Pouring Six Beers at a Time: And Other Stories from a Lifetime in Baseball

It's no surprise that Giles grew up in ballparks; his father, Warren, was president of the Cincinnati Reds and later the entire National League, and his godfather, Branch Rickey, was best known for signing Jackie Robinson to the majors. Beginning at Cincinnati's Crosley Field, Giles grows up to play a number of backstage positions in pro ball, among them a key role in the birth of indoor baseball at Houston's Astrodome, and later, as owner of the Phillies, a leading force behind efforts to bring an old-style ballpark to Philadelphia in 2004. In addition to his personal story, Giles and co-author Myers (Essential Cubs) recount 70 years of vignettes and anecdotes in a folksy, often overstated style that some readers will find welcoming, but will strike others as amateurish. Giles has a tendency to skimp on behind-the-scenes details, but can recount any number of intricate plays from 25-year-old games, and doesn't shy away from shop talk in the book's last third, addressing the economic realities of today's game. Among the players, commissioners and owners Giles chronicles, readers will find a knowledgeable consideration of baseball's past, present and even its future-in which Giles sees a great potential MLB commissioner in a former Texas Rangers owner by the name of George W. Bush.