to read 800 pages of material on the sport? You might, if you want to experience good sports writing. Or, if you are interested in character development. Or, if you want to understand some of the relationships that have existed for players, fans and the country’s media with “America’s Pastime.”
The Baseball 100 is not just a list of the “best” who ever played this “game.” And, there’s no doubt that Posnanski’s choices will not be the same as others might make. You may find yourself provoked at times and this his intention. “I want to make you angry,” he says, and provides several methods to debate his choices. But the writing itself takes me back to Jim Murray https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Posnanski’s time as a columnist and blogger shows through in these “mini-biographies.” He is concise, yet fascinating in his juxtaposition of facts and observations: “…the Royals were practically invisible. It isn’t just that the team was bad, though they were bad. No, they were bad and they had no money and they never, ever made any news. They were barely in Major League Baseball. They never contended, never made any newsworthy trades, never signed any free agents. Becoming a Royals player was a witness protection program option back then."
And - "Bill James has talked often about how players who do one or two things well tend to be overrated while people who do many things well are always underrated. I’d add to that: People who do famous things tend to be overrated, while people who are simply good day after day but never really make headlines tend to be underrated."
I don’t believe that this is just a tome to make an older fan happy. Posnanski is excellent in his use of modern statistical analysis to supplement his keen personal observations. There isn’t an extensive “comfort zone.” You may be as enthralled as I was by his commitment to the importance of the Negro Leagues.
I may have to revise my rating (4.5*) as I continue through this book but I am grateful that it is now out for all to obtain. If I could, I would get each of my baseball friends a copy so that we could spend the next few years debating Posnanski’s observations. That’s my highest praise.
The Baseball 100 is not just a list of the “best” who ever played this “game.” And, there’s no doubt that Posnanski’s choices will not be the same as others might make. You may find yourself provoked at times and this his intention. “I want to make you angry,” he says, and provides several methods to debate his choices. But the writing itself takes me back to Jim Murray https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Posnanski’s time as a columnist and blogger shows through in these “mini-biographies.” He is concise, yet fascinating in his juxtaposition of facts and observations: “…the Royals were practically invisible. It isn’t just that the team was bad, though they were bad. No, they were bad and they had no money and they never, ever made any news. They were barely in Major League Baseball. They never contended, never made any newsworthy trades, never signed any free agents. Becoming a Royals player was a witness protection program option back then."
And - "Bill James has talked often about how players who do one or two things well tend to be overrated while people who do many things well are always underrated. I’d add to that: People who do famous things tend to be overrated, while people who are simply good day after day but never really make headlines tend to be underrated."
I don’t believe that this is just a tome to make an older fan happy. Posnanski is excellent in his use of modern statistical analysis to supplement his keen personal observations. There isn’t an extensive “comfort zone.” You may be as enthralled as I was by his commitment to the importance of the Negro Leagues.
I may have to revise my rating (4.5*) as I continue through this book but I am grateful that it is now out for all to obtain. If I could, I would get each of my baseball friends a copy so that we could spend the next few years debating Posnanski’s observations. That’s my highest praise.
June 17, 2024
Four years ago when sports fans the world over starved for games, Joe Posnanski began a project at the Athletic where he wrote articles counting down the top one hundred players ever to play baseball. At the time, he noted that the rankings were arbitrary and not a pure ranking, rather associating some of the greats with numbers they are known for. Over the course of one hundred days of isolation, the project that would become The Baseball 100 had been born. Posnanski notes that the length is twenty five percent longer than Moby Dick, but once he began this opus, he had to give all the one hundred players their due. When this book first published, I balked at reading it. Eight hundred pages is long for any book, so I passed it up. After reading Why We Love Baseball last fall, I knew that anything that Posnanski writes would be gold. With the school year over and nothing but time to read about the game that I love, I knew the time was right to pick up The Baseball 100. This book would be a journey about the history of America’s game and quite possibly my nonfiction book of the year.
Joe Posnanski grew up in Euclid, Ohio, and by the time he turned thirteen, he realized that he was not going to make it as a professional baseball player. His parents were immigrants from Poland, and his father falls into the category of fathers who love baseball. Joe grew up playing catch with his dad and watching Indians games on television and collecting baseball cards. Change Indians for Cubs and his childhood resembles my own sans the little league participation. Knowing that he had no future in playing baseball, Posnanski turned toward sports journalism, hopefully landing a position at a newspaper that would enable him to write about his passion. His longest running job before becoming the top writer that he is would be at the Kansas City Star. Posnanski would interview George Brett many times over and befriend Buck O’Neil of the Negro Leagues Museum. Eventually, Posnanski would write a book about O’Neil, which is excellent, opening a window to the Negro Leagues and the cast of characters that made the league great. The stars of the Negro Leagues feature prominently in The Baseball 100, Posnanski noting that while the stats are questionable, the oral traditions that get passed down are not. The top negro leagues players could have played in the major leagues and vice versa. This list is inclusive, from Negro and Japanese stars, to players from the 19th century to the top players of today, and the golden years players in between. These hundred players and their stories are what make baseball the grand old game.
Posnanski notes early on that the hundred are not a countdown based on ability. Where else would Joe DiMaggio be number fifty six or Jackie Robinson number forty two. For baseball fans, one does not need to explain the significance of these numbers but Posnanski does anyway just in case someone reading these pages does not know. Each player has a backstory and includes Posnanski’s memories of watching the more recent players or in some cases from player interviews. For the negro league players, he relies much on his friendship with Buck O’Neil and the oral histories passed down within the negro league community. Where else could one find the analogy of a curve ball being like sneaking a sunrise past a rooster. Tom Seaver lists how he would pitch to many of the hall of famers listed in this book as well as mighty Casey of poetry infamy. Billy Williams explains the differences of select pitchers’ pitches and how he would go about facing them. George Brett would greet Posnanski with “you again” and Clayton Kershaw only granted Posnanski five minute interviews, and then spoke with him for over fifteen. The inclusion of current players Kershaw, Verlander, and Trout made me smile. They are my current favorite non Cub players as well. What might have changed from 1869 to today is how baseball is played. What has not changed much is the players and how the great ones go about their preparation. Including players from every year became necessary even if today few people remember Arky Vaughan or Home Run Baker. Their inclusion allows for discussion over different eras and how the game has changed. That is in all sports but most so in baseball. It is what makes it great.
Readers might be alarmed at the length of The Baseball 100. It is 830 pages of text with no page breaks and no picture section. Baseball lends itself to be read like a story, and Posnanski is one of the game’s great storytellers. The tome reads like a story and a fast paced one at that. The story of Bob Feller being the inspiration for The Natural and Field of Dreams lends itself to mythology. How Jimmie Foxx became the inspiration for Jimmie Dugan in A League of Their Own is the stuff of legend. Hearing Ted Williams and Tony Gwynn talk about how they prepared to hit and how Cal Ripken, Jr just went to work is hearing from the baseball G-Ds. Players one hundred through fifty received an average of five pages. Players fifty through eleven received around eight. The top ten each earned their due and merited twelve pages of print. Posnanski notes that he surpassed Moby Dick at Rickey Henderson, player number twenty four. With his cadence, The Baseball 100 did not feel long, and I could have kept reading another four hundred pages. Each story captivated me even the ones who I have read about countless times. Posnanski both impeccably researched and wrote about each of these players, attempting to remain unbiased at all times, even with Barry Bonds. Babe Ruth and Willie Mays could both win the Pulitzer for journalistic writing. The entries did not earn the Pulitzer, but the book did earn the Casey Award for top baseball writing, Posnanski’s third such award. His writing is that good. He is part of what makes baseball great.
It comes of little coincidence to me that I finished this opus on Father’s Day weekend. Part of what makes baseball symbolic with tradition is the passing down of the game from father to son. How many people can remember that first catch or first trip to the ballpark. Those memories are here in the form of fathers of the greats who motivated their sons to become who they were. From the motivation of Bill Feller to the negative psychology of Mutt Mantle, fathers receive their due here either for better or for worse. This year is a milestone year for both my father and myself, achieving round numbers in attending games at one of America’s oldest stadiums. While neither of us are known for our athletic prowess, we both have stories of countless games attended or watched to pass down to future generations of fans. It is stories like Ernie Banks attending Cub Scout banquets, Juan Marichal signing autographs outside of Wrigley Field, Willie Mays playing stick ball in the street, and the Babe being larger than life that make baseball the revered game that it is. If I have one regret growing up, it’s that I never asked either of my grandfathers if they saw Babe Ruth play in person- because I know that both of them did. I would also be remiss to not include the Negro Leagues players and traditions that Posnanski so eloquently remembers in this book’s pages. Whether you are a baseball fan or not, if you are a lover of history, then this book is for you. You will become a baseball fan and maybe decide on a favorite player or memory after reading it. Joe Posnanski is a national treasure and this is his opus. It is a must read even if it is longer than Moby Dick and easily my top nonfiction book of the year.
5 star read
Nonfiction book of the year 2024
Joe Posnanski grew up in Euclid, Ohio, and by the time he turned thirteen, he realized that he was not going to make it as a professional baseball player. His parents were immigrants from Poland, and his father falls into the category of fathers who love baseball. Joe grew up playing catch with his dad and watching Indians games on television and collecting baseball cards. Change Indians for Cubs and his childhood resembles my own sans the little league participation. Knowing that he had no future in playing baseball, Posnanski turned toward sports journalism, hopefully landing a position at a newspaper that would enable him to write about his passion. His longest running job before becoming the top writer that he is would be at the Kansas City Star. Posnanski would interview George Brett many times over and befriend Buck O’Neil of the Negro Leagues Museum. Eventually, Posnanski would write a book about O’Neil, which is excellent, opening a window to the Negro Leagues and the cast of characters that made the league great. The stars of the Negro Leagues feature prominently in The Baseball 100, Posnanski noting that while the stats are questionable, the oral traditions that get passed down are not. The top negro leagues players could have played in the major leagues and vice versa. This list is inclusive, from Negro and Japanese stars, to players from the 19th century to the top players of today, and the golden years players in between. These hundred players and their stories are what make baseball the grand old game.
