Hard times ahead.
With the ball season that opened Sunday (yesterday), the Stanley Cup starting in few days, there will be less and less time for reading, ah progress. The frantic rhythm of modern times. (See Foot Note)
If somebody is interested, I can point out two very nice novels about baseball. Of course the absolute must is
Ball Four by Bouton (1970), but it is not available. Nevertheless,
Mark Harris wrote two excellent stories in sequel:
The Southpaw (1953) and
Bang the Drum Slowly (1956)
that whas made into a good movie by the same
title (1973) with Robert DeNiro playing the half-wit catcher. Both the novels are ebooks. I got them from eReader, some years ago, and I found them very enjoiable, if you like the game.
There is also a new book, The Bullpen Gospels by the now Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dirk Hayhurst. The book just came out. I do not know nothing about it. One might say what about the Natural (1952) by Malamud. With the 1984 movie starring Robert Redford. I put this more into literature than baseball stories. Although ...
Foot Note: Actually, there is nothing against following the ball game and reading. What can be more pleasurable than a lazy Sunday afternoon, spent on the couch with the feet up, a nice book on the reader and a nice game on the tube. It would help to be an octopus, though. One limb for the book, one for the can of beer, one for the zapper, one around the consenting adult, one for the chips, one for a sudden scratch. If one is a squid there will be 4 left, for more contemplative activities. Too bad that living in Europe, I have to be content with following the scores on Internet, late at night.