Variety Of Baseball Books Released Around Season's Start

As the ’09 MLB season begins, the following presents a list of baseball-themed books. Some of the following titles are already available on bookshelves, while others will be released in the coming weeks or months. View a more comprehensive list (THE DAILY).

BOOK SHELF: SI wrote Jeff Pearlman's book, "The Rocket That Fell to Earth," is a "well-crafted bio" that "digs deep into Roger Clemens's rep as a Texas-bred flamethrower, devoted family man and dedicated teammate." Pearlman "produces a rich character study, revealing a complex figure ultimately undone by the ambition that made him great" (SI, 4/6 issue)....MLB.com's Ben Platt wrote Jean Rhodes and Sean Boburg's biography of Dodgers LF Manny Ramirez, "Becoming Manny," delves "into what makes Manny, well, Manny." The book also "chronicles how baseball, his tight-knit family and amazing work ethic steered Ramirez away from his rough environment and kept him on the path to baseball greatness" (MLB.com, 4/1)....The SPORTING BLOG's Dave Larzelere noted Allan Barra's "Yogi Berra: Eternal Yankee," a biography of the "immortal catcher, manager and font of homespun wisdom," is the "first ever comprehensive bio of Berra" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 3/27).

GAME FOR ALL AGES: Actress Alyssa Milano said the nicest thing about her new book, "Safe at Home: Confessions of a Baseball Fanatic," so far "has been when I go to these (book) signings, fathers are bringing their daughters and it's such a lovely thing." Milano: "I really do believe that one of the beautiful aspects of this sport is that it's a generational gift. It really is something that is handed down from generations, and I can't think of another sport that's like that" ("Jim Rome Is Burning," ESPN, 4/2).