New ESPN book tops nonfiction best-sellers list this week

It’s Sunday, so that means that it’s time for my weekly review of this week’s Publishers Weekly Best-Seller List. According to the list, we’ve got two new books at the top of the four major best-seller lists this week.

"Those Guys Have All the Fun" by James Andrew Miller & Tom Shales replaced "In the Garden of Beasts" by Erik Larson as the top book on the hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list.

"Frankenstein: The Dead Town" by Dean Koontz replaced "Water for Elephants: A Novel" by Sara Gruen as the top book on the mass market paperback best-sellers list.

"Dead Reckoning" by Charlaine Harris retained its spot as the top book on the hardcover fiction best-sellers list.

"Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back" by Todd Burpo, Sonja Burpo, Colton Burpo and Lynn Vincent retained the No. 1 spot on the trade paperbacks best-sellers list.

There is only one book on this week’s hardcover fiction best-sellers list that wasn’t on the list last week – “Star Wars: Conviction” by Aaron Allston, which was No. 3 on this week’s list.

There are four books on this week’s hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list that weren’t on the list last week. They include "Those Guys Have All the Fun" by James Andrew Miller & Tom Shales (1), "Prescription for Excellence" by Joseph A. Michelli (2), "The Greater Journey" by David McCullough (4) and "TouchPoints" by Douglas Conant & Mette Norgaard (10).

There are two books on this week’s mass market paperbacks best-sellers list that weren’t on that list last week. They include "Frankenstein: The Dead Town" by Dean Koontz (1) and "Foreign Influence" by Brad Thor (3).

There are four books on this week’s trade paperbacks list that weren’t on the list last week. They include "Thank You Notes" by Jimmy Fallon (5), "The Messenger" by Jeni Stepanek with Larry Lindner (9), "One Day" by David Nicholls (13) and "War" by Sebastian Junger (15).

As a reminder, I’m posting these lists each Sunday because they, as a whole, represent a great, contemporary recommended reading list. These lists are initially released each week on Thursday, and if you’re interested in reading them then, visit Publishers Weekly’s Web site at www.publishersweekly.com. Below you’ll find all four of this week’s best-seller lists.

HARDCOVER FICTION
1. "Dead Reckoning" by Charlaine Harris
2. "10th Anniversary" by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro
3. "Star Wars: Conviction" by Aaron Allston
4. "Buried Prey" by John Sandford
5. "The Jefferson Key" by Steve Berry
6. "The Sixth Man" by David Baldacci
7. "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" by Stieg Larsson
8. "The Land of Painted Caves: A Novel" by Jean M. Auel
9. "The Final Storm" by Jeff Shaara
10. "Sixkill" by Robert B. Parker
11. "The Snowman" by Jo Nesbo
12. "The Fifth Witness" by Michael Connelly
13. "Caleb's Crossing" by Geraldine Books
14. "2030" by Albert Brooks
15. "The Paris Wife" by Paula McLain

HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. "Those Guys Have All the Fun" by James Andrew Miller & Tom Shales
2. "Prescription for Excellence" by Joseph A. Michelli
3. "In the Garden of Beasts" by Erik Larson
4. "The Greater Journey" by David McCullough
5. "The 17 Day Diet: A Doctor's Plan Design for Rapid Results" by Dr. Mike Moreno
6. "The Dukan Diet" by Pierre Dukan
7. "Bossypants" by Tina Fey
8. "Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me" by Chelsea's Family, Friends & Other Victims
9. "Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?" by Steven Tyler with David Dalton
10. "TouchPoints" by Douglas Conant & Mette Norgaard
11. "Seal Team Six" by Howard E. Wasdin & Stephen Templin
12. "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption" by Laura Hillenbrand
13. "Love Wins" by Rob Bell
14. "Area 51" by Annie Jacobsen
15. "The Psychopath Test" by Jon Ronson

