When you get a book with a chapter entitled "Why Rooting for the Mets Is Like Building That Ikea Desk," you know it's going to be great. This Is Your Brain On Sports: The Science of Underdogs, the Value of Rivalry, and What We Can Learn from the T-Shirt Cannon was a fantastic read. The book focuses on the psychology of sports exploring why games play out like they do, why fans acts as they do, and questions about sports you just never thought to ask. Right now, this one is my go-to recommendation which when it comes to me, you can't get any better stamp of approval. Oh, and this was another book provided to me by the great folks at Blogging for Books.
While we're talking sports, two other quick notes on recent reads.
Hoop Dreams was a re-read for Throwback to the Books. Back in the mid nineties, I was super into NBA basketball. This meant I read all the basketball books I could. I have no doubt I am the most frequent reader of this book there is. This is a non-traditional adaptation of a film in that it contains content not used in the film and does a deeper dive into the stories of Arthur and William. I've been reading this book for nearly twenty years now, and it's fantastic each time.
I also read The Phenomenon which is Rick Ankiel's memoir. Rick Ankiel is most well-known for a game where he pitched five wild pitches in the NLCS - See it here. This book was an honest account of all Rick has overcome. He had a rough childhood, and his rise to the majors (on two occasions) wasn't easy. I appreciated how candid he was with his experiences, and I have a new appreciation for who he is as a player and a person.
