Fielder's Choice: An Anthology of Baseball Fiction

Sportswriter Jerome Holtzman (1926-2008) compiled this remarkable collection of baseball fiction by such notables as James Thurber, Ring Lardner, Bernard Malamud, etc. This entertaining book contains both short stories and excerpts from novels, and should be of interest for both baseball aficionados and fans of good fiction. I particularly liked "Alibi Ike," about a ballplayer who mouthed excuses for every occurrence, and "You Could Look It Up," a humorous piece by James Thurber about a pinch-hitting midget written years before Bill Veeck sent up midgit Eddie Gaedel in a real-life 1951 game in St. Louis. There are other humorous and interesting pieces here as well, most of which were written decades ago. Fans of baseball and of good fiction should enjoy this entertaining book. Note: Holtzman was the sports writer who came up with the Save as a baseball statistic.