Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments
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- Create Date：2023-11-02 06:19:57
- Update Date：2025-09-08
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- Author：Joe Posnanski
- ISBN：B0BR8JKZYZ
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Summary
A love letter to baseball， and the follow-up to last year’s runaway bestseller The Baseball 100
The Baseball 100 was a must-have look at 100 memorable baseball players。 Joe Posnanski's new book， Why We Love Baseball， is equally essential reading， now about the game's top 50 moments。
Willie Mays’s catch。 Babe Ruth’s called shot。 Kirk Gibson’s limping home run。
Moments like these have been described again and again， and in Why We Love Baseball， they are looked at anew， told from unique perspectives。 These are moments from the big and famous to the small and private; experienced by players， teammates， and fans; all of them fundamental to the connection fans have with the game they love。
These are fresh tales of legendary moments so powerful they almost feel like myth—takes that go to the heart of why we love the game we do。
The Baseball 100 was a must-have look at 100 memorable baseball players。 Joe Posnanski's new book， Why We Love Baseball， is equally essential reading， now about the game's top 50 moments。
Willie Mays’s catch。 Babe Ruth’s called shot。 Kirk Gibson’s limping home run。
Moments like these have been described again and again， and in Why We Love Baseball， they are looked at anew， told from unique perspectives。 These are moments from the big and famous to the small and private; experienced by players， teammates， and fans; all of them fundamental to the connection fans have with the game they love。
These are fresh tales of legendary moments so powerful they almost feel like myth—takes that go to the heart of why we love the game we do。
Reviews
Craig Beyers
，
Think 50+ essays about great things in baseball。 How can anyone not read that book？ I’ve been a fan since I was a kid， watching the Detroit Tigers in the afternoon with my mom on a 13” black-and-white TV。 I played Little League （and not in balance: I could catch anything， hit almost nothing）。 I knew of most of the players mentioned in the book， even many who played well before I was born。 But there many stories about many players I knew nothing about。 Posnanski， thankfully， told me in those 50+ Think 50+ essays about great things in baseball。 How can anyone not read that book？ I’ve been a fan since I was a kid， watching the Detroit Tigers in the afternoon with my mom on a 13” black-and-white TV。 I played Little League （and not in balance: I could catch anything， hit almost nothing）。 I knew of most of the players mentioned in the book， even many who played well before I was born。 But there many stories about many players I knew nothing about。 Posnanski， thankfully， told me in those 50+ essays。 If you like baseball， you’ll enjoy this book， especially if you savor each essay and story about some pretty incredible baseball players。 。。。more
Ken
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If you love the game， you will love this book。 Posnanski writes with passion and flare。 You will immediately discover （sorta spoiler alert） there are not 50 moments here， but 108， and that is a magic number in baseball。 No more spoilers。 Read this magnificent book and you’ll remember why we love the game should that ever come into question — not for this super fan！
Corey Queen
，
Awesome。 Loved every bit of it。 Joe's writing is funny， insightful， and light enough to read in just a few sittings。 Awesome。 Loved every bit of it。 Joe's writing is funny， insightful， and light enough to read in just a few sittings。 。。。more
KrisTina
，
This is NOT my book - and yet at the same time there were some memorable moments discussed that made me tear up and get a bit weepy about。 it all。 So you know - it is not awful by any means but it's also not a book that I would pick up on my own。 This is NOT my book - and yet at the same time there were some memorable moments discussed that made me tear up and get a bit weepy about。 it all。 So you know - it is not awful by any means but it's also not a book that I would pick up on my own。 。。。more
Jordan Dennis
，