Posnanski notes early on that the hundred are not a countdown based on ability. Where else would Joe DiMaggio be number fifty six or Jackie Robinson number forty two. For baseball fans, one does not need to explain the significance of these numbers but Posnanski does anyway just in case someone reading these pages does not know. Each player has a backstory and includes Posnanski’s memories of watching the more recent players or in some cases from player interviews. For the negro league players, he relies much on his friendship with Buck O’Neil and the oral histories passed down within the negro league community. Where else could one find the analogy of a curve ball being like sneaking a sunrise past a rooster. Tom Seaver lists how he would pitch to many of the hall of famers listed in this book as well as mighty Casey of poetry infamy. Billy Williams explains the differences of select pitchers’ pitches and how he would go about facing them. George Brett would greet Posnanski with “you again” and Clayton Kershaw only granted Posnanski five minute interviews, and then spoke with him for over fifteen. The inclusion of current players Kershaw, Verlander, and Trout made me smile. They are my current favorite non Cub players as well. What might have changed from 1869 to today is how baseball is played. What has not changed much is the players and how the great ones go about their preparation. Including players from every year became necessary even if today few people remember Arky Vaughan or Home Run Baker. Their inclusion allows for discussion over different eras and how the game has changed. That is in all sports but most so in baseball. It is what makes it great.
Readers might be alarmed at the length of The Baseball 100. It is 830 pages of text with no page breaks and no picture section. Baseball lends itself to be read like a story, and Posnanski is one of the game’s great storytellers. The tome reads like a story and a fast paced one at that. The story of Bob Feller being the inspiration for The Natural and Field of Dreams lends itself to mythology. How Jimmie Foxx became the inspiration for Jimmie Dugan in A League of Their Own is the stuff of legend. Hearing Ted Williams and Tony Gwynn talk about how they prepared to hit and how Cal Ripken, Jr just went to work is hearing from the baseball G-Ds. Players one hundred through fifty received an average of five pages. Players fifty through eleven received around eight. The top ten each earned their due and merited twelve pages of print. Posnanski notes that he surpassed Moby Dick at Rickey Henderson, player number twenty four. With his cadence, The Baseball 100 did not feel long, and I could have kept reading another four hundred pages. Each story captivated me even the ones who I have read about countless times. Posnanski both impeccably researched and wrote about each of these players, attempting to remain unbiased at all times, even with Barry Bonds. Babe Ruth and Willie Mays could both win the Pulitzer for journalistic writing. The entries did not earn the Pulitzer, but the book did earn the Casey Award for top baseball writing, Posnanski’s third such award. His writing is that good. He is part of what makes baseball great.
It comes of little coincidence to me that I finished this opus on Father’s Day weekend. Part of what makes baseball symbolic with tradition is the passing down of the game from father to son. How many people can remember that first catch or first trip to the ballpark. Those memories are here in the form of fathers of the greats who motivated their sons to become who they were. From the motivation of Bill Feller to the negative psychology of Mutt Mantle, fathers receive their due here either for better or for worse. This year is a milestone year for both my father and myself, achieving round numbers in attending games at one of America’s oldest stadiums. While neither of us are known for our athletic prowess, we both have stories of countless games attended or watched to pass down to future generations of fans. It is stories like Ernie Banks attending Cub Scout banquets, Juan Marichal signing autographs outside of Wrigley Field, Willie Mays playing stick ball in the street, and the Babe being larger than life that make baseball the revered game that it is. If I have one regret growing up, it’s that I never asked either of my grandfathers if they saw Babe Ruth play in person- because I know that both of them did. I would also be remiss to not include the Negro Leagues players and traditions that Posnanski so eloquently remembers in this book’s pages. Whether you are a baseball fan or not, if you are a lover of history, then this book is for you. You will become a baseball fan and maybe decide on a favorite player or memory after reading it. Joe Posnanski is a national treasure and this is his opus. It is a must read even if it is longer than Moby Dick and easily my top nonfiction book of the year.
5 star read
Nonfiction book of the year 2024
January 12, 2024
If you love baseball, you'll love this book that ranks and tells the stories of the 100 greatest baseball players. If you don't love baseball, you still might enjoy it for all the great stories and history.
This book isn't about analytical arguments detailing exactly why each player received the ranking they did. The rankings are just a device to aid in the storytelling. Sometimes Posnanski does cute things with the rankings. You can guess what number Joe DiMaggio is, even though a better ranking might have been "fairer".
While the point of the book is storytelling, Posnanski is very familiar with advanced statistics such as WAR, and it informs both the rankings and the storytelling. I've never seen a sportswriter so able to deftly combine advanced analytics with wonderful storytelling as Posnanski does.
My favorites were the Negro League players. You'll learn about some of the great Negro League players, including the ones that never got a chance to play in MLB. While most people know something about Jackie Robinson, there are so many other great players with their own story of what they were like as players and men, how they handled discrimination, and what the paths of their careers and later lives were like. You'll learn about how Roy Campanella's sunny optimism was different from Robinson's fierce fighting mentality. You'll learn about the bitter anger Monte Irvin had for not being able to play in MLB when he was at his best, since he didn't get a chance to play MLB until he was in his 30's (though he still had several great years). They each had their own story.
The Old Timers were also fascinating reads. What a bunch of characters. Some that were quite admirable like Wagner, Gehrig, and Mathewson. Some that were awful like Rogers Hornsby. Some that were mixed and complicated, like Cobb. And some that were tortured, unfortunate, and sad, like Grover Cleveland Alexander.
Even for the modern day players, Posnanski is great at finding a bit of a twist on their story so you'll end up learning something new.
I usually work through several books at the same time, which helps me be aware of how much a book is really captivating me. Every time I had a chance to read, this is the only one I wanted to open.
This book isn't about analytical arguments detailing exactly why each player received the ranking they did. The rankings are just a device to aid in the storytelling. Sometimes Posnanski does cute things with the rankings. You can guess what number Joe DiMaggio is, even though a better ranking might have been "fairer".
While the point of the book is storytelling, Posnanski is very familiar with advanced statistics such as WAR, and it informs both the rankings and the storytelling. I've never seen a sportswriter so able to deftly combine advanced analytics with wonderful storytelling as Posnanski does.
My favorites were the Negro League players. You'll learn about some of the great Negro League players, including the ones that never got a chance to play in MLB. While most people know something about Jackie Robinson, there are so many other great players with their own story of what they were like as players and men, how they handled discrimination, and what the paths of their careers and later lives were like. You'll learn about how Roy Campanella's sunny optimism was different from Robinson's fierce fighting mentality. You'll learn about the bitter anger Monte Irvin had for not being able to play in MLB when he was at his best, since he didn't get a chance to play MLB until he was in his 30's (though he still had several great years). They each had their own story.
The Old Timers were also fascinating reads. What a bunch of characters. Some that were quite admirable like Wagner, Gehrig, and Mathewson. Some that were awful like Rogers Hornsby. Some that were mixed and complicated, like Cobb. And some that were tortured, unfortunate, and sad, like Grover Cleveland Alexander.
Even for the modern day players, Posnanski is great at finding a bit of a twist on their story so you'll end up learning something new.
I usually work through several books at the same time, which helps me be aware of how much a book is really captivating me. Every time I had a chance to read, this is the only one I wanted to open.
July 27, 2021
4.5 stars rounded up
Joe Posnanski wrote a 100 article series counting down his top 100 baseball players of all-time. This isn't a countdown, as the author states some players were assigned a number based on jersey number or a number significant to that player. He also promises there are players ranked who folks may seem are too high or too low and he is right. Tony Gwynn is far better than his number 95 ranking.
Posnanski's writing style is conversational. Like he's talking to you over the beverage of your choice. He is never condescending and I liked that he explains many of the stats he cites for the novice fans, or those who are inexperienced in sabrmetrics.
Further, I also liked that this list is top PLAYERS of all-time and not just Major League players, meaning there are players included who played in the Negro Leagues before Jackie Robinson integrated baseball in 1947. Also, there are two different articles on the ever polarizing Barry Bonds. One for fans who love him and another for those who don't.
My only complaints are that this could use some editing. The word breathless was used so many times, I lost count. Also, there was a lot of over romanticizing that could have been cut out. I understand and most definitely share Posnanski's passion for baseball, as I am a baseball historian myself. However, it made it a slog to get through at times.
Overall, this book is a brick at over 800 pages, but its actually a pretty quick read for the most part. I would recommend this for hard core and new fans alike.
Thank you to Avid Reader Press, author Joe Posnanski, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Joe Posnanski wrote a 100 article series counting down his top 100 baseball players of all-time. This isn't a countdown, as the author states some players were assigned a number based on jersey number or a number significant to that player. He also promises there are players ranked who folks may seem are too high or too low and he is right. Tony Gwynn is far better than his number 95 ranking.
Posnanski's writing style is conversational. Like he's talking to you over the beverage of your choice. He is never condescending and I liked that he explains many of the stats he cites for the novice fans, or those who are inexperienced in sabrmetrics.
Further, I also liked that this list is top PLAYERS of all-time and not just Major League players, meaning there are players included who played in the Negro Leagues before Jackie Robinson integrated baseball in 1947. Also, there are two different articles on the ever polarizing Barry Bonds. One for fans who love him and another for those who don't.
My only complaints are that this could use some editing. The word breathless was used so many times, I lost count. Also, there was a lot of over romanticizing that could have been cut out. I understand and most definitely share Posnanski's passion for baseball, as I am a baseball historian myself. However, it made it a slog to get through at times.
Overall, this book is a brick at over 800 pages, but its actually a pretty quick read for the most part. I would recommend this for hard core and new fans alike.
