Guide to Baseball Short Stories: Z

Zang, David. "Streaks: James 'Shakes' Chakiris as Told to and Edited Here and There by David Zang." Aethlon 12.1 (Fall 1994): 55-70. Repr. Aethlon Sport Literature Anthology. From prison, the narrator tells the story of how, in pure kindness to Cal Ripken, he tried to end the shortstop's great consecutive-game streak by running him over with the Oriole mascot's motorbike.

Genuinely funny story with an offbeat, surprising narrator.

Zeitlin, Marianne Langner. "The Summer of Loving Baseball." Aethlon 25.1 (Fall 2007 / Winter 2008): 118-130. Woman tells her grandson of a chance fling one summer with a minor-leaguer who went on to greatness.

Given its color by the central characters, a rabbi's daughter and an Appalachian miner's son, who meet in the unlikely setting of a wartime baseball season in Toronto.