The last two seasons of baseball has rekindled something in me。 My family moved to the Baltimore area in 1993， and I was ten。 As Posnaski put it， that's the golden age to fall in love with the game。 Oriole Park was a brand new venue。 Mussina was the ace of the pitching staff。 Ripken was in the middle of his streak。 There was a lot of excitement in Baltimore those days。 I'd turn on my transistor radio and listen to the play-by-play。 If the game was on WJZ or WBAL， I'd beg my parents to watch it。 The last two seasons of baseball has rekindled something in me。 My family moved to the Baltimore area in 1993， and I was ten。 As Posnaski put it， that's the golden age to fall in love with the game。 Oriole Park was a brand new venue。 Mussina was the ace of the pitching staff。 Ripken was in the middle of his streak。 There was a lot of excitement in Baltimore those days。 I'd turn on my transistor radio and listen to the play-by-play。 If the game was on WJZ or WBAL， I'd beg my parents to watch it。 The song had it right: Orioles baseball was magic！As the years progressed， seeing the Orioles have success was less and less a likelihood。 There were more losing seasons than winning ones。 Soon， as grown up life set in， I'd stop listening around the all-star break。 After Buck Showalter's tenure as manager， it was hard to find any reason to go that far。 I always kept the corner of my eye on the news， though。 Elias had been a big front office factor in turning around the Astros。 Brandon Hyde was a bench coach for the 2016 curse-breaking Cubs。 It seemed like hope was on the horizon。 but patience was a must。 the Orioles were developing a robust farm system and developed international talent。 But at the time， it was hard to envision what that would look like。 But， at some point last year， the pieces started to click together。 A lot of people attributed it to Adley Ruschman's debut in late June of 2019。 His first game， he shook the umpire's hand， turned around behind the plate。 He rotated around， "soaking in" the big league atmosphere for the first time。 And then he put on his hockey helmet， settled in， and started work。 A consummate professional， Adley provided solid leadership to the team despite his youth。 But he also knew how to celebrate the game。 Every win would be immediately honored with a hug。 In many ways， Adley is exactly what people want a major league player to be。 He's an earnest young man who loves life enough to enjoy his craft， but serious enough to put in the work。 After Adley joined the team， the other players prospects began to rise to the top。 Gunnar Henderson drew attention with his intense playstyle and aw-shucks southern drawl。 He immediately became a contender for the American league Rookie of the Year。 But his walk-up song， Gwen Stefani's "The Sweet Escape，" gave a glimpse of a more playful personality。 Ryan Mountcastle had been an early product of the reconfigured minor league system。 He came to the major leagues in 2020， but 2023 was a breakout for him。 At first， it seemed he'd completely fall off， though， as a result of intense vertigo。 But he fought his way back and became a centerpiece of the Orioles lineup， both in offense and defense。And the team got a glimpse at the future of the organization。 Colton Cowser came up for a short time。 He didn't perform as well as at first anticipated， so Cowser returned to the AAA Norfolk Tides。 While there， he led the Tides to the post-season。 In the championship game， he hit a grand slam and earned the MVP title。 But he's known for unorthodox approaches， like batting practice with his eyes closed。 Off the field， he's known for off-the-wall ideas about the meaning of life or how to solve global warming。 And then these four made unforgettable fashion statement。Yes， they played competitive baseball this year， but they knew how to have fun。 The 2023 Orioles were a team that embraced their own personality。 It made the season more memorable and more exhilarating。 They were relatable human beings。 And because they did that， Baltimore fans celebrated the team。And that's the point of WHY WE LOVE BASEBALL。 It's easy for sports discussion to revolve around numbers。 Baseball can be a draw for fans of statistics。 There are old classics like Runs Batted In （RBI） and Earned Run Average （ERA）。 Newer numbers have entered the conversation。 Numbers like Wins Above Replacement （WAR） and Weighted On-Base Average （wOBA）。 The numbers become a short-hand to talk about what happens。 While the numbers do a good job of being quantitative， they fall short at telling stories。 Numbers don't capture emotion or imagination the same way as a story does。 Numbers don't capture personality。 They boil things down to their most data-driven essentials。 But they lose the hot dogs and crackerjacks and buzz of the stadium。 The emotions of experience evaporate under the laser beam glare of information。 The fifty stories of WHY WE LOVE BASEBALL is all about the emotion of the game。 It talks about goofy plays and post-season elation。 It talks about serious moments like Pee Wee Reese's solidarity for Jackie Robinson。 It mentions how Pete Rose is both an amazing ball player and a stain of a human being。 It gushes about the time Jose Canseco had a ball bounce off his head。 How David Ortiz rallied Boston with an expletive after the marathon bombing。 It mentions how Mr。 Aaron preferred Henry over Hank。 