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS
1. "Frankenstein: The Dead Town" by Dean Koontz
2. "Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
3. "Foreign Influence" by Brad Thor
4. "Water for Elephants: A Novel" by Sara Gruen
5. "Worth Dying For" by Lee Child
6. "Something Borrowed" by Emily Griffin
7. "The Search" by Nora Roberts
8. "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
9. "A Storm of Swords" by George R.R. Martin
10. "Storm Prey" by John Sandford
11. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson
12. "Something Blue" by Emily Giffin
13. "A Feast for Crows" by George R.R. Martin
14. "Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Objective" by Eric Van Lustbader
15. "Naked Heat" by Richard Castle

TRADE PAPERBACKS
1. "Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back" by Todd Burpo, Sonja Burpo, Colton Burpo and Lynn Vincent
2. "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
3. "Water for Elephants: A Novel" by Sara Gruen
4. "Room" by Emma Donoghue
5. "Thank You Notes" by Jimmy Fallon
6. "A Visit from the Goon Squad" by Jennifer Egan
7. "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
8. "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese
9. "The Messenger" by Jeni Stepanek with Larry Lindner
10. "Life" by Keith Richards
11. "Something Borrowed" by Emily Griffin
12. "The Passage" by Justin Cronin
13. "One Day" by David Nicholls
14. "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen" by Christopher McDougall
15. "War" by Sebastian Junger

In the end, let me know if you’ve had a chance to read any of these books. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

How many of Esquire's '75 Books Every Man Should Read' have you read?

While checking out Entertainment Weekly’s books page online a few days ago, I ran across an interesting recommended reading list that Esquire magazine published on March 26.

It’s called “The 75 Books Every Man Should Read,” and Esquire editors describe it as “An unranked, incomplete, utterly biased list of the greatest works of literature ever published.” Here are the books that made the list.

1. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver
2. Collected Stories of John Cheever
3. Deliverance by James Dickey
4. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
5. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
6. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
7. The Known World by Edward P. Jones
8. The Good War by Studs Terkel
9. American Pastoral by Philip Roth
10. A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O'Connor
11. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
12. A Sport and a Pastime by James Salter
13. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
14. Time's Arrow by Martin Amis
15. A Sense of Where You Are by John McPhee
16. Hell's Angels by Hunter S. Thompson
17. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
18. Dubliners by James Joyce
19. Rabbit, Run by John Updike
20. The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
21. Dog Soldiers by Robert Stone
22. Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell
23. Legends of the Fall by Jim Harrison
24. Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry
25. The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer
26. The Professional by W.C. Heinz
27. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
28. Dispatches by Michael Herr
29. Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller.
30. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
31. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
32. The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
33. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
34. All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren
35. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
36. Sophie's Choice by William Styron
37. A Fan's Notes by Frederick Exley
38. Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
39. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
40. Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian
41. Plainsong by Kent Haruf
42. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
43. Affliction by Russell Banks
44. This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff
45. Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin
46. The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow
47. Women by Charles Bukowski
48. Going Native by Stephen Wright
49. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
50. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John LeCarré
51. The Crack-Up by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
52. CivilWarLand in Bad Decline by George Saunders
53. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
54. The Shining by Stephen King
55. Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
56. Moby Dick by Herman Melville
57. Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
58. Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges
59. The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe
60. The Sportswriter by Richard Ford
61. American Tabloid by James Ellroy
62. The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley
63. What It Takes by Richard Ben Cramer
64. The Continental Op by Dashiell Hammett
65. The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
66. So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell
67. Native Son by Richard Wright
68. Let Us Now Praise Famous Men by James Agee and Walker Evans
69. Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
70. The Great Bridge by David McCullough
71. The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac
72. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
73. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
74. Underworld by Don DeLillo
75. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

To read the complete article about this list, visit http://www.esquire.com/the-side/feature/75-books.

Esquire’s book list reminded me of a similar list put together by Playboy magazine several years ago, “The Top 20 Books Every Man Must Read.” If you’re interested in seeing that list, visit http://leepeacock2010.blogspot.com/2010/05/top-20-books-every-man-must-read.html.

In the end, how many of the 75 books recommended by Esquire have you had a chance to read? Which did you like or dislike? Which would you recommend and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

Sir Richard Francis Burton was one tough dude - and he wrote a bunch of books too

On Tuesday, I posted a review of “The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack,” the outstanding steampunk novel by Mark Hodder that took home this year’s Philip K. Dick Award. If you haven’t read this book, I highly recommend that you do so.

