Q&A with Rob Neyer, author of POWER BALL: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game

Last year I received an advance copy of POWER BALL: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game and had a chance to speak with its author, Rob Neyer, someone I’ve been reading online for as long as I’ve known how to read.

In Power Ball, Neyer focuses on how the game has changed so much over the last 20 years, and he uses one September 2017 Astros-A's game (18 half-inning chapters) to weave this story into an enjoyable read for baseball fans.

While I am terribly late sharing this interview, I still think it’s worth sharing, as we get into some of the most contentious topics in the game today. The interview even foreshadows some rule changes that Major League Baseball announced in spring training for the 2020 season. 

Why should other fans buy your book?

This is an overview of all the ways that baseball has changed in the last 20 to 30 years. And when things happen gradually, as many of these have, it's easy to miss thing. You just sort of wake up and you look at the game, what's going on out there? Well, it's sort of gives an overview of what has gone on out there and how we got here. 

Q&A with Bryan Hoch, author of new Yankees book 'The Baby Bombers'

Longtime Yankees beat reporter for MLB.com Bryan Hoch just released his first book, and it's definitely worth the read if you want to hear how the Yankees cultivated the next potential "Core Four."

Hoch features extensive detail on how the Yankees scouted and developed Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino and Greg Bird. Brian Cashman's key trades and near-trades over the past few seasons are also detailed like never before.

I breezed through my advance copy in about a week. Go pick up this book now.

If you're still looking for a reason to buy it, I'll let him tell you why you should, as Hoch was nice enough to hop on the phone with me for a 15-minute interview about the book and the current state of the Yankees.

I’ve just finished reading it, but why should other fans pick up a copy of your book?

I hope it captures the excitement that fans have around this team right now. The concept beginning the book was how the Derek Jeter Yankees became the Aaron Judge Yankees. You know from watching the team last year that people really fell in love with these guys – the Judges, Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino, Greg Bird – there’s so much excitement around the Bronx. For the first time in a very long time you can really see a future where the Yankees are gonna be good for a sustainable period of time and compete for championships year in and year out. I think watching these guys come up through the farm system, become stars at the big league level, get to experience New York for the first time. It’s not just that they’re young, it’s that they’re good. I think the sky really is the limit for what these guys can accomplish going forward. 

Craig Carton's 'Loudmouth' is uncensored, inappropriate and incredibly entertaining

As a blogger, publicity managers send me a lot of books to review. Instead, they usually end up sitting on my desk for a few weeks before they make their way to my bookshelf, where they collect dust and only move when I make room for more books.

But not "Loudmouth," Craig Carton's first book. Without breaking for food or the bathroom, I pumped out the last 200 pages this morning, my first Saturday alone with his hilarious account of his first 40-plus years in this world.

Honestly, I'm not even a religious listener of his show, but when I have time to tune in I absolutely love it. Just as described in his final chapter, Boomer and Carton hit it off right from the start, and they never even rehearsed to win their coveted gig on WFAN. It goes without being said that I will make more of an effort to listen after enjoying his book so much.