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Chicken Soup for the Baseball Fan's Soul: Inspirational Stories of Baseball, Big-League Dreams and the Game of Life
"Play Ball!" These words resonate with special meaning in the minds of anyone who has ever enjoyed a game of baseball. Every fan will be amused and touched by stories of sportsmanship and victory gathered from the clay diamonds of America. A tribute to America's favorite past time, Chicken Soup for the Baseball Fan's Soul is written by people at every level of competition, from World Series champions to tee-ball moms. Their inspiring stories highlight the best of baseball, the importance of sportsmanship and a love of the game. Whether these stories take place on the field of a local YMCA or under the bright lights of a major league ballpark, the focus is the The Love of the Game.
386 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 2001
9 people are currently reading
177 people want to read
About the author
Jack Canfield
1,295 books1,757 followersJack Canfield is an American motivational speaker and author. He is best known as the co-creator of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" book series, which currently has over 124 titles and 100 million copies in print in over 47 languages. According to USA Today, Canfield and his writing partner, Mark Victor Hansen, were the top-selling authors in the United States in 1997.
Canfield received a BA in Chinese History from Harvard University and a Masters from University of Massachusetts. He has worked as a teacher, a workshop facilitator, and a psychotherapist.
Canfield is the founder of "Self Esteem Seminars" in Santa Barbara, and "The Foundation for Self Esteem" in Culver City, California. The stated mission of Self Esteem Seminars is to train entrepreneurs, educators, corporate leaders and employees to achieve their personal and professional goals. The focus of The Foundation for Self Esteem is to train social workers, welfare recipients and human resource professionals.
In 1990,he shared with author Mark Victor Hansen his idea for the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. After three years, the two had compiled sixty-eight stories.
Canfield has appeared on numerous television shows, including Good Morning America, 20/20, Eye to Eye, CNN's Talk Back Live, PBS, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Montel Williams Show, Larry King Live and the BBC.
Canfield's most recent book, The Success Principles (2005), shares 64 principles that he claims can make people more successful. In 2006, he appeared in the DVD, "The Secret," and shared his insights on the Law of Attraction and tips for achieving success in personal and professional life.
Jack Canfield was born on August 19, 1944, in Fort Worth, TX. He is the son of Elmer and Ellen (a homemaker; maiden name, Taylor). He attended high school at Linsly Military Institute, Wheeling, WV, 1962. He went to college at Harvard University, B.A., 1966; University of Massachusetts at Amherst, M.Ed., 1973. Canfield married Judith Ohlbaum in 1971 (divorced, November 1976); he married Georgia Lee Noble on September 9, 1978 (divorced, December 1999); he married Inga Marie Mahoney on July 4, 2001; children: (first marriage) Oran, David, Kyle, Dania; (second marriage) Christopher Noble. He is a Democrat and a Christian, and his hobbies include tennis, travel, skiing, running, billiards, reading, and guitar.
Canfield received a BA in Chinese History from Harvard University and a Masters from University of Massachusetts. He has worked as a teacher, a workshop facilitator, and a psychotherapist.
Canfield is the founder of "Self Esteem Seminars" in Santa Barbara, and "The Foundation for Self Esteem" in Culver City, California. The stated mission of Self Esteem Seminars is to train entrepreneurs, educators, corporate leaders and employees to achieve their personal and professional goals. The focus of The Foundation for Self Esteem is to train social workers, welfare recipients and human resource professionals.
In 1990,he shared with author Mark Victor Hansen his idea for the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. After three years, the two had compiled sixty-eight stories.
Canfield has appeared on numerous television shows, including Good Morning America, 20/20, Eye to Eye, CNN's Talk Back Live, PBS, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Montel Williams Show, Larry King Live and the BBC.
Canfield's most recent book, The Success Principles (2005), shares 64 principles that he claims can make people more successful. In 2006, he appeared in the DVD, "The Secret," and shared his insights on the Law of Attraction and tips for achieving success in personal and professional life.
