First, this year’s edition is much more “handy” as they’ve gone from a “8 1/2 x 11” inch format to a “7 x 9” inch format. This makes the book much more portable. But, more so, the book is full of commentary, analysis and historical features.

To be candid, some of the sabermetric stuff in the book is over my head. (O.K., most of it is over my head.)  But, that’s more of a reflection on me than the authors. Yet, you don’t need to understand the math – at least I don’t – to enjoy what’s in there. (I’m fine with leaving the egg-head confirmation and debate tasks to those who are more into that type of metric-exercise.)

For example, in Michael A. Humphreys’ “Simple Fielding Runs Estimates” feature, in the sidebars, it lists the “Defensive Regression Analysis” (DRA) all-time leaders for each position. And, I don’t need to know how the math works on these to appreciate the fact that Paul Blair and Gary Pettis are listed as the 4th and 5th best center fielders, respectively, after Andruw Jones, Willie Mays and Tris Speaker. I saw Blair and Pettis and it’s great to see them get their due in a study. (Ditto seeing Roy White as the 4th best left fielder – per DRA – after Rickey Henderson, Willie Wilson and Barry Bonds.)

Also, in Max Marchi’s “People Will Most Definitely Come” study, I don’t need to waste time trying to follow that the “adjusted R-squared is a statistical coefficient measuring the proportion of variability accounted for by the model” to enjoy that the results tell us that, from 1947, more people attended games when Nolan Ryan, Sandy Koufax, Tom Seaver or Vida Blue were pitching.

There’s something for every baseball fan in The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2012. For the hardcore sabermetric crowd, there’s more than enough math in there to give their minds a rush. And, for those who just enjoy baseball commentary and or interesting revelations on baseball history, that’s there as well.

I’ve seen the movie – and have read the book – and I thought the film was an interesting look at the inner-workings of a major league baseball team.  My wife saw the movie with me – and knew nothing about the story prior to that – and found the film to be an effective depiction of a team that was supposed to be terrible and who went on to win 20 games in a row (and advance to the post-season) using unconventional means.

Hey, just for fun, watch the movie and see where you can spot this item.

Of course, the DVD and Blu-ray come with extras.  They’re listed below.  Again, the Moneyball DVD is being released on January 12th.

MONEYBALL DVD Special Features include:

• Deleted Scenes
• Blooper with Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill
• Billy Beane: Re-Inventing the Game  (In this featurette we introduce the real Billy Beane, ex-professional baseball player and current General Manager of the Oakland A’s and reveal the history behind the story of “Moneyball”. Billy Beane explains his struggles being a small market GM and how having a third of the payroll of the Yankees or Red Sox forced him to think differently in drafting the 2002 team and to find value in players using On Base Percentage and Sabermetrics. We will also look at how the “Moneyball” concept is still influencing players and teams today. Director Bennett Miller, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and author Michael Lewis round out the story of “Moneyball” and how Billy Beane took on an institution and beat the odds of an unfair game.)
• Moneyball: Playing The Game

Exclusive to Blu-ray:

• Drafting The Team
• Adapting Moneyball  (No book adaptation is without its challenges and “Moneyball” was no exception. Author Michael Lewis, Screenwriters Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian and director Bennett Miller discuss the themes of the book; being an underdog, taking on an institution and re-thinking tradition as well as what drew them to the project and why this story has meaning beyond the world of baseball. Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffman introduce us to their characters and tell us why this was a project they wanted to be a part of.)
• Exclusive MLB® 12 The Show Preview Trailer

Well, call me late to the party, but, I’ve just started reading his book The Bullpen Gospels: Major League Dreams of a Minor League Veteran. And, while it seems silly in an after-the-fact way to recommend a book that was a New York Times Bestseller, gosh, this one is a must-read…and I say that before I’m finished with it.

Why, oh why, did I wait a year and a half to read this book? That was stupid. Nonetheless, it’s wonderful book and I’m enjoying the heck out of it.

I won’t make the same mistake with his next book, Out of My League, which is due out in three months. Check out the advanced praise for that one.

Here’s a quick summary on Miracle Ball: It’s an account of Brian Biegel’s two-year effort to unravel the mystery of what happened to the homerun ball that Bobby Thomson hit on October 3, 1951 (off Branca) – aka “the Shot Heard ’Round the World.”

Now, on the surface, standalone, that might seem ho-hum. However, that is far from the case!

I found Miracle Ball to be suspenseful, engrossing, and extremely entertaining.  As I was reading it, I was kicking myself for not having read it when it was first released in 2009.  How could I have missed such a great book?  Really, this is one of those that you won’t want to put down, once you start reading it – as it is full of wonderful tales that make up Biegel’s journey.

I would recommend this one to all baseball fans – young, old, crazed or casual.  I cannot think of any baseball fan who would not find Miracle Ball to be an interesting read.

In fact, just for the “mystery solving” element alone that comes with this book, I’m going to do something that I’ve never done before in the 39 years that I’ve been reading baseball books:  I am going to recommend Miracle Ball to my mother – since it’s such a good “investigative” trip.  (She’s a fan of mystery books.) 

Seriously, Miracle Ball: My Hunt for the Shot Heard ‘Round the World is not just a great baseball book, it’s a nice book to read, period.  And, I highly recommend this one.

It’s a wonderful story.  To so many, Branca is only known, unfairly, as the pitcher who allowed Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard ’Round the World.” However, as we learn reading this book, there’s so much more to his baseball career and life.

