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12 sports books make a summer reading potluck

These 12 books range from the story of a family of baseball catchers to a tribute to the knuckleball to an introspective exploration by a woman rower and beyond. Together they offer a summer full of good reading.

9. ‘Knuckleball: The History of the Unhittable Pitch,’ by Lew Freedman

  • By Ross Atkin Contributor

No delivery to home plate ever looks as tantalizing to hitters as a slowly floating knuckleball, but it is also the most confoundingly elusive and unpredictable pitch ever invented. The story of its origin and interviews and profiles of pitchers who enlisted the knuckleball to extend their careers and achieve All-Star or Hall of Fame status proves worthy here of an entire book.

Here’s an excerpt from Knuckleball:

“Throughout history the knuckleball has been a pitch of last resort for some and a pitch of experimentation for others, but it always seems to require an explanation from a pitcher about how or why he tried and incorporated it into his arsenal. Sometimes the acquisition was almost accidental.

“Movement on the knuckler is what makes knuckleball pitchers winners. If the ball doesn’t spin, it darts and dances. If it spins it’s a fat hunk of meat waiting to be devoured by a hungry batter. The difference? Charlie Hough once said it’s ‘about 400 feet.’ 

“Knuckleballers do indulge in self-deprecating remarks sometimes, supporting the notion that they must have a sense of humor about the pitch.”

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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