Thank you to Avid Reader Press, author Joe Posnanski, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
November 5, 2021
All baseball lovers need this! It is FULL of info on the top players of the game. This is a THICK book. I mean we are talking 870 pages of baseball's greatest. So much to learn and remember. It's so perfect for a gift!
May 1, 2022
Coming home from school on a Thursday I knew I would be greeted by a familiar presence in the mailbox. No matter, if it was a good or bad week the ensuing pleasure I would receive from the Sports Illustrated filled my weekend with much joy. Learning about the commonplace, such as events I viewed in the comfort of my home or going to some distant land, the writing captivated. This bit of longform writing shaped me more during my formative years than any one piece of literature or even author. In saying that, I do not take the writing of this celebrated magazine as merely a form of base writing. Though it has been decimated in the ensuing years due to many reasons I still derive a sense of enjoyment if not glee from receiving the now monthly magazine. While, not admittedly a baseball fan, this book inspired the childlike feelings that are so hard to replicate and for that Joe Posnanski's love letter to baseball is worthy of 5 stars. In 100 entries over 800 plus pages, Posnanski ably conveys not only so many of the greats of baseball but the feeling of wonderment. He writes with a mixture of facts, statistics and anecdotes. This is the type of book that will not only inspire numerous debates on placement of players due to methodology but also spark conversations on social issues. As evidenced by his previous work, Mr. Posnanski is an advocate of the Negro Leagues and his inclusion of many of the forgotten greats is a wonderful history lesson. I was aware of number of them: Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, Oscar Charleston, Cool Papa Bell but his ability to put their abilities in context greatly aided in my appreciation of the feats. There were also many other greats who have been forgotten about in plain sight. The one that intrigued me the most was Arky Vaughan. His place in baseball history is largely forgotten. He is mostly remember for his principled stance against his coach Leo Durocher. Instead of backing down he simply folded up his uniform and told him where he could put said uniform. His stubbornness cost him 3 years but he did not return to the team until Durocher was fired. His largely unassuming manner along with dying at a young age (drowning) and strange first name, made him a man of mystery. Whether you want a book to learn about baseball players or one to enjoy random facts such as the awful biopic, "The Winning Team" is the only movie to be about someone named for a US president (Grover Cleveland Alexander) played by a future US president, Ronald Reagan, this is the book for you.
April 3, 2023
I had huge unrealistic expectations for this book. Posnanski is my favorite sports writer and the idea of writing about the top 100 players in baseball history is one of those ambitious ideas writers have. So it seems unlikely, but this book was better than those lofty expectations.
I don’t want to give you an unrealistic idea of this book either. But surely if you are in the least bit a baseball fan, you will like this book. At 100 entries, it never feels repetitive. Posnanski knows his history - whether it is today or the dead hall era or the Negro Leagues.
I could probably go an hour recounting anecdotes - some entries are undoubtedly more interesting than others- Jackie Robinson, for one, of course.
There does seem to be a recurring theme that one certainly can’t predict future talent. As I watch Baseball Moms go through the motions- the book makes it clear (as with Tom Brady and Michael Jordan) - there’s no way to make sure that your teenager isn’t going to have the same career that Jerry Koosman or Grover Cleveland Alexander or whoever that threw rocks or skipped high school baseball or a number of things that aren’t expensive baseball conditioning had.
Some great baseball players were no doubt miserable. Some were real gentlemen. Some were overshadowed. Some like Hank Aaron pushed through unimaginable expectations.
Posnanski admits the book is longer than Moby Dick, but it never gets old or repetitive. It can be a sit down read or taken in bits and pieces. The 100 are not necessarily in order -but often their position might reflect something meaningful in their career.
I can’t imagine a non-fan picking up an 800 page book, but surely anybody who loves the game in the least bit will like this book. Also not to throw shade, but unlike other books that seem to pick from previous researched work, Posnanski’s entries all feel personal.
Anyway, as a baseball books go, I can’t recommend it any higher.
April 7, 2023
I have always loved Posnanski's writing, and this book climbed to the near-top of my sports books pantheon. It could be titled "The Big Book of Baseball Delight." It encompasses everything that is wonderful about baseball from the mythical to majestic the nerdy.
September 10, 2021
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
Joe Posnanski is a writer who sits in the middle of the venn diagram for "Stats Guy" and "Traditionalist" in baseball writing. Instead of pitting one against the other, he often uses the stories and history that traditionalists love to explain some of the statistics from baseball's past. On the flip side, he also uses some stats to illuminate or poke holes in some of the stories from the past. Through it all, you can see the absolute love that Posnanski has for the game. I grew up with Posnanski and Jason Whitlock being the two main columnists for my hometown paper (The Kansas City Star). I grew to love Posnanski's writing, as his sentimental streak was balanced with a desire to have the facts and clarity about things. While he was in KC, he had the Royals to write about, and the Royals at that time were atrocious. Like, three 100 loss seasons in a span of four years atrocious. However, where most writers could become cynical and worn out with all the losing, Posnanski managed to keep an upbeat look at the game, and to recognize that yes, the Royals were terrible, but they really provided a great amount of comedy.
I bring up his writing about the Royals because "The Baseball 100" deals with the complete opposite end of the spectrum. These are the best players in baseball history (and I specifically choose the word baseball, and not MLB). Originally written as a series of posts on his blog, and then transferred over to The Athletic as a series of expanded essays, they've made their final arrival in book form. Posnanski's grasp of baseball history is truly astounding. The stories that he tells in the book, in addition to all of the statistics he had to research, had to take a lifetime of sportswriting to collect. Posnanski doesn't shy away from the nastier side of the players, but he also finds a way to recognize that "these are grown men, these are heroes" (to quote a song by The Baseball Project).
The rankings in the book are both serious and silly. There are some that are clearly arbitrary, such as DiMaggio ending up at 56 (for obvious reasons) and Mike Trout ending up at 27 (to match his uniform number). At the end, the rankings do end up mattering, but I found myself caring less about where someone was ranked, and more curious as to where Posnanski would take their story. The book, while long, doesn't feel that way because the chapters on each player are short and contained. I sat down and read it straight through, but it doesn't need to be that way at all. Rather, this is a book to flip through and land upon pages over the years. Even though I got a digital ARC, I'm still going to purchase hard copy, I loved it that much.
Joe Posnanski is a writer who sits in the middle of the venn diagram for "Stats Guy" and "Traditionalist" in baseball writing. Instead of pitting one against the other, he often uses the stories and history that traditionalists love to explain some of the statistics from baseball's past. On the flip side, he also uses some stats to illuminate or poke holes in some of the stories from the past. Through it all, you can see the absolute love that Posnanski has for the game. I grew up with Posnanski and Jason Whitlock being the two main columnists for my hometown paper (The Kansas City Star). I grew to love Posnanski's writing, as his sentimental streak was balanced with a desire to have the facts and clarity about things. While he was in KC, he had the Royals to write about, and the Royals at that time were atrocious. Like, three 100 loss seasons in a span of four years atrocious. However, where most writers could become cynical and worn out with all the losing, Posnanski managed to keep an upbeat look at the game, and to recognize that yes, the Royals were terrible, but they really provided a great amount of comedy.
I bring up his writing about the Royals because "The Baseball 100" deals with the complete opposite end of the spectrum. These are the best players in baseball history (and I specifically choose the word baseball, and not MLB). Originally written as a series of posts on his blog, and then transferred over to The Athletic as a series of expanded essays, they've made their final arrival in book form. Posnanski's grasp of baseball history is truly astounding. The stories that he tells in the book, in addition to all of the statistics he had to research, had to take a lifetime of sportswriting to collect. Posnanski doesn't shy away from the nastier side of the players, but he also finds a way to recognize that "these are grown men, these are heroes" (to quote a song by The Baseball Project).
The rankings in the book are both serious and silly. There are some that are clearly arbitrary, such as DiMaggio ending up at 56 (for obvious reasons) and Mike Trout ending up at 27 (to match his uniform number). At the end, the rankings do end up mattering, but I found myself caring less about where someone was ranked, and more curious as to where Posnanski would take their story. The book, while long, doesn't feel that way because the chapters on each player are short and contained. I sat down and read it straight through, but it doesn't need to be that way at all. Rather, this is a book to flip through and land upon pages over the years. Even though I got a digital ARC, I'm still going to purchase hard copy, I loved it that much.
March 28, 2022
If you're not a fan of baseball history, this book will make you one.
If you're a fan of baseball and you haven't read this book... you're not a fan of baseball.
I also created 100 trivia questions (one for each player ranked) if you're messing around in the trivia section.
If you're a fan of baseball and you haven't read this book... you're not a fan of baseball.
I also created 100 trivia questions (one for each player ranked) if you're messing around in the trivia section.
January 4, 2022
Wow. What an excellent book. Thanks to baseball (and National Review) writer Dan McLaughlin for the recommendation.
This book was so good I didn’t take notes or add highlights. Not that there weren’t plenty of deserving passages. It’s just that such an effort would have drained the fun from the book.
Joe Posanski is a marvelous writer—I had read a few pieces of his before (although none of his sports books, including one about Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine, and a sort-of biography of Negro League legend Buck Owens). And such writing—especially about baseball—deserved to be read straight-through. Interruptions for highlighting would have broken the book’s “Field of Dreams” aura.
But that means I don’t remember which Iowa father actually dug up an Iowa cornfield to build a ballpark (Bob Feller’s dad?). I do remember that—with few exceptions—it was Field of Dreams, in that Fathers encouraged their Sons to compete. Some, like Mutt Mantle, famously were overbearing. A few didn’t exist: Ted Williams grew up fatherless (twice) and channeled the resulting anger into becoming baseball’s greatest hitter.
The book, as the title suggests, is a pocket bio of baseball’s 100 best players. Posanski gets in your grill about his rankings: they’re quirky, often based on a player’s uniform number, sometimes on a number associated with the man (DiMaggio is 56). The last 15 listings are designed to make you mad, or at least think (the author admits it), and clearly are more subjective. He rates Mantle Number 11; Ty Cobb Number 8; Ted Williams Number 6; then Oscar Charleston Number 5.
