Two great new sports books are out that look to be worth being depositing in your shopping cart.

The first is Echoing Green by Joshua Prager. Prager is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, and he is credited with breaking the story that the “Shot Heard Round the World” wasn’t all that it seemed. If you don’t know the story, the 1951 National League pennant was fought between two of New York City’s three baseball teams, the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. The New York nine scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat Brooklyn 5-4 and take the NL pennant. The scoring was capped by Bobby Thomson’s homer (the Shot) off of Ralph Branca. The two men have been joined ever since. It was one of the most dramatic wins in baseball history and instantly became a classic. Don Delillo’s Underworld began with a fictional account of the game that on its own may be the single best piece of fiction I have ever read. Really. The chapter was later released as a stand alone novella, Pafko at the Fence.

Shot heard round the world

Here’s how huge the game was: at the beginnings of the Cold War, the New York Times ran a split headline, one half carried the story of the game, the other half announced that Russia had successfully tested a nuclear bomb. I discussed the game with my wife’s grandmother after reading the Delillo account. Bubbie lived in Brooklyn at the time and is a life-long Dodgers fan. I asked her if she remembered the split headline, and she said, “Yes. And guess which side we read first!”

Anyway, I’m endlessly fascinated with the subject as you may guess, and I’ve bought Prager’s book. Be on the lookout for a glowing review shortly. (NYT story on Prager, an interesting guy in his own right, here).

The second sports book to keep an eye out for is The Blind Side by Michael “Moneyball” Lewis. Lewis wrote an amazing story that ran in the NYT Magazine a few weeks ago (and is now locked behind the Times Select wall), and I’ve been intrigued by the story ever since. The true story relates how a homeless, black kid from West Memphis came to be adopted by a wealthy white family (like Diff’rent Strokes, only different).

The boy’s unique gift was being born into a body made to play left tackle. After overcoming some rather incredible obstacles, the boy is now a starting left tackle for Ole Miss and seems poised for the jump to the NFL. One of the things that fascinated me about the Magazine’s article was the importance of the position of left tackle. I didn’t know, for instance, that the position was often the second highest paid on the field due to its role in protecting the quarterback’s blind side (hence the title). Janet Maslin has a glowing review in the NYT.

Speaking of Moneyball, the A’s are still alive (and the Tigers), the Yankees and their $200 Million are watching the game on TV. I’m just saying.