Other recent reviews:
Traded
Bill James
Handbook
Graphical
Player
Also Read:
Remembering
Yankee Stadium
Yankees
World Series 2001
BOOK REVIEW: “Baseball How to Play the Game”
Harvey Frommer
A sure sign of spring is the appearance from Universe/Rizzoli
of
“Baseball
How To Play the Game” by
Pete Williams ($29.95, 320 pages. 300 color illustrations and diagrams,
paperback). Billed as the official playing and coaching manual of Major League
Baseball, the handsomely produced tome has tips from 25 of the national
pastime’s top players ranging from Albert Pujols to past greats like
Tony Gwynn. Organized, informative, there are chapters focused on
all the major aspects of the
game like “Hitting
Power,””Rule Book Basics,””Pitching Heat” and
“Coaching Tips.” For those who want to play the game better, for
those whom want to understand the game better, this is the book for you.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Another “inside sports” type book is
“Scorecasting”
by Tobias J. Moscowitz and L. Jon Wertheim (Crown Archetype, $26.00, 288
pages) is a fascinating look
at some of the myths and misunderstandings that have surrounded game via
the decades. Interesting themes
include: the home field advantage exists; momentum does not exist in sports;
the strike zone on a 3-0 count is larger than on a two strike
one and more
. . . Part Freakonomics,
part Moneyball, part
Sabrmetrics
- “Scorecasting” is good stuff.
PICK UP A COPY
“Mets Journal” by John Snyder (Clerisy Press, $24.95, 332 pages, paperback) is day by day with the Mets from 1962 on.
In 2011, Harvey Frommer will be in his 36th year of writing sports books. A noted oral historian and sports journalist, the author of 40 sports books including the classics: "New York City Baseball,1947-1957" and "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball," his acclaimed REMEMBERING YANKEE STADIUM, an oral/narrative history was published in 2008 as well as a reprint version of his classic "Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball." Frommer's newest work REMEMBERING FENWAY PARK: AN ORAL AND NARRATIVE HISTORY OF THE HOME OF RED SOX NATION (Abrams) is set for March 2011.
Frommer sports books are available direct from the author - discounted and autographed.
FROMMER SPORTSNET (syndicated) reaches a
readership in the millions and is housed on Internet search engines for extended
periods of
time.
FOLLOW Harvey on Twitter: http://twitter.com/south2nd He is available for speaking engagements.
