Three Nights in August
Strategy, Heartbreak, and Joy: Inside the Mind of a Manager

I like sports but have never been a follower of baseball. It has seemed boring to me. In my one year as a 9 year old little leaguer I would sit down in the outfield because nothing was happening. Baseball lovers have contradicted me on this opinion and this book settles the question once and for all......more

Bissinger takes sports writing up a notch. Yes, you can see the typical sports metaphors mixed in here, but there are more erudite ones as well. I enjoyed the stories, but was a bit surprised at how Bissinger jumped around. Some at bats are described in incredible detail over the three game series,......more

With the full cooperation of Tony LaRussa, who was also a business partner on the book, Buzz Bissinger follows the drama of a 2004 three-game series between the Cardinals and Cubs, with frequent and interesting tangents and side notes. LaRussa's insight and Bissinger's flowing prose make for a super......more

This was a warmup read before digging into Tony La Russa's 2012 book on the '11 World Series team. Three Nights in October, meanwhile, was a frustrating read. The book examines three games between the Cardinals and Cubs in the midst of a NL Central race. Its purpose was to get inside the mind of La......more

If you are (as I am) a Cubs fan, this book won't be much fun to read. And yet, although I'm sure part of my dissatisfaction with this book stems from the fact that it's an unabashed shrine to Tony La Russa and all things Cardinal, I think we what really bugged me about it was how blatantly biased it......more