Greatest Stories Ever Told

Nelson's latest ""baseball greatest'' book (following Quotes and Insults is another collection of baseball lore that fans should love. Although he starts slowly, with familiar stories about Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and Joe DiMaggio's romance with Marilyn Monroe, Nelson picks up when he describes Billy Martin's fights as though announcing a 15-round bout. Another high point is the chapter entitled ``Out in Left Field,'' which describes such quirky characters as Mark ``The Bird'' Fidrych, Bo Belinsky, Mickey Rivers and Dennis ``Oil Can'' Boyd. Nelson ends on an inspirational note: a description of the home run that 75-year-old Luke ``Aches and Pains'' Appling, a Chicago White Sox player in the '20s and '30s, hit at the Old Timers game in 1981. (April)