how Babe Ruth and Lou Gherig were struck out by a woman named Jackie Mitchell。 There were several times while reading this book， I was laughing。 There were also moments when I had to wipe tears from my eyes。 Particularly from descriptions of parents playing ball with their children。 This was a book about baseball， but it was also about people。 The humanity of baseball was fully shown。 The book painted the game as something beautiful， complex， and messy。 It was a celebration， and a welcome one at that。 So， thanks to Mr。 Posnaski， for approaching the story with passion and verve， with clarity and heart。 This is one of my favorite nonfiction reads of the entire year。 It was definitely one of the most heartfelt I've enjoyed in quite a while。 Here's hoping that baseball stays passionate， interesting， and approachable for decades to come。 。。。more
Mark Katerberg
，
I nearly DNFed this one， but somehow， something magical happened about 15 plays in。 I mostly will remember this as a book telling me “everyone knows about Jorgelbirf and Temmen’s famous catch” which I’ve never heard of， but there are a few stories that made me really enjoy this one。I think this book is for people who already love baseball， but as someone who only wants to love it， I found it largely forgettable but with a few amazing moments where I fell in love。 Hard to rate it but if you like I nearly DNFed this one， but somehow， something magical happened about 15 plays in。 I mostly will remember this as a book telling me “everyone knows about Jorgelbirf and Temmen’s famous catch” which I’ve never heard of， but there are a few stories that made me really enjoy this one。I think this book is for people who already love baseball， but as someone who only wants to love it， I found it largely forgettable but with a few amazing moments where I fell in love。 Hard to rate it but if you like the sport， this seems like you should read it。 。。。more
John Hall
，
An absolutely fantastic book！ As a lifelong baseball fan， this brought back so many beautiful， wonderful memories。 I found myself very often smiling， and even periodically laughing out loud or finding my eyes welling up with tears as I read these stories。 The author has a truly gifted writing style and ability to tell a story in amazing fashion。 As is the one of the many reasons I personally love baseball， I learned and was able to imagine in my mind many new things I never knew about this never An absolutely fantastic book！ As a lifelong baseball fan， this brought back so many beautiful， wonderful memories。 I found myself very often smiling， and even periodically laughing out loud or finding my eyes welling up with tears as I read these stories。 The author has a truly gifted writing style and ability to tell a story in amazing fashion。 As is the one of the many reasons I personally love baseball， I learned and was able to imagine in my mind many new things I never knew about this never-ending beautiful game。 I can’t recommend this book enough — especially for all those who love baseball。 。。。more
Tim
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A funny， touching， and exuberant love letter to 127 years of professional baseball。 Chicken soup for the baseball lover’s soul。
Nick
，
This book was awesome。 Well written， funny and insightful。 I loved that the mix of stories went from modern to historical。 So many of these lists seem to only go back ten or twenty years， but this guy showed off and went back to the very beginnings of baseball for these stories。The stories are absolutely wonderful。 I was laughing， crying， remembering moments I had seen， looking for moments on YouTube， and just in awe of all the amazing history that is Baseball。It sadly ends in a bit of fizz。 Ins This book was awesome。 Well written， funny and insightful。 I loved that the mix of stories went from modern to historical。 So many of these lists seem to only go back ten or twenty years， but this guy showed off and went back to the very beginnings of baseball for these stories。The stories are absolutely wonderful。 I was laughing， crying， remembering moments I had seen， looking for moments on YouTube， and just in awe of all the amazing history that is Baseball。It sadly ends in a bit of fizz。 Instead of using baseball to bring the audience together， or to paint another wonderful picture of history of the National Pastime; he uses the last two stories to get on a soapbox about racism。Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron are American heroes， but instead of focusing on their accomplishments， instead of focusing on the men and the amazing things they did for the sport， we seem to focus exclusively on the color of their skin。 They are reduced to the color of their skin， just like they were more than 70 years ago。He even comments that in 2021 （？？？