I’m well more than a casual baseball fan and never heard of Charleston—which was Posanski’s point. Charleston played in the 1910s and 1920s, before the Negro League even was invented. So no one saw him play; no one knows his stats; no one even knows his height. “Yes, I want you to feel rage about this ranking.” As the author knows, the rage is a two way sword: partly to acknowledge that “special pleading” might be necessary to introduce Oscar Charleston; partly to think no player who we know so little about possibly could be the fifth best. Posanski, however, makes a good statistical case, even though there’s almost no “chain of custody” (current player remembers breaking in with veteran, who broke in with veteran, who in turn remembers past baseball god) for Charslton.
Interesting to me was, once you read to about Number 15, anticipating the rest of the countdown. Of course I didn’t anticipate Charleston, but other than that, I had Posanski’s order fairly close. It wouldn’t have OCCURRED to be to cheat by looking at the ToC. And that might be the best part of this book: “who’s next?”
This book was so good I didn’t take notes or add highlights. Not that there weren’t plenty of deserving passages. It’s just that such an effort would have drained the fun from the book.
Joe Posanski is a marvelous writer—I had read a few pieces of his before (although none of his sports books, including one about Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine, and a sort-of biography of Negro League legend Buck Owens). And such writing—especially about baseball—deserved to be read straight-through. Interruptions for highlighting would have broken the book’s “Field of Dreams” aura.
But that means I don’t remember which Iowa father actually dug up an Iowa cornfield to build a ballpark (Bob Feller’s dad?). I do remember that—with few exceptions—it was Field of Dreams, in that Fathers encouraged their Sons to compete. Some, like Mutt Mantle, famously were overbearing. A few didn’t exist: Ted Williams grew up fatherless (twice) and channeled the resulting anger into becoming baseball’s greatest hitter.
The book, as the title suggests, is a pocket bio of baseball’s 100 best players. Posanski gets in your grill about his rankings: they’re quirky, often based on a player’s uniform number, sometimes on a number associated with the man (DiMaggio is 56). The last 15 listings are designed to make you mad, or at least think (the author admits it), and clearly are more subjective. He rates Mantle Number 11; Ty Cobb Number 8; Ted Williams Number 6; then Oscar Charleston Number 5.
I’m well more than a casual baseball fan and never heard of Charleston—which was Posanski’s point. Charleston played in the 1910s and 1920s, before the Negro League even was invented. So no one saw him play; no one knows his stats; no one even knows his height. “Yes, I want you to feel rage about this ranking.” As the author knows, the rage is a two way sword: partly to acknowledge that “special pleading” might be necessary to introduce Oscar Charleston; partly to think no player who we know so little about possibly could be the fifth best. Posanski, however, makes a good statistical case, even though there’s almost no “chain of custody” (current player remembers breaking in with veteran, who broke in with veteran, who in turn remembers past baseball god) for Charslton.
Interesting to me was, once you read to about Number 15, anticipating the rest of the countdown. Of course I didn’t anticipate Charleston, but other than that, I had Posanski’s order fairly close. It wouldn’t have OCCURRED to be to cheat by looking at the ToC. And that might be the best part of this book: “who’s next?”
January 18, 2024
I am not a baseball fan. Not at all. Thanks to a younger brother once obsessed with baseball and baseball cards, my husband, brother-in-law, and nephew and, surprisingly, all the Antiques Roadshow I watch, I have some basic knowledge of baseball - general terms and all but 10 players in this list of 100- but I can think of a lot I'd rather do than sit through a MLB game. Generally, when going to a game, I bring a book for hours of uninterrupted reading. Which is why my brother-in-law got me this book to "make a baseball fan out of you yet."
It did not make me a fan. But...
I get why this is so well reviewed. Posnanski is a great writer who takes a "people are complicated" approach to each of these great players. He shares what makes them great heroes in baseball along with personal or social stories, both good and bad, that keep them firmly human. While my brain clicked off reading the stats, my brain clicked back on for the personal stuff. I can appreciate the historical significance of the sport without caring anything about the score of a game, who won the World Series when, or individual player stats. This is written for fans, though, so it was missing information I needed as a non-fan to follow all the stories. I would have appreciated clear birth and death dates for all the players along with the team(s) for which they played. Yes, I know some of the information is given in the context of the segment on that player, but not always and not clearly. Posnanski name drops and assumes the reader knows who he means. I did not, usually. I get all the 5 star reviews from baseball fans, but this was a 3 star read for me at most.
I'm happy with my hours of reading time on a lovely, sunny day while eating a hot dog in a stadium surrounded by other people enjoying baseball.
It did not make me a fan. But...
I get why this is so well reviewed. Posnanski is a great writer who takes a "people are complicated" approach to each of these great players. He shares what makes them great heroes in baseball along with personal or social stories, both good and bad, that keep them firmly human. While my brain clicked off reading the stats, my brain clicked back on for the personal stuff. I can appreciate the historical significance of the sport without caring anything about the score of a game, who won the World Series when, or individual player stats. This is written for fans, though, so it was missing information I needed as a non-fan to follow all the stories. I would have appreciated clear birth and death dates for all the players along with the team(s) for which they played. Yes, I know some of the information is given in the context of the segment on that player, but not always and not clearly. Posnanski name drops and assumes the reader knows who he means. I did not, usually. I get all the 5 star reviews from baseball fans, but this was a 3 star read for me at most.
I'm happy with my hours of reading time on a lovely, sunny day while eating a hot dog in a stadium surrounded by other people enjoying baseball.
June 16, 2025
Shoeless Joe Jackson
Red Ruffing
Luke Appling
Lloyd Waner
Harmon Killebrew
Vada Pinson
Orlando Cepeda
Jim Palmer
Dave Parker
Don Baylor
Dave Winfield
Andre Dawson
Kirby Puckett
Paul Molitor
Roy Halladay
Joe Mauer
Buster Posey
What do all these people have in common, in addition to being exceptional baseball players? None of them have been included in Joe Posnanski's listing of the top 100 players in the history of baseball. It is fairly easy for any baseball fan to come up with a dozen or so players they think should have been included, as I did in the above list. What is much more difficult (at least for me), is to come up with a corresponding list of players that Posnanski included, but which I would exclude. And as the author points out, his list is not meant to be definitive, but to encourage discussions among baseball aficionados.
During his decades as a sports reporter, the author has collected a lot of good stories about a lot of players, and I am tempted to think that the quality of the stories influenced a player's inclusion in the book as much as their skills as a players. However, they are good stories. Whether it is recounting how a 12-year-old Johnny Bench perfected his handwriting because he knew that as a famous ballplayer he would be signing a lot of autographs, trying to track down the source of the many one-liners attributed to Satchel Paige or Yogi Berra, or exploring the many father-son relationships that range from heart-warming to slightly creepy, these are the kind of stories I enjoy reading, and I think most baseball fans will too.
If you are not a baseball fan, the presentation of a large amount of statistics might appear somewhat daunting. But you can skim the stats and read the stories.
Red Ruffing
Luke Appling
Lloyd Waner
Harmon Killebrew
Vada Pinson
Orlando Cepeda
Jim Palmer
Dave Parker
Don Baylor
Dave Winfield
Andre Dawson
Kirby Puckett
Paul Molitor
Roy Halladay
Joe Mauer
Buster Posey
What do all these people have in common, in addition to being exceptional baseball players? None of them have been included in Joe Posnanski's listing of the top 100 players in the history of baseball. It is fairly easy for any baseball fan to come up with a dozen or so players they think should have been included, as I did in the above list. What is much more difficult (at least for me), is to come up with a corresponding list of players that Posnanski included, but which I would exclude. And as the author points out, his list is not meant to be definitive, but to encourage discussions among baseball aficionados.
During his decades as a sports reporter, the author has collected a lot of good stories about a lot of players, and I am tempted to think that the quality of the stories influenced a player's inclusion in the book as much as their skills as a players. However, they are good stories. Whether it is recounting how a 12-year-old Johnny Bench perfected his handwriting because he knew that as a famous ballplayer he would be signing a lot of autographs, trying to track down the source of the many one-liners attributed to Satchel Paige or Yogi Berra, or exploring the many father-son relationships that range from heart-warming to slightly creepy, these are the kind of stories I enjoy reading, and I think most baseball fans will too.
If you are not a baseball fan, the presentation of a large amount of statistics might appear somewhat daunting. But you can skim the stats and read the stories.
August 16, 2023
Very long to hold five-star attention, but each player's story is right-sized. There is just enough novelty and continuity to keep the reader's attention rapt
October 17, 2022
First half.
This is the best book about baseball since Michael Lewis' "Moneyball". It is a completely different kind of baseball book.
The premise is not exciting. Posnanski picks the greatest 100 baseball players. He writes 8-10 page chapters on each of them, starting at the hundredth best. It has been done before. Usually you get potted biographies and some stats.
The execution here is spectacular. Posnanski has a deep handle on advanced metrics. In the introduction he says that Bill James "is ever present in this book". Posnanski also has a deep handle on the men he is writing about. On top of that, he is a great writer. He has a intelligent conversational style that hides the brilliant narrative tricks in each chapter.
Each chapter has a well considered evaluation of what we can tell from the players stats. A 360 BA in 1936 is much less impressive than one in 1966. The power numbers expected by a shortstop are less than from an outfielder. He is a master of the advanced metrics, WHIP, WAR, OPS+, etc. He uses them intelligently.
The stats stuff is very good and his arguments about the best way to interpret them are fascinating, but what makes this book so good is that in addition to the stats Posnanski tells great stories about these men, their times and the game of baseball.
The best thing I can do is to give you some examples.
#96 Larry Walker grew up in Canada with the dream of being a hockey player. He and his best friend tried out for a professional minor league hockey team, the Regina Pats. The friend made it. Larry didn't and had to settle for being an all star major leaguer. And his brothers were named Barry, Carey and Gary.