Jack Canfield was born on August 19, 1944, in Fort Worth, TX. He is the son of Elmer and Ellen (a homemaker; maiden name, Taylor). He attended high school at Linsly Military Institute, Wheeling, WV, 1962. He went to college at Harvard University, B.A., 1966; University of Massachusetts at Amherst, M.Ed., 1973. Canfield married Judith Ohlbaum in 1971 (divorced, November 1976); he married Georgia Lee Noble on September 9, 1978 (divorced, December 1999); he married Inga Marie Mahoney on July 4, 2001; children: (first marriage) Oran, David, Kyle, Dania; (second marriage) Christopher Noble. He is a Democrat and a Christian, and his hobbies include tennis, travel, skiing, running, billiards, reading, and guitar.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
August 1, 2013
In the past month or two one of my daughters found this book and gave it to me. She said if was a Christmas present that was misplaced sometime between 2001 (the year of publication) and rediscovered in the Spring of 2013. She presented it to me with a sheepish grin and a Merry Christmas. I enjoyed my Christmas in July. The stories are inspiring, humorous but also sometimes cheesy.
August 8, 2022
This book brought so many memories of me and my mom hitting balls in our backyard! I actually teared up a couple of times before I remembered; no tears in baseball.
Currently reading
April 10, 2012Many say that the national pasttime of America is Baseball. It started in America, thrived in America, is cheap to play, and has a history as rich as the United States itself. This book goes through personal accounts of what makes baseball great. Its not just the smell of a freshly manicured ballpark on opening day, the crack of the back and pop of the catcher's mitt, or the sight of vendors peddling cold beer and soda on a hot summer day at the ballpark. Its how baseball inspires people and brings families together. The first few selections describe how an autographed ball of a childhood hero can bring a family together, how a man playing catch with his reaches out to a boy stricken with polio, and that one afternoon helped inspire the polio-stricken child to overcome his disease, or how baseball helps grow character through trials and tribulations of a peewee baseball game. It also shows how baseball runs through generations, as with the Ripkens, who as a father-son duo played/coached together in Baltimore. This book is very good, as being a baseball fan, it is chicken soup to my soul. These stories are inspiring and cause me to respect and love the game even more.
May 4, 2015
Sappy and sentimental for the most part, but I'm a huge baseball fan, and I liked it. It's mostly about Little League and family experiences, but there was enough stories with major leaguers to keep my interest. I had two favorites in particular: 1) "The Chase" about George Brett's quest for 3,000 hits. It took me right back to my college days and my ill fated attempt to attend his milestone in Anaheim! and 2) "A Childhood Memory" about Wiffle ball. This one transported me back over 30 years, right back to my old buddy Tim's driveway on Buchanan St.! Whew!
December 30, 2015
I love baseball, so what's not to like about this book? I read it on vacation--just wanted a nice, light read. Great short stories you can pick up and put down. I found some of the stories really interesting--especially the ones that didn't involve famous ball players--just regular, average people--and how those people have good memories that relate to baseball.
December 19, 2023
Fantastic!
May 25, 2023
I have been a baseball fan for more than sixty-five years, a Baltimore Orioles fan nearly that long. As I read these many articles about baseball --- major league, minor league, Little League, softball, Whiffle Ball, pick up games, Fantasy Camp, --- by scores of writers, I thought I could write something about almost every one of those experiences.
How often I smiled when I read something that kindled a memory, most of them good. There's a piece on the writer's only home run. I played Little League baseball for four seasons, the first four seasons it existed in my hometown. I sat on the bench for most of the first three; I made the all-stars in my final year. It was in that final season, indeed, my final regular season game, in my penultimate at bat, that I hit my only home run. I remember every at bat as if it was yesterday instead of sixty years ago.
An article on Whiffle Ball brought back happy memories. It was written that you only need two players to play Whiffle Ball, and that's how many we usually had; just Ed and me.
So many memories of games, players, friends. And when my best friends and I gather together in the present day, we always talk baseball. A Bucco's buff, a Red Sox rooter, and me. The rooter just left us to claim a box seat in heavenly Fenway Park, so now it's just two of us, but the memories will never die.
I brought this book to our local election voting place earlier this month, as it was an off-year primary with a small turnout expected and time for reading. My boss picked up the book, paged through it a bit, and laughed out loud at a passage which reminded her of her grandson. I asked her about this and she said he was a big baseball fan, just eight years old. I promised her I would give him the book when I was finished reading it. I hope that in years to come he will experience baseball moments that will bring to his remembrance some of what he reads in this book.
Five stars
How often I smiled when I read something that kindled a memory, most of them good. There's a piece on the writer's only home run. I played Little League baseball for four seasons, the first four seasons it existed in my hometown. I sat on the bench for most of the first three; I made the all-stars in my final year. It was in that final season, indeed, my final regular season game, in my penultimate at bat, that I hit my only home run. I remember every at bat as if it was yesterday instead of sixty years ago.