Branca was pitching in the majors when he was 18-years old. As a 19-year old, albeit in a handful of games, he was excelling in the big leagues. And, at the ages of 21, 22 and 23, Ralph was an All-Star and a MVP candidate. Then, after allowing the homerun to Thomson, in the following Spring, he suffered a freak accident and his career was derailed. However, he kept fighting to still pitch in the game that he loved so much.

One thing that I truly enjoyed about Branca’s A Moment in Time, was that it captured what is was like to grow-up in the ’40′s and play in the major leagues, and in New York, in the 1940′s and 1950′s. For example, Branca was there when Jackie Robinson broke into the big leagues – and Ralph was a Robinson supporter, and a good friend, to Jackie, right until Robinson’s death.

But, what I enjoyed most was learning about Ralph Branca, the man. He is extremely elegant and you cannot come away from A Moment in Time without realizing this to be true – especially when you learn how Branca kept quiet for many, many, years after learning about how the Giants were stealing signs in 1951.

Branca is now 85-years old. And, we’re so lucky that he’s taken the time to share his story. I highly recommend Ralph Branca’s A Moment in Time: An American Story of Baseball, Heartbreak, and Grace to baseball fans of any team and of all ages.

For more on the book/story, click here.

Don’t let the title fool you.  There’s little in here that is scandalous. If anything, it’s more like someone from the inside paying homage to his heroes.

Granted, there’s some stories in there which are not new and have told before in other places. And, at times, I wondered how much of the book was written by Squeegee Castillo (the Yankees bat boy/clubhouse attendant) and how much was done by the co-author, William Cane.

Nonetheless, this book is one that I think any Yankees fan would enjoy.

It pretty much confirmed everything I ever thought about Pettitte, Jeter, A-Rod, Boomer Wells, Torre, Bernie Williams, Posada, O’Neill, El Duque, Matsui, Girardi, Mariano Rivera, Giambi and Big Stein. And, it told me some things that I didn’t know about Clemens, Cone, Ramiro Mendoza, Ruben Sierra and Alfonso Soriano.

It was well worth reading and I recommend this book.

To be totally candid, when I opened up the mailing envelope, and I saw what was sent, at first blush, my reaction was:  “They sent this to the wrong guy.  I’m a Yankees fan.  Why would I have interest in anything that is likely to be Mets fan drivel?”  And, related, I threw the book in a pile with some other stuff that I was ignoring at that time.

Then, by chance, in a moment of total boredom and morbid curiosity, I cracked it open one day and starting reading it.

Guess what?  Right out of the chute,  ”Taking the Field: A Fan’s Quest to Run the Team He Loves” was very engrossing.  And, the further I read, the more I wanted to read on.

I found Megdal’s book to be very well written, funny, and quite enjoyable – even if the subject matter was the Mets.  And, if you can get past the fact that it’s about the Mets, and just read “Taking the Field,”  you may see yourself in this book…if you’re a passionate fan of a baseball team.

You can probably count the number of times you’re likely to see me recommend a book about the Mets on Carlos May’s right hand.  But, Howard Megdal’s “Taking the Field: A Fan’s Quest to Run the Team He Loves” is one worth checking out.  It’s a really nice read…even if it is about the Mets.

Pure and simple, Flip Flop Fly Ball is a grand slam of a baseball book – it’s profound, amusing, informative and entertaining.  At this point, and probably for the next year or so, Robinson’s Flip Flop Fly Ball will be the book that I suggest to anyone who asks me “Can you recommend a good book to buy for a baseball fan?”  Actually, taking it a step further, I would recommend that you run out and buy Flip Flop Fly Ball for the baseball fan that you love – now.

Flip Flop Fly Ball: An Infographic Baseball Adventure is the ultimate eye-candy for baseball fanatics.  It’s an amazing collection of baseball facts, anecdotes and statistics presented in stunning visual gift wrapping.  Seriously, if you love baseball you will enjoy this book.  I highly recommend it.

Why?  Basically because Green is a student of Zen and a deep thinker.  He’s also extremely open and honest with this book.

“The Way Of Baseball” is not voluminous. It’s a total of 208 pages of a 8.1″ x 5.1″ format book. But, it’s full of inside information that any baseball fan would enjoy. In sharing his thoughts, Green gives you a wonderful window of what it’s like to be a major league baseball player from the neck up.

Yogi Berra reportedly once said that “Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.” If you read “The Way Of Baseball,” you truly get an appreciation on how much baseball really is between the ears.

From fighting for playing time to reaching stardom, to dealing with the burden of contractual expectations, to switching teams and positions, to walking away from the game at an early age, Shawn Green covers many mental and emotional aspects of a pro-baseball players life. A baseball fan can learn a lot about a player’s life via reading “The Way Of Baseball.” I recommend checking this one out – as I enjoyed reading it.

What do you get with this one?  It’s more than just the story of Derek Jeter through 2010.  It’s the history of the Yankees from 1996 through 2010 as well.  And, it’s full with inside stories that you’ve probably never heard. 

What I truly enjoyed was the pacing/timing used by O’Connor in this book – both in telling the whole story and each sub-story therein.  Too many times with biographies authors get bogged down with minutia. And, before you know it, you’re drowning in the details and getting bored. But, that does not happen with this book. O’Connor tells you what you need to know and does it in a manner that is smooth and enjoyable.

As I was reading this book, I began to think “This is the Yankee book of the summer.” But, it’s more than that. Ian O’Connor’s The Captain: The Journey of Derek Jeter is a must read for Yankees fans, of all ages and level of devotion, period. And, it’s a highly recommended read for any baseball fan who wants to know the back-story of someone who was a Mount Rushmore face for the game of baseball over the last 17 years.