I enjoyed Hodder’s book for a number of reasons, and it features one of the most intriguing, interesting lead characters of any book that I’ve read in a long time, Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton. While “The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack” is a work of (outstanding) fiction, the Burton character is based on the real-life man, who may have been one of the most talented Englishmen to have ever lived.

Burton, who was born in 1821 and died in 1890, had an impressive resume. Among other things, he was a noted cartographer, diplomat, explorer, fencer, geographer, linguist, poet, soldier, spy, translator and writer. He traveled the world and reportedly spoke 29 languages. He was James Bond, Batman, Conan the Barbarian, Alan Quartermain and Ernest Hemingway all rolled into one.

I was especially interested in reading more about Burton’s published works. According to Wikipedia, Burton “was a prolific and erudite author and wrote numerous books and scholarly articles about subjects including human behavior, travel, falconry, fencing, sexual practices and ethnography. A unique feature of his books is the copious footnotes and appendices containing remarkable observations and unexpurgated information.”

What follows is a complete list of Burton’s books in alphabetical order by title:

- Abeokuta and the Cameroon Mountains (1863)
- The Book of the Sword (1884)
- The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, 10 Vols. (1885)
- Camoens: His Life and His Lusiads (1883)
- Camoens: The Lyricks, 2 Vols. (1884)
- The Captivity of Hans Stade of Hesse, in A.D. 1547-1555, Among the Wild Tribes of Eastern Brazil (translated by Albert Tootal and annotated by Burton)
- The City of the Saints, Among the Mormons and Across the Rocky Mountains to California (1861)
- A Complete System of Bayonet Exercise (1853)
- Etruscan Bologna (1876)
- Explorations of the Highlands of Brazil (1869)
- Falconry in the Valley of the Indus (1852)
- First Footsteps in East Africa (1856)
- A Glance at the Passion-Play (1881)
- Goa and the Blue Mountains (1851)
- The Gold Mines of Midian (1878)
- The Guide-book: A Pictorial Pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina (1865)
- The Jew, the Gypsy and El Islam (1898)
- The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana (1883)
- The Kasidah of Haji Abdu El-Yezdi (1880)
- The Lake Regions of Central Africa (1860)
- The Lake Regions of Central Equatorial Africa (1859)
- The Lands of Cazembe: Lacerda’s Journey to Cazembe in 1798 (1873), edited and translated by Burton.
- The Land of Midian (1879)
- Lettes from the Battlefields of Paraguay (1870)
- A Mission to Gelele, King of Dahome (1864)
- A New System of Sword Exercise for Infantry (1876)
- The Nile Basin (1864)
- Os Lusiadas (The Lusiads), 2 Vols. (1880)
- The Perfumed Garden of the Shaykh Nefzawi (1886)
- Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al Madinah and Meccah, 3 Vols. (1855-56)
- Scinde or the Unhappy Valley (1851)
- The Sentiment of the Sword: A Country-House Dialogue (1911)
- Sindh and the Races Thtat Inhabit the Valley of the Indus (1851)
- Sind Revisited (1877)
- Stone Talk (1865)
- The Supplemental Nights to the Thousand Nights and a Night, 6 Vols. (1886-1888)
- To the Gold Coast for Gold, 2 Vols. (1883)
- Two Trips to Gorilla Land and the Cataracts of the Congo (1876)
- Ultima Thule (1872)
- Unexplored Syria (1872)
- Vikram and the Vampire or Tales of Hindu Devilry (1870)
- Wanderings in West Africa (1863)
- Wit and Wisdom From West Africa (1865)
- Zanzibar (1872)

In the end, how many of Burton’s books have you had a chance to read? Which did you like or dislike? Which would you recommend and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

June 1911 news headlines from Conecuh County

It’s that time of the month again, time to take a trip down memory lane and review all of the interesting things that took place in Conecuh County 100 years ago, way back in June 1911.

In the June 1, 1911 edition of The Conecuh Record newspaper, editor J.D. Whitcomb reported that, “The Bachelors Club will give a dance at the armory Tuesday evening at nine o’clock. This dance will be a brilliant affair.”