An article on Whiffle Ball brought back happy memories. It was written that you only need two players to play Whiffle Ball, and that's how many we usually had; just Ed and me.
So many memories of games, players, friends. And when my best friends and I gather together in the present day, we always talk baseball. A Bucco's buff, a Red Sox rooter, and me. The rooter just left us to claim a box seat in heavenly Fenway Park, so now it's just two of us, but the memories will never die.
I brought this book to our local election voting place earlier this month, as it was an off-year primary with a small turnout expected and time for reading. My boss picked up the book, paged through it a bit, and laughed out loud at a passage which reminded her of her grandson. I asked her about this and she said he was a big baseball fan, just eight years old. I promised her I would give him the book when I was finished reading it. I hope that in years to come he will experience baseball moments that will bring to his remembrance some of what he reads in this book.
Five stars
August 9, 2022
For avid fans like me, Chicken Soup for the Baseball Fan’s Soul is a great way to combat two problems in baseball. One is those long winter months which can be a source of frustration over the “near misses” of the previous season as well as the favorite players we see leaving our beloved teams. The other is the fact that Major League Baseball has become – like the rest of the country – dominated by the almighty dollar.
Chicken Soup for the Baseball Fan’s Soul transcends the dollar factor. It’s not just stories by and about the familiar Major League superstars, it’s stories from the sandlots and Little Leagues around the country. There are stories here that show that baseball has been a catalyst in so many people’s lives for positive change.
One great story is of a woman who remembers being at the local Little League ballfield with her father when they are observed in their game of catch by a child in a wheelchair. The father brings him into the game including pushing him around the bases. It was a great day for all of them and the child’s mother thanked them. They never see him again, but many years later when she is about to move out of the neighborhood, she goes back to the field where this took place to remember her father. One of the coaches recounts a story of how he was confined to a wheelchair with polio and how the kindness of a man and his daughter meant so much to him that it helped his desire to overcome his handicap and walk again as well as giving him a devotion to coaching Little League.
To read my full review, please go to: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...
Chicken Soup for the Baseball Fan’s Soul transcends the dollar factor. It’s not just stories by and about the familiar Major League superstars, it’s stories from the sandlots and Little Leagues around the country. There are stories here that show that baseball has been a catalyst in so many people’s lives for positive change.
One great story is of a woman who remembers being at the local Little League ballfield with her father when they are observed in their game of catch by a child in a wheelchair. The father brings him into the game including pushing him around the bases. It was a great day for all of them and the child’s mother thanked them. They never see him again, but many years later when she is about to move out of the neighborhood, she goes back to the field where this took place to remember her father. One of the coaches recounts a story of how he was confined to a wheelchair with polio and how the kindness of a man and his daughter meant so much to him that it helped his desire to overcome his handicap and walk again as well as giving him a devotion to coaching Little League.
To read my full review, please go to: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...
July 29, 2021
These short stories are implausible to the point where they are plausible under the “truth is stranger than fiction” criteria. Some are by people whose profession is baseball, most are by people that enjoy the game. A few will put tears in your eyes.
Some of the best are based on fans experiences with players and they are positive. The events took place before the explosion in the commercialization of the baseball autograph business. In them, the players are cordial, polite and cooperative, often going out of their way to do something positive for a fan.
All levels of baseball, from the basics of tee ball to some of the greatest players ever are covered. The emphasis is on the positive influence baseball has on our lives, again from tee ball on up. If you are in a mental and emotional valley, this book will invert that particular curve.
Some of the best are based on fans experiences with players and they are positive. The events took place before the explosion in the commercialization of the baseball autograph business. In them, the players are cordial, polite and cooperative, often going out of their way to do something positive for a fan.
All levels of baseball, from the basics of tee ball to some of the greatest players ever are covered. The emphasis is on the positive influence baseball has on our lives, again from tee ball on up. If you are in a mental and emotional valley, this book will invert that particular curve.
July 25, 2024
This is a great book with 100-plus short stories focusing on baseball and those who love the game. I love the game of baseball so this was right up my alley.
I stretched it out by reading one story daily to focus on what that short story had to say. The stories brought out a variety of emotions. Some brought tears to my eyes. Some gave me chills. I plan on reading many more of the Chicken Soup books.