#94 The Roy Campanella chapter has a brilliant nuanced discussion of the difference between how Campanella dealt with integrating baseball and how Jackie Robinson went about it.
#92 Bullet Rogan is a spectacular name for a Negro League star from the 1920s. Posnanski is convincing on the Major League quality of play in the Negro Leagues.
#88 Curt Schilling was/is an asshole. Posnanski has another very nuanced consideration about what that should have to do with our view on him as a ballplayer.
#85 Sadaharu Oh. Posnanski focuses on Hisoshi Arakawa. He was a light hitting player in the Japanese leagues. He got interested in martial arts and eventually became a hitting coach. Oh was a talented undisciplined Japanese ball player who was known as a party guy. He fell under the spell of Arakawa. Arakawa changed Oh's life. Oh became the greatest hitter in the history of Japanese Baseball.
#83 The story of Phil Neikro's 300th win is a great story and it is brilliantly told by Posnanski.
#80 Carlton Fisk's thoughts on Bill Russell are fascinating.
#59 Reggie Jackson. In a footnote, Catfish Hunter's crack about the Reggie Bar is a classic.
#49 Warren Spahn was named after Warren G. Harding. That prompts a digression on the many MLB players named after presidents, including Sweetbread Bailey whose birthname was Abraham Lincoln Bailey.
And that is just from the first fifty players.
Each chapter is structured and focused differently. Some are hard core stats arguments. Some are personality portraits. Some are excuses to discuss perennial baseball issues. #61 Arky Vaughan is a discussion about why some players just are not remembered and respected as they should be. Hall of Famer Arky, who played for the Pirates in the 1930s, is a great hook for the discussion.
Some themes do keep appearing.
The role of fathers in making great ball players. There is a split between players whose fathers were dead set against baseball, Hank Greenberg is the classic example, and the fathers who were obscessed with making their sons into major leaguers. Mike Piazza, whose father used to dig their back yard batting cage out of the snow so they could work on his swing, is a pretty good example. It is probably not surprising that a very high percentage of the fathers were stern task masters.
The significance of the Negro Leagues. Posnanski is passionate about the importance of remembering and appreciating the historic injustice that prevented black players from playing in MLB. He also makes an unanswerable arguments as to why Negro League stars would have been MLB stars if they had the chance.
The most powerful argument he makes is very simple. Look what happened in the 1950s, as soon as baseball was integrated. Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Ernie Banks, Hank Aaron, Don Necombe, Elston Howard and a long list of others, all came from the Negro Leagues and all were immediately stars in MLB. He says that if integration did not occur we would be listening to arguments about whether those guys, who would be the stars of the Negro leagues, could make it in the major leagues. We did the experiment. They could.
The importance of longevity. Truly great players have long careers. Career numbers matter. We know that a pitcher with 300 wins was a really good pitcher. The chapter on #79 Derek Jeter argues convincingly that it is his 3,465 hits which best define him as an all time great player.
This book is 830 large pages long. It is an easy read because Posnanski is such a skilled writer but it is a stop-and-think book. He gives us a lot to mull over. I was happy to read the first half and hold off for a while to enjoy the second half. If you get a pound of really good fudge, you don't want to eat it all at once.
SECOND HALF 10/17/22
Playoffs seemed like a good time to read the second half.
More brilliant stuff.
In his Roger Clemons chapter, Posnanski sums up one of the most important themes of the book, "Every single day while writing this book, every day, I have been reminded that so much of baseball- and not only baseball- is about fathers and sons." Mickey Mantle and George Brett are two more sons driven by fathers. Baseball fathers are the male version of stage mothers. When George Brett hit .399, five hits short of .400 and the best average in fifty years, his father said to him, "Do you mean to tell me you couldn't have hit five more fucking hits?"
Just great stories. Yaz's signing bonus or the newspaper columnist who claimed Lou Gehrig gave the Yankees polio or the shenanigans around trying to get Nap Lajoie to beat out Ty Cobb for the 1910 batting championship.
Satchel Paige's answer when asked how he could put the ball exactly where he wanted it, "Home plate don't move."
The saddest baseball story of all. Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander, after a spectacular career, ended up broke and forgotten. He was a serious alcoholic. He was arrested multiple times. Late in his life someone asked him, "Aren't you Grover Clevland Alexander?" "Used to be.", he said.
Bill Lee on his teammate, Yaz. "He is a dull boring potato farmer who just happens to be a great ballplayer."
I stick by my position. This is a classic baseball book.
This is the best book about baseball since Michael Lewis' "Moneyball". It is a completely different kind of baseball book.
The premise is not exciting. Posnanski picks the greatest 100 baseball players. He writes 8-10 page chapters on each of them, starting at the hundredth best. It has been done before. Usually you get potted biographies and some stats.
The execution here is spectacular. Posnanski has a deep handle on advanced metrics. In the introduction he says that Bill James "is ever present in this book". Posnanski also has a deep handle on the men he is writing about. On top of that, he is a great writer. He has a intelligent conversational style that hides the brilliant narrative tricks in each chapter.
Each chapter has a well considered evaluation of what we can tell from the players stats. A 360 BA in 1936 is much less impressive than one in 1966. The power numbers expected by a shortstop are less than from an outfielder. He is a master of the advanced metrics, WHIP, WAR, OPS+, etc. He uses them intelligently.
The stats stuff is very good and his arguments about the best way to interpret them are fascinating, but what makes this book so good is that in addition to the stats Posnanski tells great stories about these men, their times and the game of baseball.
The best thing I can do is to give you some examples.
#96 Larry Walker grew up in Canada with the dream of being a hockey player. He and his best friend tried out for a professional minor league hockey team, the Regina Pats. The friend made it. Larry didn't and had to settle for being an all star major leaguer. And his brothers were named Barry, Carey and Gary.
#94 The Roy Campanella chapter has a brilliant nuanced discussion of the difference between how Campanella dealt with integrating baseball and how Jackie Robinson went about it.
#92 Bullet Rogan is a spectacular name for a Negro League star from the 1920s. Posnanski is convincing on the Major League quality of play in the Negro Leagues.
#88 Curt Schilling was/is an asshole. Posnanski has another very nuanced consideration about what that should have to do with our view on him as a ballplayer.
#85 Sadaharu Oh. Posnanski focuses on Hisoshi Arakawa. He was a light hitting player in the Japanese leagues. He got interested in martial arts and eventually became a hitting coach. Oh was a talented undisciplined Japanese ball player who was known as a party guy. He fell under the spell of Arakawa. Arakawa changed Oh's life. Oh became the greatest hitter in the history of Japanese Baseball.
#83 The story of Phil Neikro's 300th win is a great story and it is brilliantly told by Posnanski.
#80 Carlton Fisk's thoughts on Bill Russell are fascinating.
#59 Reggie Jackson. In a footnote, Catfish Hunter's crack about the Reggie Bar is a classic.
#49 Warren Spahn was named after Warren G. Harding. That prompts a digression on the many MLB players named after presidents, including Sweetbread Bailey whose birthname was Abraham Lincoln Bailey.
And that is just from the first fifty players.
Each chapter is structured and focused differently. Some are hard core stats arguments. Some are personality portraits. Some are excuses to discuss perennial baseball issues. #61 Arky Vaughan is a discussion about why some players just are not remembered and respected as they should be. Hall of Famer Arky, who played for the Pirates in the 1930s, is a great hook for the discussion.
Some themes do keep appearing.
The role of fathers in making great ball players. There is a split between players whose fathers were dead set against baseball, Hank Greenberg is the classic example, and the fathers who were obscessed with making their sons into major leaguers. Mike Piazza, whose father used to dig their back yard batting cage out of the snow so they could work on his swing, is a pretty good example. It is probably not surprising that a very high percentage of the fathers were stern task masters.
The significance of the Negro Leagues. Posnanski is passionate about the importance of remembering and appreciating the historic injustice that prevented black players from playing in MLB. He also makes an unanswerable arguments as to why Negro League stars would have been MLB stars if they had the chance.
The most powerful argument he makes is very simple. Look what happened in the 1950s, as soon as baseball was integrated. Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Ernie Banks, Hank Aaron, Don Necombe, Elston Howard and a long list of others, all came from the Negro Leagues and all were immediately stars in MLB. He says that if integration did not occur we would be listening to arguments about whether those guys, who would be the stars of the Negro leagues, could make it in the major leagues. We did the experiment. They could.
The importance of longevity. Truly great players have long careers. Career numbers matter. We know that a pitcher with 300 wins was a really good pitcher. The chapter on #79 Derek Jeter argues convincingly that it is his 3,465 hits which best define him as an all time great player.
This book is 830 large pages long. It is an easy read because Posnanski is such a skilled writer but it is a stop-and-think book. He gives us a lot to mull over. I was happy to read the first half and hold off for a while to enjoy the second half. If you get a pound of really good fudge, you don't want to eat it all at once.
SECOND HALF 10/17/22
Playoffs seemed like a good time to read the second half.
More brilliant stuff.
In his Roger Clemons chapter, Posnanski sums up one of the most important themes of the book, "Every single day while writing this book, every day, I have been reminded that so much of baseball- and not only baseball- is about fathers and sons." Mickey Mantle and George Brett are two more sons driven by fathers. Baseball fathers are the male version of stage mothers. When George Brett hit .399, five hits short of .400 and the best average in fifty years, his father said to him, "Do you mean to tell me you couldn't have hit five more fucking hits?"
Just great stories. Yaz's signing bonus or the newspaper columnist who claimed Lou Gehrig gave the Yankees polio or the shenanigans around trying to get Nap Lajoie to beat out Ty Cobb for the 1910 batting championship.
Satchel Paige's answer when asked how he could put the ball exactly where he wanted it, "Home plate don't move."
The saddest baseball story of all. Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander, after a spectacular career, ended up broke and forgotten. He was a serious alcoholic. He was arrested multiple times. Late in his life someone asked him, "Aren't you Grover Clevland Alexander?" "Used to be.", he said.
