Today, a one-day alteration in the usual format as we check the bookshelf for a look at reasonably priced tomes that could make interesting holiday gifts for the sports-minded reader who might not want the traditional baseball book.
Making of a soccer giant
When you ask Rob Daniels exactly what drove him to write what may be the ultimate in books of regional interest, "ArenaBall: The Building of Virginia's Soccer Dynasty," (Quality Sports Publications, 128 pp, $30) he is refreshingly blunt.
"Frankly, I'm not convinced there's a huge mass market for this, but I thought it could help my career," said Daniels, 28, a sportswriter with the Charlottesville (Va.) Daily Progress and a graduate of the Gilman School.
But Daniels, who has covered the Cavaliers men's soccer team for six years, thought there was a story worth telling, especially given Virginia's success, which includes four straight NCAA titles, the last of which was captured last weekend.
Daniels chronicles the triumphs and near-misses of the Virginia program, which has produced such notables as Claudio Reyna, the best collegiate player of the 1990s, and Tony Meola, the goalkeeper for the United States' 1994 World Cup team, as well as coach Bruce Arena, whose measured mania has powered the team.
Only 5,000 copies have been printed, and the book can be ordered through the Kansas-based publisher by calling (800) 464-1116.
You can look it up
For the info-geeks among us, and the people who want to stump them, comes two heavyweight contenders in the at-your-fingertips sports information book category, "The 1995 Information Please Sports Almanac," (Houghton Mifflin, 896 pp, $10.95) edited by Mike Meserole and "The 1995 Sports Illustrated Sports Almanac," (Little, Brown & Co., 797 pp, $11.95).
Though the SI almanac contains articles from members of its talented writing staff to introduce each category of statistics, the Information Please almanac is ultimately the better buy because it's more thorough.
For example, not only are the sites and dates of the Final Four listed through 2002 in the Information Please book, but also a list of every retired number for every team in each major team sport. Now, that's information you just can't live without.
NBA past and present
NBA fans will love the paperback edition of "Tall Tales," (Simon & Schuster, 397 pp, $12), a printed oral history of the pre-Jordan, Bird and Magic days of the league, lovingly written by Terry Pluto, a columnist and former Cleveland Cavaliers beat writer for the Akron Beacon-Journal.
Likewise, "Transition Game," (Sagamore Publishing, 228 pp, $22.95), examines the health and mental welfare of the Chicago Bulls in the post-Michael Jordan era, through the eyes of Chicago Tribune beat writer Melissa Issacson.
Women and sports
Mariah Burton Nelson, who wrote movingly three years ago of the efforts of women to find their place in the athletic society in "Are We Winning Yet," returns with "The Stronger Women Get, the More Men Love Football," (Harcourt Brace, 304 pp, $22.95), a withering condemnation of the sexism that pervades the American culture of sports.
No segment of the jock populace escapes Nelson's criticism, and whether or not you agree with all her points, the book is well worth a read, especially for fathers of young daughters who aspire to find their niche in sports.
Baseball in pictures
If you simply must give a baseball book, try "The Baltimore Ballpark Project: The Creation of a Baseball Stadium," (Rettaliata, 95 pp, $25.95) a collection of wonderful photographs taken during the three-year construction of Camden Yards, by Baltimore free-lance photographer Janis Rettaliata. Though the book has been in circulation for two years, it should be available in local bookstores or by order.
Nickname game
Finally, for the absolutely wacked-out sports fan, ESPN announcer Chris "I'll Never Be Your Beast of" Berman has released a collection of his favorite nicknames, called "ChrisNames," (Andrews and McMeel, 184 pp, $8.95), with a portion of proceeds going to the V Foundation for Cancer Research. The best of the lot: Burt "Be Home" Blyleven.