， maybe 22） was the first time a Black person wasn't in the World Series。 This has nothing to do with racism， and everything to do with personal choice。 Not to mention baseball is dying in America。 Thriving in Japan and Latin America， but the game is totally changed in the last three years。Boston is racist because the sports heroes are all white。 Larry Bird is one of the best to ever play the sport， regardless of race。 David Ortiz， who the chapter is about， is not white。 Nor is Pedro Martinez who is amply represented in this book。It was sad that a book about something that brings everyone together ended by bringing up and focusing on some of the most decisive moments in our nation's history。 It was disappointing that on one page we are laughing together about Bugs Bunny playing baseball and the next we are calling America racist。Still 。 。 。 95% of the book was great。 I laughed， I cried， and the book made me want to play baseball again。 Well worth the read。 。。。more
Steve Warsaw
，
Approaching my mid 50s I've experienced about 70% of the special baseball moments in Posnanski's book。 It's more than nostalgia， but being older gives the anecdotes more historical context。 That is why the book resonated with me and the reason for 5 stars。。There are also some more obscure stories that were absolutely gold nuggets too。 I thoroughly recommend this book to all the baseball lovers out there。。This is the perfect fathers day gift for the fan in your life。 Approaching my mid 50s I've experienced about 70% of the special baseball moments in Posnanski's book。 It's more than nostalgia， but being older gives the anecdotes more historical context。 That is why the book resonated with me and the reason for 5 stars。。There are also some more obscure stories that were absolutely gold nuggets too。 I thoroughly recommend this book to all the baseball lovers out there。。This is the perfect fathers day gift for the fan in your life。 。。。more
Mary
，
Outstanding！ Joe Posnanski is a brilliant writer。 I read the entire book with a smile on my face and YouTube handy， so I could watch the action after reading about it。 Many laugh out loud moments。 The book does not include the game that holds a special memory for me， the Cubs winning the pennant on September 20， 1984。 Still outstanding， though
Greg Zimmerman
，
This book has been a terrific companion for the end of the season， playoffs， and Game 1 of the World Series。 I laughed a lot， got choked up a few times， was awed， amazed， and surprised。 Full of trivia， inside info， and stuff you'd just neve consider， this is an absolute must-read， baseball fans。"The one constant through all the years， Ray， has been baseball。 America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers。 It's been erased like a blackboard， rebuilt， and erased again。 But baseball has marked This book has been a terrific companion for the end of the season， playoffs， and Game 1 of the World Series。 I laughed a lot， got choked up a few times， was awed， amazed， and surprised。 Full of trivia， inside info， and stuff you'd just neve consider， this is an absolute must-read， baseball fans。"The one constant through all the years， Ray， has been baseball。 America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers。 It's been erased like a blackboard， rebuilt， and erased again。 But baseball has marked the time。 This field， this game -- it's a part of our past， Ray。 It reminds us of all that once was good， and it could be again。" 。。。more
Patrick
，
What a joyous read start to finish。 So many stories I have heard of before， and even more I had never come across。 Must read for all baseball fanatics out there。
Steve
，
It’s Joe Posnanski writing about baseball， of course it’s a great book。
Matt V
，
First， a disclosure-- I don't love baseball。 Sorry， but just not my game。 That said， this season I've watched a half dozen playoff games in hopes of witnessing one of the moments like the ones Joe Posnanski describes in this book。 The thing I do love is how much Posnanski loves baseball！ His love of the game is palpable in his writing。 It made me wonder why I haven't spent more time in the ballpark， hot dogs and beer aside。 The bite-sized portions of baseball history in the 50 moments kept me co First， a disclosure-- I don't love baseball。 Sorry， but just not my game。 That said， this season I've watched a half dozen playoff games in hopes of witnessing one of the moments like the ones Joe Posnanski describes in this book。 The thing I do love is how much Posnanski loves baseball！ His love of the game is palpable in his writing。 It made me wonder why I haven't spent more time in the ballpark， hot dogs and beer aside。 The bite-sized portions of baseball history in the 50 moments kept me coming back， wondering how he's going to make the next one as engrossing as the last one。 