Readers that week also learned that “Sunday was the hottest day of the season thus far. The government thermometer registered 100 degrees. A thunderstorm late in the afternoon cooled the atmosphere for a time.”

Subscribers that week also saw that “Mrs. Marie Louise Woodson died at the Orphans Home last Friday after an illness of several years. The remains were taken to Selma, her old home for interment. A number of years ago, Mrs. Woodson deeded her property to the home, which bears her name, The Louise Short Baptist Widows and Orphans Home. The last two years of her life were spent at the Home.”

Whitcomb also reported that week that “W.B. Coker, residing three miles from Evergreen, brought in to Lee & Pridgen the first cotton blossom of the season. Mr. Coker is one of Conecuh’s most progressive farmers.”

Readers that week also learned that “Mr. and Mrs. W.B. Crumpton Jr. are visiting here this week. Mr. Crumpton is the president of the Agricultural school at Blountsville.”

Subscribers also saw that week that the “new organ for the Enon Baptist church arrived Friday and the young people met Sunday to practice.”

In the June 8, 1911 edition of the paper, Whitcomb reported that “five illicit stills were destroyed in Monroe County last week by Deputy Collector Nabors.”

Readers that week also learned that “Owing to repairs being made on one of the boilers at the powerhouse, the water supply is not up to the average, also the electric lights are not what they should be, but both will be in their normal condition within a few days.”

Subscribers that week also heard that “During the month of May, all postmasters were required to count every piece of mail matter that they handled. Postmaster Dean informs us that during that month he handled 127,121 pieces of all kinds; 89,939 pieces of the above was first class matter. In addition to the above, he registered 335 pieces of mail matter. Mr. Dean says that in the busy season he handles nearly double the above amount.”

Whitcomb also reported that week that “Both the county and commissioners courts were in session here this week.”

Readers that week also learned that “Tuesday night, the Bachelors Club gave a dance at the armory, which was attended by many young people from neighboring towns and the representative youth of the city. It was a brilliant affair.”

In the June 15, 1911 edition of the newspaper, it was reported that “Again the death angel visited our midst and this time took away the beloved wife of Ennis Angle. Her death was a shock to the entire community (Owassa). She was only sick a short while. She was only 26 years old and had been a member of the Baptist Church here for some time. She had many friends who with regret learned of her death. Before her marriage, she was Miss Georgia Meyers. She is survived by her husband and one child.”

Whitcomb also reported that week that “During the past week, the thermometer ranged from 100 to 103 degrees in the shade. A good rain Friday night cooled the atmosphere to some extent but it is still hot for this season this year.”

Also that week, under the headline “NOTICE,” readers learned that “The quarterly meeting of the old soldiers will be held at the court house July 12 at 10 o’clock a.m. All are requested to be present. M.B. Salter, Com.”

Subscribers also saw that week that “Last Saturday night, Oscar Stephens was badly cut by another man. His wounds are not dangerous. The other man escaped and has not yet been captured.”

In the June 22, 1911 edition of The Record, Whitcomb reported that “The recent Federal Grand Jury indicted nine of Conecuh’s best known farmers for conspiracy to commit peonage. They are J.E. Dean and two sons, T.L. Brantley, W.T. McCrory, S.S. Kendrick and Steve Hanks and his two sons. They have already surrendered to the U.S. Marshal at Mobile and were released on bond.”

Also that week, under the headline “Len Baggett killed,” readers learned that “Len Baggett, son of J.T. Baggett of Castleberry, was killed last Saturday at Jessika, La. Facts as to how he met death are unknown. Mr. Baggett was in the saw mill business at the above place.”

Also that week, under the heading “Announcement,” subscribers saw that “Professor Chas. Lane will lecture at the court house Friday night June 23rd at 8:30 o’clock. Subject, Analysis of laughter.”

Readers that week also saw the following business plug – “Gantt is the man who will clean and press your clothes so they will look like new.”

Whitcomb also reported that week that “The picnic planned for July 4th promises to be the largest one held in this county. The managers have secured a brass band which will render music during the day. Soft drinks will be served free to everybody, barbequed meats of all kinds will also be served free. Everybody come and bring a basket.”