Bill Lee on his teammate, Yaz. "He is a dull boring potato farmer who just happens to be a great ballplayer."
I stick by my position. This is a classic baseball book.
January 26, 2025
This year, I am striving to fit in one long book per quarter, and this one was absolutely fabulous!
Essentially, this book is a countdown of the best baseball players (so far). I love countdowns, and I love baseball so how could it miss?
But I will confess that going in, I thought I might be bored reading about some of the historic players that I had never heard of, had never seen play.
But OMG, Joe Posnanski is an absolutely amazing writer. He manages to weave in anecdotes, humor, and statistics to perfectly encapsulate each player's special attributes. I loved the book, but moreover, I plan to read Joe's other books because he really can write.
I would say a MUST read for baseball fans, but even if you aren't a big fan, you could just read about the players of interest or the top 10 players. Each "bio" is a 10 to 20 minute read at most. To top it off, I read about 3/4 of the book, but listened to 1/4, and the reader was incredible. It's the first time I have ever enjoyed listening as much as I enjoyed reading.
Just a great way to kick off 2025!!
Essentially, this book is a countdown of the best baseball players (so far). I love countdowns, and I love baseball so how could it miss?
But I will confess that going in, I thought I might be bored reading about some of the historic players that I had never heard of, had never seen play.
But OMG, Joe Posnanski is an absolutely amazing writer. He manages to weave in anecdotes, humor, and statistics to perfectly encapsulate each player's special attributes. I loved the book, but moreover, I plan to read Joe's other books because he really can write.
I would say a MUST read for baseball fans, but even if you aren't a big fan, you could just read about the players of interest or the top 10 players. Each "bio" is a 10 to 20 minute read at most. To top it off, I read about 3/4 of the book, but listened to 1/4, and the reader was incredible. It's the first time I have ever enjoyed listening as much as I enjoyed reading.
Just a great way to kick off 2025!!
June 1, 2022
Generations of struggle and triumphs. Fathers and sons. Poverty and racism. Wars. This book is a tome, a marathon of nostalgia, a salute to the American Spirit. I listened (30 plus hours) with my husband, he grew up on the east coast, he knows baseball. His added bits of commentary and memories of the game and its players was an added joy. I saw a glimpse into his boyhood. My great grandmother made baseballs to supplement the family income. Baseball, you have a way of uniting us all.
August 5, 2023
This is a wonderful book. My wife and I enjoyed reading this together at night. The stories are short yet entertaining. This book is about baseball but it’s also about USA history. The author did a great job educating and entertaining. We learned about the great baseball players from the Negro leagues and about their struggle for acceptance. Get this book if you are at all interested in baseball!
February 8, 2022
Ugh. There has never been a book I've wanted to give 5 stars to more than this one. It's 4.5+, but there's just enough there that blocks it from getting over the hump. It's unfair to start with those, however, for this 830-page book that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Where to begin, but to recognize the incredible ambition and execution of this book, spanning the best 100 players in baseball history. Posnanski realizes early on that comparing statistics through the eras are close to meaningless, and that's before factoring the near impossibility of considering Negro Leagues numbers. Stories are this book's strength, with vivid detail, color, and personality for each player coming through in tales from teammates, coaches, journalists, family members, and more. The book is an incredible feat, and to think it first came together in only 100 days (Posnanski published one article a day for 100 days in The Athletic ) is mind-numbing. This book is a great example of why numbers and data don't tell entire stories and that there is tremendous value in individual narratives — something we can do well to remember in all areas of life.
I can already feel this review veering towards one of my life's theses, that sports are more than just a game. Captured in detail, there are stories (lessons?) about self-confidence, self-motivation, and the drive to be great. There are many reminders that, despite how good - great - historic a professional you are, you will be equally remembered for your choices, your ethics, and how you behaved "off the field." There are player profiles that highlight consistency above all else — reminders that showing up day in and day out, for 20-plus seasons (a baseball lifetime), and leaving it all on the field, is what separates legends from one-hit wonders. There are chapters that show how much we all lost due to racism and the lack of opportunity afforded to Black players, the loss biggest of course for those denied the chance to play on the biggest stage and the second-class treatment they receive(d) when they did. All are truths that echo far beyond the baseball diamond.
In baseball, as in life — the names, the teams, and the statistics are lost to history. What remains are stories and memories. The personal connections and shared bonds.
Unfortunately, too many of the stories and the players blurred together for me. Perhaps this is more an indictment of my relative youth (since so many players exist only as names for me) than a shortcoming of the book, but it felt like there were only so many ways Posnanski structured a player's chapter — and there were definitely chapters that felt cookie cutter. I can imagine fans who have seen baseball through the decades feeling very differently. Despite the cautioning about statistics, their use sometime still felt overly niche, stilted and/or cherry-picked. There were just enough small typos to be noticed and to be irksome, however forgivable they may be in a book of this length.
What Posnanski did best is capture the long, varied legacy of baseball — and the romanticism of it all. He admits late on that there is no point in splitting hairs, and that the rankings were only a way to tell stories. Come for those stories, and stay for the romanticism. So many of my favorite quotes (see below) came in the last 5 pages of the book, and I'm left wondering if the 800+ pages previous were necessary for them to be as compelling as they were. I truly don't know.
As a bonus, this book has a beautiful cover and I can't wait to put it on display. It's almost time for my annual reading of "Wait Till Next Year," and soon, it'll be Opening Day.
--
And some quotes that I wish I wrote, they were so good:
"So much of baseball – and not only baseball – is about fathers and sons." (hey, mothers and daughters, too)
"See, all along, this journey has not just been about the greatest players in baseball history. It has been about us, too, fans. It's about the things we believe in, the myths we hold dear, the statistics we embrace, the memories we carry."
"Baseball tied communities together. Baseball gave people something to share. Baseball created a new language. And it launched a few million dreams along the way."
"Willie Mays has always made kids feel like grown-ups and grown-ups feel like kids. In the end, isn't that the whole point of baseball?"
Where to begin, but to recognize the incredible ambition and execution of this book, spanning the best 100 players in baseball history. Posnanski realizes early on that comparing statistics through the eras are close to meaningless, and that's before factoring the near impossibility of considering Negro Leagues numbers. Stories are this book's strength, with vivid detail, color, and personality for each player coming through in tales from teammates, coaches, journalists, family members, and more. The book is an incredible feat, and to think it first came together in only 100 days (Posnanski published one article a day for 100 days in The Athletic ) is mind-numbing. This book is a great example of why numbers and data don't tell entire stories and that there is tremendous value in individual narratives — something we can do well to remember in all areas of life.
I can already feel this review veering towards one of my life's theses, that sports are more than just a game. Captured in detail, there are stories (lessons?) about self-confidence, self-motivation, and the drive to be great. There are many reminders that, despite how good - great - historic a professional you are, you will be equally remembered for your choices, your ethics, and how you behaved "off the field." There are player profiles that highlight consistency above all else — reminders that showing up day in and day out, for 20-plus seasons (a baseball lifetime), and leaving it all on the field, is what separates legends from one-hit wonders. There are chapters that show how much we all lost due to racism and the lack of opportunity afforded to Black players, the loss biggest of course for those denied the chance to play on the biggest stage and the second-class treatment they receive(d) when they did. All are truths that echo far beyond the baseball diamond.
In baseball, as in life — the names, the teams, and the statistics are lost to history. What remains are stories and memories. The personal connections and shared bonds.
Unfortunately, too many of the stories and the players blurred together for me. Perhaps this is more an indictment of my relative youth (since so many players exist only as names for me) than a shortcoming of the book, but it felt like there were only so many ways Posnanski structured a player's chapter — and there were definitely chapters that felt cookie cutter. I can imagine fans who have seen baseball through the decades feeling very differently. Despite the cautioning about statistics, their use sometime still felt overly niche, stilted and/or cherry-picked. There were just enough small typos to be noticed and to be irksome, however forgivable they may be in a book of this length.
What Posnanski did best is capture the long, varied legacy of baseball — and the romanticism of it all. He admits late on that there is no point in splitting hairs, and that the rankings were only a way to tell stories. Come for those stories, and stay for the romanticism. So many of my favorite quotes (see below) came in the last 5 pages of the book, and I'm left wondering if the 800+ pages previous were necessary for them to be as compelling as they were. I truly don't know.
As a bonus, this book has a beautiful cover and I can't wait to put it on display. It's almost time for my annual reading of "Wait Till Next Year," and soon, it'll be Opening Day.
--
And some quotes that I wish I wrote, they were so good:
"So much of baseball – and not only baseball – is about fathers and sons." (hey, mothers and daughters, too)
"See, all along, this journey has not just been about the greatest players in baseball history. It has been about us, too, fans. It's about the things we believe in, the myths we hold dear, the statistics we embrace, the memories we carry."
"Baseball tied communities together. Baseball gave people something to share. Baseball created a new language. And it launched a few million dreams along the way."
"Willie Mays has always made kids feel like grown-ups and grown-ups feel like kids. In the end, isn't that the whole point of baseball?"
August 1, 2021
I am not the hard core baseball fan that this is directed at, but found the read quite enjoyable. And it's over 800 pages! Dont underestimate this feat. I learned a lot about baseball, history, and the people who played with lots of fun stories. The stats are there, but never long enough to make my eyes glaze over enough to put the book down. Posnanski is a big proponent of WAR and sabrmetrics, but doesnt bog down the writing or eliminate the personal (asterisk to Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds' home run comparison).