I felt like I was at a party and someone asked Joe to talk about baseball， and I ended up not wanting to tear myself away to get a fresh drink cause I didn't want to miss his next story。 That good。The way the author describes the 50 moments is relatable -- human and real， and sometimes uncomfortable; he talks about inclusion and exclusion in baseball through the years in a frank， eye-opening way。 It turns out I grew up in South Euclid in the 70s like Posnanski -- never met him， but I sure identified with his love of Kuiper and disdain for the Yankees。 It feels like the author had a lot of fun writing this book， and I had a lot of fun reading it。 Not gonna get season tickets any time soon， but will definitely go to the ballpark once in a while in hopes of witnessing a great baseball moment myself。Thank you to Goodreads for the free copy。 。。。more
Cara Von Tress
，
Delightful treasure trove of baseball stories。 I chose the perfect time to read it， with my Rangers making it to the World Series！
Armand Rosamilia
，
Loved this book， brought back so many memories of my 50+ years as a fan。 I teared up in a few places， thinking about my father， who passed this year and how much we shared the love of baseball。 Some new moments I didn't know about and some I knew first-hand: I was at the Pine Tar Game as a kid。 Recommended！ Loved this book， brought back so many memories of my 50+ years as a fan。 I teared up in a few places， thinking about my father， who passed this year and how much we shared the love of baseball。 Some new moments I didn't know about and some I knew first-hand: I was at the Pine Tar Game as a kid。 Recommended！ 。。。more
Tim Duff
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A great baseball book for any true fan。
Jake Serafini
，
Excellent。
Kurt
，
Whether you are a diehard baseball fan， or not， this book is for you。 It tells of many of the greatest stories/happenings in baseball from the earliest days to the present。 I guarantee you will enjoy this book and have trouble putting it down。 Yes， this book is mostly about MLB， but there are also great stories about the Negro leagues， minor leagues， and some amazing stories about ball players， some that never played professional ball。 This book is a must read。
John Yingling
，
Of course， I am going to disagree， or take （slight） issue with， some of Mr。 Posnanski's choices。 That's the nature of lists such as this。 And okay， he despises the New York Yankees， but he didn't need to repeat and reinforce that opinion multiple times。 But all in all， this is a highly entertaining， very well-written personal account of some of baseball's unforgettable moments， and a worthwhile story of some obscure moments that deserve to be remembered。 Of course， I am going to disagree， or take （slight） issue with， some of Mr。 Posnanski's choices。 That's the nature of lists such as this。 And okay， he despises the New York Yankees， but he didn't need to repeat and reinforce that opinion multiple times。 But all in all， this is a highly entertaining， very well-written personal account of some of baseball's unforgettable moments， and a worthwhile story of some obscure moments that deserve to be remembered。 。。。more
Annette
，
As a baseball fan， this was a great read。 So many moments to relive in baseball history， and I know there are so many more to tell。 With the World Series starting in a few days， I am already feeling sad the 2023 season is ending。
John
，
I recommend this book to everyone I know。 It's a true testament to the magic of literature and its ability to transport us to different worlds and broaden our horizons I recommend this book to everyone I know。 It's a true testament to the magic of literature and its ability to transport us to different worlds and broaden our horizons 。。。more
Jon Cheek
，
Very enjoyable read。 Posnanski's chapter on the Cubs 2016 World Series win was a delight， as well as the chapter on Kerry Wood's 20k game。 Also， Greenville/Upstate SC was mentioned twice， once for Shoeless Joe Jackson （Greenville）， and a second time with Posnanski recollecting that he was driving past the Gaffney Peach when he was listening to Kirk Gibson's WS HR on the radio。 Posnanski simply does a great job telling baseball stories。 Very enjoyable read。 Posnanski's chapter on the Cubs 2016 World Series win was a delight， as well as the chapter on Kerry Wood's 20k game。 Also， Greenville/Upstate SC was mentioned twice， once for Shoeless Joe Jackson （Greenville）， and a second time with Posnanski recollecting that he was driving past the Gaffney Peach when he was listening to Kirk Gibson's WS HR on the radio。 Posnanski simply does a great job telling baseball stories。 。。。more
Frank Murtaugh
，