In the June 29, 1911 edition, under the headline “Boll Weevil,” it was reported that “Several farmers residing east of Evergreen report that a bug resembling the dreaded boll weevil has appeared in their cotton fields and it is doing considerable damage to the crop. Some claim that the bug is the genuine boll weevil.”

Readers also learned that week that “Circuit Clerk S.L. Tisdale has been ill for the past week but is now able to be about.”

Whitcomb also reported that “Miss Florine Thomason returned last week from Boston where she has been for several months studying music.”

Subscribers also saw that “The baseball season opens here today when a series of three games will be played with Andalusia Thursday, Friday and Saturday. George Farnham is manager of the home team, which is an assurance that we will have some good sport during the balance of the season.”

Whitcomb closed out the month by reporting that “The reckless speeding of automobiles on Main Street in old Evergreen is becoming dangerous to the lives of the residents of that street, especially to children. We believe there is an ordinance regulating the speed of automobiles inside the city limits and we trust that the mayor will have the law enforced at once.”

Well, I guess that’s all that space will allow for this month. Next month, I plan to take a look at the events of July 1911 in Conecuh County. Until then, if you get the urge to research the county’s past yourself, take advantage of the Evergreen-Conecuh County Public Library’s excellent selection of old newspapers on microfilm and other resources. The library’s friendly and courteous staff will be more than happy to get you started.

The Evergreen Courant's Sports Flashback - June 2, 2011

SEVEN YEARS AGO
JUNE 7, 2004

“Jason Ingram, son of Arthur and Carolyn Ingram of Evergreen, is this year’s recipient of the Wendell Hart Scholarship, administered by the Evergreen Rotary Club. This scholarship is dedicated to the memory of the late Coach Wendell Hart, who deeply cared for his students and desired that all deserving young men and women be able to advance their education. Jason is a 2004 graduate of Hillcrest High School and will be attending the University of Alabama and majoring in accounting. Shown with Jason are Tim Dantz, president of the Evergreen Rotary Club, and Todd Watson, vice president of the Rotary Club and chairman of the scholarship committee.”

18 YEARS AGO
JUNE 3, 1993

“The District III Alabama Independent School Association Athletic Banquet was held May 11, 1993 at Monroe Academy. Students from Sparta Academy named to All District Teams were Britt Ward, son of John and Becky Ward, District III Basketball Team; Bryant Robinson, son of Wayne and Kathy Robinson, District III Football Team; Steven Bledsoe, son of Mike and Becky Bledsoe, District III Football Team and District III Baseball Team; Terry Conway, son of Jimmy and Mildred Conway, District III Football Team and District III Basketball Team; Ronda Williams, daughter of Gwendol Bates and Ronnie Williams, District III Softball Team; and Kelly Booker, daughter of David and Juliette Booker, District III Girls Basketball Team.”

“The Conecuh County Board of Education has released all coaches at Hillcrest High School from their contracts and the search is on for a new head football coach and athletic director.
“H.L. Watson has served as head football coach and athletic director for three years. Among other coaches released were Danny Covin. Covin led the Jaguar basketball team to a share of the area title last season. William Wall coached the Hillcrest baseball team to the state playoffs for the first time in the history of the school this year.”

37 YEARS AGO
JUNE 6, 1974

“MEN’S SOFTBALL: Earl Windham reports the following results in the Men’s Softball League through May 30:
“May 21, Jerry’s 21, Cotton-Hutcheson 5; Flexible Southern 9, Lyeffion 8; May 23, Jerry’s 11, Lyeffion 9; May 28, Flexible 11, Jerry’s 32; Lyeffion 4, Cotton-Hutcheson 5; May 30, Jerry’s 15, Cotton-Hutcheson 2; Flexible 11, Lyeffion 13.”

