5 sports books to add to your summer reading list

Now that you've binged every show on every streaming service, the summer of COVID-19 is as good a time as any to dive into the mountains of great sports books out there.

I could do a longer list, but let's narrow it down to my five favorite sports books.

Horseplayers: Life at the Track, by Ted McClelland

This is my favorite horse racing book related to gambling and those who put money down on the ponies.

Although Laughing in the Hills is a more popular choice, and is surely worth reading, I love McClelland's imagery of the characters on the Chicago racing scene most.

It's a quick read, but if you've ever hung out at the racetrack, the tales of racetrackers — from stoopers to stat geeks — will put a smile on your face.

Ali: A Life, by Jonathan Eig

This brick of a book is intimidating at first (nearly 550 pages), but it is a definitive biography of the most important sports figure in modern history, and it melts away once you dive in.

Embrace the pages, because if you really want to know as much as you can about the Greatest, it's worth it.

Ball Four, by Jim Bouton

A lot of people sure hated Jim Bouton for a while, there. He broke the code of silence in baseball clubhouses, but this book has stood the test of time and by now is embraced by pretty much everyone.

There's nothing like war stories from old ballplayers, but you mostly get them by word of mouth and through legend. Bouton had the guts to put them in print, and I am eternally grateful.

All of the books on this list are enjoyable, but as far as pure entertainment value? This is the pick.

The Odds: One Season, Three Gamblers, and the Death of Their Las Vegas, by Chad Millman

This might have been the first gambling book I read, and I should have taken note about the roller coaster ride sports betting can take you on.

Want to know the ups and downs of trying to beat the Vegas books, without having to pony up the cash? Check this one out.

If you're a relative sports betting neophyte, you'll also learn a lot about the process, the machinations, and the frustrations of wagering on basketball.

Ruffian: Burning from the Start, by Jane Schwartz

I saved the best for last. This is my favorite book, period. Not just my favorite about sports. I've read it at least four or five times, and I'll probably read it again after typing this.

From foaling to that fateful final day at Belmont Park, this book takes you into the barn of the fastest filly to hit the racetrack.

Schwartz brings color to this story I can only aspire to create.

I know what happens. I know all the details. And it still crushes me every time I read it.