I believe Posnanski wrote this book specifically for me。 （Though I encourage you to find a copy。 I hear more were printed。） If you love baseball even half as much as I do， you'll find joy — the real kind， felt deeply — on every page。 Posnanski is a gifted writer， but he is an extraordinary story-teller 。 。 。 the kind you like to have in the next seat at the ballpark。 My eyes got a little damp when I got to the last page 。 。 。 because it was the last page。 The book was a gift from an old friend。 I believe Posnanski wrote this book specifically for me。 （Though I encourage you to find a copy。 I hear more were printed。） If you love baseball even half as much as I do， you'll find joy — the real kind， felt deeply — on every page。 Posnanski is a gifted writer， but he is an extraordinary story-teller 。 。 。 the kind you like to have in the next seat at the ballpark。 My eyes got a little damp when I got to the last page 。 。 。 because it was the last page。 The book was a gift from an old friend。 Few friends know me better。 。。。more
Nicolas Hoffmann
，
Joe Posnanski truly loves baseball。 He tells loving and incredible stories and makes that love contagious。
Jeff
，
Loved every page of this book。 Very well done， and I like that the author grew up with the Cleveland Indians just like me。 I remember all the Tribe players he mentions。 There are two moments that I wish had been included -- Roberto Clemente's 3，000th hit in 1972， and the Bucky Dent homer in 1978。 But like the author， I too despise the Yankees so leaving out Dent's greatest hour is no problem at all。 Loved every page of this book。 Very well done， and I like that the author grew up with the Cleveland Indians just like me。 I remember all the Tribe players he mentions。 There are two moments that I wish had been included -- Roberto Clemente's 3，000th hit in 1972， and the Bucky Dent homer in 1978。 But like the author， I too despise the Yankees so leaving out Dent's greatest hour is no problem at all。 。。。more
Lara
，
I ordered this for my husband's birthday （signed， as he is a big Joe Pos fan）， idly picked it up last night， and found myself enthralled。 This is such a happy book， full of joyful， surprising moments--and some sad ones too， but it is the nature of the game that what is pure epic tragedy for one side is transcendent joy for the other。 There are things we all know about， like Babe Ruth calling his shot， Cal breaking the consecutive-games-played record， Bo jackson running up a wall--and there are s I ordered this for my husband's birthday （signed， as he is a big Joe Pos fan）， idly picked it up last night， and found myself enthralled。 This is such a happy book， full of joyful， surprising moments--and some sad ones too， but it is the nature of the game that what is pure epic tragedy for one side is transcendent joy for the other。 There are things we all know about， like Babe Ruth calling his shot， Cal breaking the consecutive-games-played record， Bo jackson running up a wall--and there are smaller， bright things， like David Ortiz speaking after the attack at the Boston Marathon， or Deaf player Curtis Pride's first home run， or Valenzuela's teammate hitting a homer in his honor。 And there are miracles， like the discovery of a filmed World Series game in Bing Crosby's basement 50 years after。If you like baseball， you'll enjoy this book。 If you don't have much experience with baseball--I didn't before I married my husband 16 years ago--try reading a few chapters and see what grabs you。 There's a moment for everyone。 。。。more
Murray
，
Posnanski has created a book with well and little know moments real and imagined that makes this "American Pastime" a favorite。 What makes this book special is that not all the moments are major league baseball moments。 Some have occurred at the college and semi-pro level and are moments that have have happened on the movie screen， like the meeting on the mound scene in "Bull Durham" and there is no crying in baseball scene in "A League of Their Own。" He throws in other moments beside the 50 tha Posnanski has created a book with well and little know moments real and imagined that makes this "American Pastime" a favorite。 What makes this book special is that not all the moments are major league baseball moments。 Some have occurred at the college and semi-pro level and are moments that have have happened on the movie screen， like the meeting on the mound scene in "Bull Durham" and there is no crying in baseball scene in "A League of Their Own。" He throws in other moments beside the 50 that are group in categories like "Baseball Blunders。" He also looks at little known facts behind certain infamous moments。 One is that the New York Giants might have been stealing signs when Bobby Thomson hit his famous home run to go to the World Series in 1951。 A must read for die-hard baseball fans。 。。。more
Terry Mark
，
This book is fun， just like baseball is。
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