48 YEARS AGO
JUNE 6, 1963

“The Evergreen Senior Baseball League will open the season Monday night with a pair of games. The Tigers meet the Pirates in the opener and in the nightcap it will be the Braves vs. the Indians.
“New players for this season have been assigned to the four teams. The assignments are: Indians, Marvin Wilson, Bubba Mininger, Wayne Caylor, Ed Smith, Tim Stinson, Marvin Salter, Knud Nielsen and Bill Bailey; Braves, James Adams, George Stinson, Eddie Sasser and Brooks Dean; Pirates, John Thornley, Tommy Chapman, Harold Hamiter and Benton Harper; Tigers, Ron Elliott, Ed Ellis, Daniel Kelly, Gary Faulkner, Miles Covin and Mike Covin.”

“The Evergreen Recreation Center swimming pool opens today at 2 p.m., according to Mayor Zell Murphy.
“Johnny Hagood will be in charge of the pool this summer. Admission prices for swimming are as follows: elementary age children, 15 cents; high school age and adults, 25 cents. Season tickets for elementary, $6; and for high school and adults, $10.”

“Standings of the Conecuh Amateur (Baseball) League, including all games played through Sun., May 26, are as follows: Mixonville, 4-1; Red Level, 3-2; McKenzie, 3-2; Damascus, 2-3; Paul, 2-3; Flat Rock, 1-4.”

63 YEARS AGO
JUNE 3, 1948

“A galvanized tin roof covering the cement stands at Brooks Stadium was completed this week. Spectators can now see games without enduring the blazing heat of the sun.
“Sun., June 13, has been set as the date for Ladies Day at the local park. The Greenies will play Jay, Fla., one of the strongest teams in the league. Extra attractions scheduled include a fashion show and possibly the appearance of a soap box daredevil unit direct from its last performance at the Thrill Hill Speedway in Evergreen.”

“The American League Junior baseball team started off with a bang by trouncing Flomaton 21 to 0. Bertie Hassell was in good form and gave up only one hit.
“Little Pete Wells was a sensation at third base playing perfect at field and getting four hits for as many times at bat.
“Dickey Bozeman, Pete White, Sam Snowden, Benton Carpenter and several others who played their first baseball looked and played like veterans.”

“The league leading Evergreen Greenies pasted a 16 to 0 defeat on the cellar dwelling Flomaton baseballers Sunday to tighten their hold on first place.
“Shutout pitching by Wendell Hart and lefty Gaston and four booming basehits by Otis Johnson paced the Greenies to their fourth win of the season against only one loss.”

Compiled by Sports Reporter Lee Peacock from past issues of The Evergreen Courant. To read The Courant’s weekly Sports Flashback feature online, visit leepeacock2010.blogspot.com.

'The Science of Hitting' is a baseball, sports classic

“The Science of Hitting” by Ted Williams and John Underwood falls into the category of books that I should have read in the ninth grade.

Originally published in 1971, the 97-page book is a baseball classic and is No. 86 on Sports Illustrated’s Top 100 Sports Books of All Time.

The book is billed as “the classic guide to the ‘single most difficult thing to do in sport’ by the greatest hitter of all time,” and you’ll be hard pressed to find a better book on how to hit a baseball.

Williams, who died in July 2002, was the last professional player to bat .400 in the majors, won the American League batting title six times and was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966. Most baseball insiders viewed Williams as the leading expert on how to hit a baseball.

The book’s co-author, John Underwood, was a long time senior writer at Sports Illustrated and is generally thought to be one of America’s best sports writers. Some of his other books include “Manning,” “The Death of an American Game” and “Spoiled Sport.”

In “The Science of Hitting,” Williams offers an easy to read, point-by-point guide to batting, and he does so with plain language and detailed drawings. At just 97 pages the book is a quick read, but is full of baseball wisdom that could help players – and coaches – at all levels of the game. Topics covered in the book include Williams’ famous “Three Rules to Hit By,” how to swing properly, the secrets to hip and wrist action, pitch selection, bunting and how to hit to the opposite field.

The portions of the book that I enjoyed the most were the parts in which Williams discussed the mental aspects of the game. Williams preached that hitting a baseball was “50 percent above the neck” and emphasized the importance of being observant before, during and after games. Williams devotes a significant portion of the book to helping players understand how to think like a pitcher, how to properly guess at pitches and how to properly adjust to different ball parks and game conditions.

Williams also spends a number of pages dispelling many of the hitting myths that many of us have either heard or were taught by well-meaning coaches. Williams also concedes that each player is different and talks about how to tailor your approach at the plate to your own style of play.

It should also be said that young pitchers in the audience would benefit from the book because it includes much discussion on techniques that pro pitchers use to strike out big league hitters. In many respects, the book is not only a must-read for hitters, but also for aspiring pitchers.

In the end, I really enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone in the reading audience who enjoys the finer points of baseball. I especially recommend the book to all young baseball players out there as well as youth baseball coaches. You can’t go wrong if you apply the principles that Williams sets down in this baseball classic.

My movie picks this week are 'X-men: First Class' and 'Drive Angry'

It’s Wednesday, so today I give you my weekly list of movies that will open in theatres this week as well as a list of movies that will be released this week on DVD.

I hope this will serve as a useful guide as to what’s going on this week if you happen to be near a movie theatre or if you’re looking for something to drop into your NetFlix queue.

Movies that are scheduled to hit theatres this week include:

- Beautiful Boy (R, Drama, Romance): Directed by Shawn Ku and starring Michael Sheen, Maria Bello, Alan Tudyk, Moon Bloodgood and Kyle Gallney.

- Beginners (R, Drama): Directed by Mike Mills and starring Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Melanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic and Mary Page Keller.

- House of the Rising Sun (R, Action, Crime): Directed by Brian A. Miller and starring Danny Trejo, Amy Smart, Dominic Purcell, Dave Bautista and Craig Fairbrass.

- The Lion of Judah (PG, Family): Directed by Roger Hawkins and Deryck Broom.

- Love, Wedding, Marriage (PG-13, Comedy, Romance): Directed by Dermot Mulroney and starring Mandy Moore, Kellan Lutz, Jessica Szohr, Jane Seymour and James Brolin.

- Rejoice & Shout (PG, Documentary, Special Interest): Directed by Don McGlynn and starring Smokey Robinson, Mahalia Jackson and the Rev. James Cleveland.

- Submarine (R, Comedy, Drama): Directed by Richard Avoade and starring Sally Hawkins, Paddy Considine, Craig Roberts, Noah Taylor and Yasmin Paige.

- X-Men: First Class (PG-13, Action, Fantasy, Science Fiction): Directed by Matthew Vaughn and starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Rose Byrne and Kevin Bacon.

- YellowBrickRoad (R, Horror, Suspense): Directed by Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton and starring Cassidy Freeman, Laura Heisler, Anessa Ramsey, Clark Freeman and Lee Wilkof.

New DVD releases for the week of May 31 include:

- Biutiful (R, Drama): Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and starring Javier Bardem, Maricel Alvarez, Eduard Fernandez, Diaryatou Daff and Cheich Ndiave.

- Cross (R, Action, Fantasy): Directed by Patrick Durham and starring Brian Austin Green, Michael Clarke Duncan, Vinnie Jones, C. Thomas Howell and Danny Trejo.

- Drive Angry (R, Action, Suspense): Directed by Patrick Lussier and starring Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard, David Morse, William Fichtner and Christa Campbell.

- Kaboom (Not Rated, Comedy, Horror, Suspense, Thriller): Directed by Gregg Araki and starring Thomas Dekker, Haley Bennett, Roxane Mesquida, Juno Temple and James Duval.

- Passion Play (R, Drama, Mystery): Directed by Mitch Glazer and starring Megan Fox, Bill Murray, Mickey Rourke, Rhys Ifans and Kelly Lynch.

- Savage County (Not Rated, Horror): Directed by David Harris and starring Ana Ayora, Ryan Carter, Ken Luckey, Mimi Michaels and Doug Haley.

- The Waiting City (R, Drama, Romance): Directed by Claire McCarthy and starring Radha Mitchell, Joel Edgerton, Isabel Lucas and Samrat Chakrabarti.

If I could only watch one movie at the theatre this week, it would be “X-Men: First Class,” and if I had to pick just one DVD to rent this week, it would be “Drive Angry.”

In the end, let me know if you get a chance to watch any of the new movies in theatres this week or if you’ve already seen any of the movies that have just been released on DVD. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.