The things that kept it from 5 stars for me:
Posnanski tries to be socially conscious, as I would expect from someone who writes about the Negro Leagues. I applaud his attempts and he does include many poignant examples. But he just misses some things, especially where it comes to the media or himself. He talks about Yogi Berra and his depiction in the media, but Bob Gibson's allusions to the media's contribution to his perception as fierce and angry gets completely dismissed. Despite Posnanski describing the intimidating pitching of other (white) players while not extending that to who they are as a person, he contradicts Gibson's calling out of the discrepancy. This comes up in another way in his piece about Joe Morgan. The last paragraph of that article, about the author's traffic stop, is incongruous and performative on Posnanski's part. Also, I'm still confused on the goal of his argument for Oscar Charleston's placement and why it should make me angry, especially when so many "rankings" seemed random, based on Posnanski's personal history/age, and many many uniform numbers.
This first appeared as 100 articles, and you can tell. (If you read it straight through, try a game where something happens every time he says breathtaking.) There is some editing to put things together, but there could have been more.
Overall, I'd highly recommend this to baseball fans. Expect lots of lively conversation and nostalgia.
Thank you to Joe Posnanski, Avid Reader Press, and Netgalley for an advance ecopy of the book in exchange for an honest opinion.
The things that kept it from 5 stars for me:
Posnanski tries to be socially conscious, as I would expect from someone who writes about the Negro Leagues. I applaud his attempts and he does include many poignant examples. But he just misses some things, especially where it comes to the media or himself. He talks about Yogi Berra and his depiction in the media, but Bob Gibson's allusions to the media's contribution to his perception as fierce and angry gets completely dismissed. Despite Posnanski describing the intimidating pitching of other (white) players while not extending that to who they are as a person, he contradicts Gibson's calling out of the discrepancy. This comes up in another way in his piece about Joe Morgan. The last paragraph of that article, about the author's traffic stop, is incongruous and performative on Posnanski's part. Also, I'm still confused on the goal of his argument for Oscar Charleston's placement and why it should make me angry, especially when so many "rankings" seemed random, based on Posnanski's personal history/age, and many many uniform numbers.
This first appeared as 100 articles, and you can tell. (If you read it straight through, try a game where something happens every time he says breathtaking.) There is some editing to put things together, but there could have been more.
Overall, I'd highly recommend this to baseball fans. Expect lots of lively conversation and nostalgia.
Thank you to Joe Posnanski, Avid Reader Press, and Netgalley for an advance ecopy of the book in exchange for an honest opinion.
March 28, 2022
Baseball is, and always will be, my favorite sport. It's the one that made me fall in love with sports, and though I've cheated on it over the years with any number of suitors (football, basketball, even tennis and various Olympics, but never golf, hockey, or racing), I've always found the sport of baseball to hold my interest at least when it comes to the literature around it. Many books have come my way over the years, and I've read so many about baseball that I feel like any more would be ridiculous. But here's the thing: there can always be more great books about the sport. And I think I just read one of the best new ones.
"The Baseball 100" by Joe Posnanski is a deceptively simple premise: ranking the 100 best baseball players in history. You can already see where this is going...but hold on; Posnanski, a career sports writer and one of the people who helped build the Negro Leagues Museum in Kansas City, is more interested in highlighting many of the lesser-known lights in baseball and some of the lesser-known stories behind some of the most iconic names in the sport. And his ranking system is a literary device, but it also isn't. But it is, definitely.
Posnanski writes with verve, passion, and a sense of awe about the men he chronicles here, and he is devoted not just to ranking them but to telling you why each player is at their ranking and what it means. His essays about each player are fun to read, and many of them are quick though not rushed. The book is massive, of course, but it's never dull, and his rankings may surprise you (I know a few did for me), but in some ways the rankings aren't the point. Posnanski knows his stuff, and the book is a very good and necessary history of the sport through the hundred or so men who are profiled here.
I won't spoil who Posnanski places in the top ten, but I think he nails it. I also think his inclusion at number five (and his reasons for doing so) is maybe the highlight of the book, but so much of the book is fantastic. If you love baseball, and if you love rankings, you'll love this book. I know that I did.
"The Baseball 100" by Joe Posnanski is a deceptively simple premise: ranking the 100 best baseball players in history. You can already see where this is going...but hold on; Posnanski, a career sports writer and one of the people who helped build the Negro Leagues Museum in Kansas City, is more interested in highlighting many of the lesser-known lights in baseball and some of the lesser-known stories behind some of the most iconic names in the sport. And his ranking system is a literary device, but it also isn't. But it is, definitely.
Posnanski writes with verve, passion, and a sense of awe about the men he chronicles here, and he is devoted not just to ranking them but to telling you why each player is at their ranking and what it means. His essays about each player are fun to read, and many of them are quick though not rushed. The book is massive, of course, but it's never dull, and his rankings may surprise you (I know a few did for me), but in some ways the rankings aren't the point. Posnanski knows his stuff, and the book is a very good and necessary history of the sport through the hundred or so men who are profiled here.
I won't spoil who Posnanski places in the top ten, but I think he nails it. I also think his inclusion at number five (and his reasons for doing so) is maybe the highlight of the book, but so much of the book is fantastic. If you love baseball, and if you love rankings, you'll love this book. I know that I did.
April 9, 2023
What a book, what a resource. The opposite of a dry history, this is 100 life stories in one volume. The book does not shy away from the warts - which player was in the KKK? whose fathers were monstrous presences in their lives? of course there’s always the joy of baseball in every chapter. It gives fantastic information about the Negro Leagues and players whose entire histories are so shrouded by myth that we only have stories that become legends.
A word about the rankings - which Posnanski discusses at the beginning and near the end - they are far from scientific. Joe DiMaggio is 56 because of his hitting streak, some guys are given their jersey number. So it’s not really important.
Also, he acknowledges and discusses steroids, spitballs, stealing signs, and other forms of outright cheating. But he doesn’t really take those into account in his rankings. Oh, he also discusses the dead ball era, the time when the mound was high and only 50 feet away from the plate, too.
Anyway, read one chapter a night to yourself or your kids or anyone else interested in baseball or devour it all at once. It’s really not to be missed.
A word about the rankings - which Posnanski discusses at the beginning and near the end - they are far from scientific. Joe DiMaggio is 56 because of his hitting streak, some guys are given their jersey number. So it’s not really important.
Also, he acknowledges and discusses steroids, spitballs, stealing signs, and other forms of outright cheating. But he doesn’t really take those into account in his rankings. Oh, he also discusses the dead ball era, the time when the mound was high and only 50 feet away from the plate, too.
Anyway, read one chapter a night to yourself or your kids or anyone else interested in baseball or devour it all at once. It’s really not to be missed.
August 15, 2024
Wow, what a journey!
The Baseball 100 reads like an encyclopedia. One hundred players dutifully (or not) ordered from the 100th best to the first.
I am not a seasoned baseball fan. I like to watch the games (on the Internet and not at the ballparks unfortunately), read about past games and the success of current players, etc.
But since baseball is definitely not a thing in France and Europe in general, my baseball trivia is abysmal.
This book was a medium for me to improve my knowledge and it did much more than I expected.
I took the time to read it, to absorb every detail about each player described in the book, to look for extra material such as statistics or videos, etc.
I feel like I've a better background on what baseball was and is. I'm not going to stop there, though: I'm going to keep up with other books on baseball, and refine everything I can learn about it, because it's such a beautiful sport and probably my favorite.
The Baseball 100 reads like an encyclopedia. One hundred players dutifully (or not) ordered from the 100th best to the first.
I am not a seasoned baseball fan. I like to watch the games (on the Internet and not at the ballparks unfortunately), read about past games and the success of current players, etc.
But since baseball is definitely not a thing in France and Europe in general, my baseball trivia is abysmal.
This book was a medium for me to improve my knowledge and it did much more than I expected.
I took the time to read it, to absorb every detail about each player described in the book, to look for extra material such as statistics or videos, etc.
I feel like I've a better background on what baseball was and is. I'm not going to stop there, though: I'm going to keep up with other books on baseball, and refine everything I can learn about it, because it's such a beautiful sport and probably my favorite.
July 21, 2024
This is a bit of a weird one...I got The Baseball 100 when it first came out, read pieces of it and skimmed the rest so I could write about it, then just left it on my coffee table and desk for years, picking it up whenever I needed some baseball. Joe Posnanski is a relentlessly positive writer who tells wonderful stories, and there were simply days I needed what he brings. This is a great baseball book, and years on still a fantastic gift for any fan. I'm "officially" marking it read, but truth be told, I'll probably never be done with it.
December 12, 2023
an instant classic
Posnanski has given us a treasure. This is part encyclopedia, part love poem, part history, lesson. He writes with joy and deep appreciation. This is a book to be savored one player at a time, an absolute must for every baseball fan.
Posnanski has given us a treasure. This is part encyclopedia, part love poem, part history, lesson. He writes with joy and deep appreciation. This is a book to be savored one player at a time, an absolute must for every baseball fan.
July 27, 2022
I read this over the winter, near the fire, where i could dream of baseball. Great stories about great players, perfect for reading a little at a time.
May 8, 2024
Being a baseball fan for the last 56 years or so, I’m embarrassed to admit I had never heard of or read anything written by Joe Posnanski, a fact most likely stemming from a lifelong insecurity that all but forces me to read only books which any of my most respected former teachers would deem erudite enough to justify the time spent reading them. That’s not to say I haven’t cheated over the years, nabbing a fistful of figurative potato chips and running down to the basement instead of remaining in the kitchen and finishing my healthy broccoli. However, none of those snack grabs ever came away with even a bite of Posnanski.
After having revealed way too much about my psychological issues, it’s easy to admit I was not too optimistic about liking this book when I first received it, not only because of the misguided erudite test I put books through. The thing is I have never bought into that ranking exercise to determine who is the greatest baseball player of all time. There are just too many levels of apples and oranges, or to keep things less erudite, too many levels of potato chips and cupcakes. There’s no way to accurately weigh players against each other when there were so many inherent differences factoring into to each player’s career stats, differences such as mound distance, mound height, competition, home park dimensions, position played, the team make up, the manager(s) they played under, interrupted service time, number of teams in the league, rule changes, tools (i.e., balls, bats, gloves, shoes, protective gear) available, schedule, travel modes, day games versus night games, PEDs, acceptable vs. unacceptable cheating techniques, turf, availability of computer-aided technique analysis, to name a few. As I began to read, I anticipated a buffet of stats that would overfill my plate, force me to overindulge in ill-advised pairings which would leave me mumbling “why did I eat that” as I slumped on the couch, falling asleep with one rogue finger pressing constantly on the remote’s channel-up button. Plus the book was over 800 pages long! Given the pace I read, I figured I had to clear my reading schedule for the next two baseball seasons.
