Cut4 Library: 'The Dad Report: Fathers, Sons, and Baseball Families'

Cut4 Library: 'The Dad Report'

By Gemma Kaneko

June 21, 2015

Hey, remember this scene from "Beauty and the Beast?"

library

Now imagine that every single one of those books is about America's pastime. Since that library is basically a Mobius strip of printed material, we're here to guide you through it. When we find a fascinating baseball book, you'll be the first to know. Today: "The Dad Report."

Despite the title, Kevin Cook's newest book is not a CIA-style dossier on dad bods across baseball. The subtitle, "Father, Sons, and Baseball Families" clarifies things a bit. You know the Griffeys, the Bonds and the Ripkens, but do you know who the first father-son pair in baseball was? Flip through "Dad Report" and you'll find out.

Cook traces the history of fathers and sons in baseball all the way from the 1882 until, well, now. In addition to exploring his own father's Minor League career, he closely tracks Ron and Ike Davis' travels through the sport and investigates the reason Michael Jordan gave this a try:

Cook writes:

Michael's earliest memories were of having a backyard catch with his dad … Well into his teen years, he was better at baseball than basketball -- North Carolina's Little League Player of the Year, a fastball, pitcher and slugging shortstop. When his father offered to buy him a steak if he hit a home run, Michael clouted one into the parking lot. Even after three NBA titles, he said, "I've never experienced anything in sports like hitting one out of the park.

So, if you're interested in the literal family tree of baseball, this book is for you. Pick it up for Father's Day (immediately! you have mere moments left.), or one of the other holidays Cook describes:

Every April, [my dad] let me stay home from school to watch the Reds' Opening Day. The same went for the World Series. Not the whole Series, but I could stay home to see the first game and the seventh if there was a seventh game.