TCTOD: Fasolamatt on the sports book "The Bullpen Gospels"

This weekend, I read a book cover to cover. This does not happen very often, as I have a couple of vertically challenged individuals in my house who tend to soak up most of my attention. The presence of grandparents and early bedtime brought on by being outside all day gave me time to read The Bullpen Gospels by Dirk Hayhurst. I'd like to enthusiastically recommend it to RandBall Nation. Hayhurst, a native of Northeast Ohio, chronicles his 2007 season in the minors in the Padres organization, at both Class A Lake Elsinore and Class AA San Antonio. It's well-written, profane, and intensely personal; Rob Neyer compares it to "Ball Four" by Jim Bouton, which is older than most of the whippersnappers that inhabit this blog (written in 1970). There are stories that will make you laugh out loud, and more than one moment that might move you to more serious emotions. Here's Keith Olbermann's review if you want an opinion of someone who knows more about baseball than me (and writes better, too). My three-word review: Go read it. Tom Hoffarth is reviewing new baseball books on his blog if you're looking for other reading suggestions. Update: Sorry, the links were broken for some strange reason. They should all be fixed now. ---------------------------- Anyone else read anything good lately? Like we mentioned before, we made it through Bill Simmons' The Book Of Basketball during vacation (including all 72 million footnotes). It's definitely worth your time, though obviously a fairly deep interest in the NBA is important to the enjoyment level.