The return of Viva el Libros - A Hunt and Peck

Baseball is over and the cold dread of winter is breathing a chill down our necks. In the past, to pass the time we launched Viva el Libros. I enjoyed reading some baseball books with you all and I think other folks enjoyed it as well. This winter we are gonna try to bring it back!

The Offseason Book Club will officially begin December 1 and will run through February 29. That is three months for three books. I have some ideas for what I think we should read, but of course I am open to suggestions.

For December the book I am considering is The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It by by Lawrence S. Ritter. As the preface states, this book — published in 1966 — is about the early days of baseball. After the death of Ty Cobb, Ritter realized the pioneers of baseball were growing older and set out to interview them. This historical read seems like a good place to kick of the offseason.

January should be focused on fiction, I think, so far that I was thinking a book like The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. Harbach reportedly worked on the novel for ten years before it was published in 2011. The book seems triumphant, tragic, and a bit sad, making it a lovely choice for a dreary January.

No baseball book club would be complete without some Roger Angell so for February my plan was to wrap things up with Once More Around the Park: A Baseball Reader. It is a collection of some of Angell’s best work. With Spring Training starting, this seems like a good way to break back into the swing of things.

These are just my ideas, though. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Previous Viva el Libros:

The Summer of Beer and Whiskey: How Brewers, Barkeeps, Rowdies, Immigrants, and a Wild Pennant Fight Made Baseball America’s Game by Edward Achorn
Bang the Drum Slowly by Mark Harris
October 1964 by David Halberstam

what else is going on in baseball...

Every Major League team biggest 2020 offseason need | MLB.com

Corey Kluber option picked up by Indians | MLB.com

Anthony Rendon should age well | MLB.com

AJ Hinch addresses Game 7 plan for Gerrit Cole | MLB.com

Cody Bellinger among Fielding Bible Award winners | MLB.com

On Work and Being Found Wanting | FanGraphs Baseball

Howie Kendrick Carves His Niche in Postseason History | FanGraphs Baseball

Bullpens Helped Decide the World Series | FanGraphs Baseball

A Defining Moment Slips Away From Zack Greinke | FanGraphs Baseball

The Nationals’ World Series championship was one of 2019’s best stories | SBNation.com

what the cardinals are up to...

KNOW THINE ENEMY...

the nl central

Brewers pick up catcher Manny Piña’s option | Brew Crew Ball

Yasmani Grandal to decline mutual option with Brewers; will reportedly be pursued by Reds | Brew Crew Ball

Cubs vs. Cardinals 2020 London game times set | Bleed Cubbie Blue

viva el stuff...

Salaries Around the League: Part One | Viva El Birdos

System Sundays: The Final AFL Roundup | Viva El Birdos

other things...

Teams That Were Cursed ... Until They Weren’t | St. Louis Game Time

Blue Jackets at Blues Preview: Keep rolling | St. Louis Game Time

Tweet or e-mail me links @lil_scooter93 or at lil_scooter93 AT msn DOT com!