"Three Books ..." is a series in which we invite writers to recommend three great reads on a single theme.

When you get right down to it, watching baseball and reading books have a lot in common. Both are made for the summer, both require some investment of time and — the best part — both involve a great deal of sitting.

I detest the annual procession of baseball books that simply pine for the old days. My favorite books on baseball do examine the '50s and '60s, but in a much more entertaining way than pure, saccharine nostalgia.

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