Boy, was I wrong.
First, I loved the structure of the book - one concise chapter for each ranked player, starting with the player ranked the 100th best and ending with the player ranked number 1, a picture of the player at the beginning of each chapter until you reach the top ten, where you get two pictures, the second being an official baseball card picture.
Then I appreciated the smooth flowing text of each chapter, surprised at how quickly I finished each chapter, and how, as if Posnanski was challenging me to eat just one Lay’s potato chip, I couldn’t resist reading another chapter, and another chapter, and another chapter. All without regret or indigestion.
Yes there were stats, lots of them, but they were smartly presented, like French restaurant style modest plates as opposed to recklessly upsized fast-food-joint feed bags.
And each player profile was obviously meticulously researched and carefully selected to completely, or as near completely as possible, capture what made each player not just the player they became but also the men they were. Dare I say each profile was - erudite? Yes, I do dare. Amazingly, even when I was sure I knew all there was to know about a player, like Mike Schmidt, for example, whom I have followed since his unrepresentative rookie season, I came away enlightened.
Finally, Posnanski makes it clear he too isn’t a big fan of trying to rank all time greats. In fact, he forgoes a strict ranking in favor of sometimes ranking players in connection with some associated number from their careers - like 56 for Joe DiMaggio and 20 for Mike Schmidt; each such departure whetted my appetite like an amuse-bouche.
So, putting all my psychological shortcomings and gustatory obsessions aside, I can almost unreservedly recommend Joe Posnanski’s excellent tome (I almost said "Thome") The Baseball 100 to every baseball loving reader out there, erudite or not. Why “almost?” Well, did you ever have a great meal which you enjoyed thoroughly, but one dish had some unique ingredient in it which you couldn’t decide whether you loved it more or hated it more because of that flavor, but come 2:00 AM when you’re in bed trying not to wake your wife as you belch that flavor over and over, you think you may have loved it slightly less than you originally thought you loved it? That’s how the one nagging doubt I have after reading this book feels. What has me muffling nocturnal burps? That d@mned picture atop Chapter 45 - Bob Gibson. Why is he left handed in that picture?
Got to go; Stacy Schiff’s Samuel Adams biography is up next.
After having revealed way too much about my psychological issues, it’s easy to admit I was not too optimistic about liking this book when I first received it, not only because of the misguided erudite test I put books through. The thing is I have never bought into that ranking exercise to determine who is the greatest baseball player of all time. There are just too many levels of apples and oranges, or to keep things less erudite, too many levels of potato chips and cupcakes. There’s no way to accurately weigh players against each other when there were so many inherent differences factoring into to each player’s career stats, differences such as mound distance, mound height, competition, home park dimensions, position played, the team make up, the manager(s) they played under, interrupted service time, number of teams in the league, rule changes, tools (i.e., balls, bats, gloves, shoes, protective gear) available, schedule, travel modes, day games versus night games, PEDs, acceptable vs. unacceptable cheating techniques, turf, availability of computer-aided technique analysis, to name a few. As I began to read, I anticipated a buffet of stats that would overfill my plate, force me to overindulge in ill-advised pairings which would leave me mumbling “why did I eat that” as I slumped on the couch, falling asleep with one rogue finger pressing constantly on the remote’s channel-up button. Plus the book was over 800 pages long! Given the pace I read, I figured I had to clear my reading schedule for the next two baseball seasons.
Boy, was I wrong.
First, I loved the structure of the book - one concise chapter for each ranked player, starting with the player ranked the 100th best and ending with the player ranked number 1, a picture of the player at the beginning of each chapter until you reach the top ten, where you get two pictures, the second being an official baseball card picture.
Then I appreciated the smooth flowing text of each chapter, surprised at how quickly I finished each chapter, and how, as if Posnanski was challenging me to eat just one Lay’s potato chip, I couldn’t resist reading another chapter, and another chapter, and another chapter. All without regret or indigestion.
Yes there were stats, lots of them, but they were smartly presented, like French restaurant style modest plates as opposed to recklessly upsized fast-food-joint feed bags.
And each player profile was obviously meticulously researched and carefully selected to completely, or as near completely as possible, capture what made each player not just the player they became but also the men they were. Dare I say each profile was - erudite? Yes, I do dare. Amazingly, even when I was sure I knew all there was to know about a player, like Mike Schmidt, for example, whom I have followed since his unrepresentative rookie season, I came away enlightened.
Finally, Posnanski makes it clear he too isn’t a big fan of trying to rank all time greats. In fact, he forgoes a strict ranking in favor of sometimes ranking players in connection with some associated number from their careers - like 56 for Joe DiMaggio and 20 for Mike Schmidt; each such departure whetted my appetite like an amuse-bouche.
So, putting all my psychological shortcomings and gustatory obsessions aside, I can almost unreservedly recommend Joe Posnanski’s excellent tome (I almost said "Thome") The Baseball 100 to every baseball loving reader out there, erudite or not. Why “almost?” Well, did you ever have a great meal which you enjoyed thoroughly, but one dish had some unique ingredient in it which you couldn’t decide whether you loved it more or hated it more because of that flavor, but come 2:00 AM when you’re in bed trying not to wake your wife as you belch that flavor over and over, you think you may have loved it slightly less than you originally thought you loved it? That’s how the one nagging doubt I have after reading this book feels. What has me muffling nocturnal burps? That d@mned picture atop Chapter 45 - Bob Gibson. Why is he left handed in that picture?
Got to go; Stacy Schiff’s Samuel Adams biography is up next.
July 1, 2024
“The Baseball 100” by Joe Posnanski is the greatest love letter imaginable to the greatest sport in the world. It succeeds in both being a book about baseball and a book about people, and it is the story of the game told through the lives of 100 of its greatest players. This is a book about fathers and sons, dreams and aspirations, and barrier breakers.
I’ve been a fan of the game for nearly my whole life, and I found this book incredibly insightful. There is more history and nuance to baseball than one person can learn in a lifetime but Posnanski has certainly learned as much as is humanely possible. He masterfully conveys this information to the reader and appeals to both the analytically minded fan and those who love the storytelling and myth making of baseball. The latter part is what hooked me the most. One of the recurring themes in the book is fathers and sons which gets at the heart of the game. For almost every great player, it started with playing ball with their dad. For some, this was a loving relationship and for others it was a lifelong struggle to live up to their dad’s expectations. In the end, I found it very relatable that these athletes, for all their incredible skill, were and are human beings.
Sadaharu Oh was born the son of an immigrant, noodle shop owner and rose to become Japan’s home run king and a national icon. Hank Greenberg became the first Jewish-American sports hero and an inspiration during a time of rising anti-semitism in the world. Mickey Mantle was forged into a baseball star at the cost of not having a normal childhood and loving relationship with his father. Behind every all-time player is a story rich with emotions and relationships to rival any drama. This is what Posnanski captures so beautifully. This isn’t a dry recitation of statistics but the story of baseball itself through its 100 greatest players.
This is the rare type of book that I would recommend both to those who have lived with baseball their whole lives and to those who have just discovered the sport. There is so much to love in this book that I already want to read it again which is a rare feat, but like Ernie Banks would say:
“It’s a beautiful day for a ballgame, let’s play 2!”
I’ve been a fan of the game for nearly my whole life, and I found this book incredibly insightful. There is more history and nuance to baseball than one person can learn in a lifetime but Posnanski has certainly learned as much as is humanely possible. He masterfully conveys this information to the reader and appeals to both the analytically minded fan and those who love the storytelling and myth making of baseball. The latter part is what hooked me the most. One of the recurring themes in the book is fathers and sons which gets at the heart of the game. For almost every great player, it started with playing ball with their dad. For some, this was a loving relationship and for others it was a lifelong struggle to live up to their dad’s expectations. In the end, I found it very relatable that these athletes, for all their incredible skill, were and are human beings.
Sadaharu Oh was born the son of an immigrant, noodle shop owner and rose to become Japan’s home run king and a national icon. Hank Greenberg became the first Jewish-American sports hero and an inspiration during a time of rising anti-semitism in the world. Mickey Mantle was forged into a baseball star at the cost of not having a normal childhood and loving relationship with his father. Behind every all-time player is a story rich with emotions and relationships to rival any drama. This is what Posnanski captures so beautifully. This isn’t a dry recitation of statistics but the story of baseball itself through its 100 greatest players.
This is the rare type of book that I would recommend both to those who have lived with baseball their whole lives and to those who have just discovered the sport. There is so much to love in this book that I already want to read it again which is a rare feat, but like Ernie Banks would say:
“It’s a beautiful day for a ballgame, let’s play 2!”
August 8, 2022
Truly one of the most enjoyable books I’ve ever read. Posnanski here has crafted 100 mini-biographies of the greatest baseball players of all time, bringing their stories to life through thousands of anecdotes, quotes, statistical breakdowns, bits of trivia and personal interviews. It’s an incredibly fun, nostalgic and sometimes emotional tour through baseball history, filled with heroes, villains, legends and tragic figures. I can’t fathom the amount of research, experience and access that went into this — or how Posnanski pulled it off without becoming too repetitive or formulaic. But I’m thankful that he did. It’s the perfect read for summer evenings in the backyard, or with a game on in the background.
January 30, 2024
A wonderful reminder of how great life is because there is baseball. So many great stories about so many great players. My only mistake was in reading this straight through rather than taking my time and letting it last, like a long sultry summer of baseball.
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