I highly recommend this book to lovers of baseball and even those who just love good short stories. Great inspirational book so pick it up and read it.
I stretched it out by reading one story daily to focus on what that short story had to say. The stories brought out a variety of emotions. Some brought tears to my eyes. Some gave me chills. I plan on reading many more of the Chicken Soup books.
I highly recommend this book to lovers of baseball and even those who just love good short stories. Great inspirational book so pick it up and read it.
April 7, 2021
Lots of bright, short nuggets of wisdom, humor, and baseball lore in this book. Audience is the baseball fan, but if general readers can survive the "baseball jargon" and history, they will discover many aspects for a good life. Each chapter begins with provocative quotation by a relevant person. Enjoyable read and a reader can stop anywhere, start anywhere, even though the book has its sections for certain themes.
November 22, 2017
I loved it! I love baseball, and I love everything about the game of baseball. I got this book for my birthday because my family knows how much I love baseball, especially my younger brother, and that is how I started liking baseball. This book has a total of 101 stories about the game of baseball, the history of baseball, and so on. So if you like baseball, I recommend this book.
July 6, 2020
Kinda schmaltzy, in a Reader's Digest way. The big message I got from this was that boys are very sentimental about their baseball lives and the stuff they collected. Hard work to finish this, the brightest spot was Dave Barry's contribution.
April 12, 2022
Great books for baseball fans like this one are hard to find in most bookstores. I was surprised to see a "Chicken Soup" book for baseball fans and purchased this book for a teenager who truly enjoyed it
March 28, 2019
Some fun stories!
June 29, 2021
All Baseball!
Want to read
June 7, 2025Cutting is for A Baseball for Dad
By Patrick Thomson
By Patrick Thomson
September 24, 2021
What’s not to like about 360 pages filled with dozens of short stories about the great sport of baseball and the people - from Little League parents to fans to professional ballplayers - which are its very core and soul?
July 2, 2011
Okay, so reading any sort of Chicken Soup book is in itself a cliche, unless it is in fact a cookbook, at which point it becomes ironic. Also, I'm not that big a baseball fan. I'm a Phillies fan, but not so much the sport itself, if that makes sense: here's how it works out in the big four: NFL- football /Eagles=100/90, MLB- baseball/Phils= 50/100, NBA- basketball/Sixers= 65/10, NHL- hockey/Fliers= 5/5 (in that I'd watch any football game you care to mention and an Eagles game makes it that much more exciting, while I probably wouldn't watch a baseball game unless the Phils took part, while hockey consistently makes me wish I had something better to do with my time. See?) Anyway, the book had some good stories, and it made me appreciate certain ballplayers more. A hearty meh.
July 14, 2017
My family and I are huge baseball fans. Especially the San Francisco Giants. We have been going to spring training in Scottsdale every year since 1992. My daughter gave me this book for my birthday. I have read other Chicken Soup books in the past, but this is the BEST. You do not have to be a baseball fan to enjoy the individual stories. I especially like the Dave Dravecky story "My Finest Hour". I have been a huge fan of Dravecky since his tragic cancer story but I never heard or read about his feelings and it is wonderful to learn how strong and brave this man (and his wife) are.
Many national known contributors. Well worth reading. Loved it.
Many national known contributors. Well worth reading. Loved it.
August 30, 2016
Enjoyable enough. I would have preferred more baseball and less "uplifting" in the stories, but all in all it was an enjoyable mix of stories of the big leagues, childhood memories and baseball with the kids.
July 22, 2009
This book was a lot of fun, It's filled with 'short stories' about Major leauge players, thier families and careers. For baseball fans this book will make you feel good.
March 9, 2009
A great collection of baseball stories. I love the Chicken Soup series.
February 8, 2016
One of my favorite Chicken Soup collections, stories that can bring a smile to your face or tears to your eyes or sometimes both.
September 21, 2012
Feel-good stories about America's greatest sport.
April 7, 2012
Too many Yankee stories! Not as "inspirational" as I had hoped!
October 30, 2013
If you're a baseball fan, you must read this book. It reminds us why we love America's past time.
January 14, 2014
Great audio to enjoy with my son!
May 31, 2014
A good book. Again ,some lame stories,some good ones,some sad ones,but in all a good book. I am not a huge fan of baseball but I still liked it.
October 29, 2016
Like any anthology, it has good and bad pieces.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews