Product Description
When the plant-eating Green Sox face the meat-eating Rib-Eye Reds, baseball will never be the same. Tied zip to zip, the game is a pitchers' duel until the Green Sox's hothead manager goes snout to snout with the dodo umpire and gets tossed out. The Sox respond with their veggie-powered bats and score three runs! Momentum swings back to the Reds before the seventh inning stretch, and they're all tied up in the bottom of the ninth. Will this game need extra innings, or will Apatosaur save the day? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Stories for Children Magazine 5 Star Review
Reviewed by: Debbie Smart

In DINO-BASEBALL the plant-eating Green Sox face off against the Rib-Eye Reds, and baseball will never be the same again! The game is a pitchers' duel as it's tied "zip to zip"--that is until the manager of the Green Sox goes "snout to snout" with the dodo umpire and gets booted from the game! But with their veggie-powered bats the Sox score three runs. Tied up in the bottom of the ninth, can Apatosaur save the day by saving the game? "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" takes on a new meaning as this story written in playful rhyme takes readers into the ballgame with the Green Sox. From fans plucking the ball out of the sky to bats smacking and splitting, this imaginative story is sure to delight the reader on every page of DINO-BASEBALL.

DINO-BASEBALL is illustrated by Barry Gott. Readers will enjoy the illustrations in this book, as they are delightful, colorful, and fun. The illustrations in DINO-BASEBALL are sure to put a smile on every reader's face.

Here we go Dinos, here we go!Stomp, stomp!It's Dino-Baseball and the Green Sox are up against the Rib-Eye Reds!
Let's play ball!All the dinos are heading to Jurassic Park for the big one between the Green Sox and the Rib-Eye Reds.The anxious fans are arriving on foot, on buses, on the subway and are rushing through Gate A heading for their seats.The tailgaters, Reds fans for sure, were chugging down soda and throwing a big steak on the grill. The excitement was building and the game hadn't even begun.A few practice hits `n throws and everyone was ready."Hat on hearts as anthem plays. T. Rex cries while Leso sways."Dino-baseball is about to begin. . .get your programs and prepare to yell.Here we go Dinos, here we go!Stomp, stomp!

First at bat is Troodon.
He taunts the pitcher, "Bring it on!"
The pitch is good.He swings with grace,
then hustles `round to second base.

It's an easy double and the Sox are on the alert.It promises to be a good game, but by the fourth inning it's turning into "a pitcher's duel" and "both teams are running out of fuel."A scoreless game is boring the restless crowd until Stegosaurus splits a bat.When the Green Sox manager objects to a call the crowd is on their feet.He waves his arms this way and that and that way and this.Then "he calls the ump a nasty name and gets ejected from the game."Soon it's the top of the sixth and the Sox have three to the Ribs zippo.By the eighth they fall behind and in the ninth they are tied.Can Apatosaur save the day or are the Ribs going to be throwing steaks on the grill at their celebration party?

No doubt about it, Lisa Wheeler and Barry Gott have another winner on their hands.I love reading these dino books because they are vibrant, exiting and just plain old fun.The billboard on the field easily separates the carnivorous dinosaurs (the Rib-Eye Reds) and herbivores (the Green Sox) with a list.Most serious dino fans could probably tell you who is who without consulting the list, but if they love baseball they are going to be really excited to read this book.Believe it or not, dinos and baseball are a winning combination.Hmmmm, let's see. . .which team did Compsognathus play shortstop for?If you know that, you really are a dino-baseball fan! ... Read more

Product Description
Coaching young players, developing their skills, and cultivating a love for the sport may be the most rewarding experience baseball can offer. Cal and Bill Ripken understand this like few others.

From their father, Cal Sr., a legend in the Baltimore Orioles organization for 37 years, they learned to play the game the right way. Those lessons, paired with their combined 33 years of big league experience, helped develop the Ripken Way, a method of teaching the game through simple instruction, solid explanations, encouragement, and a positive atmosphere. In Coaching Youth Baseball the Ripken Way, Cal and Bill share this approach to coaching and development.

Whether you’re teaching your children at home, managing the local travel team, or working with high school-level players, Coaching Youth Baseball the Ripken Way will help you make a difference both on and off the field, with these features:

• More than 50 drills covering defense, hitting, pitching, and baserunning
• Age-specific practice plans for players ranging from 4 to 15+
• Strategies for setting goals and reasonable expectations for your players and team
• Advice on communicating with parents, players, and staff
• Methods for creating a positive and fun environment in which kids can learn the skills and strategies of the game

Customer Reviews (9)

One of the best books for coaching little league baseball

Lays out the plan to train, manage and teach young players the right way. For less than $20, you get the basic training you need to help your team be their best. Outstanding tool for any baseball coach.

A Good Book For Youth Baseball!
You come away after reading this book that both Ripken brothers
love the game of baseball to no end. And they want to share their
love of the game with everyone.
The drills are good but needed a little more detail.
Worth the purchase price.





This person also reviewed these popular baseball instructional products:
Youth Baseball Drills
The 59 Minute Baseball Practice
Schupak's Baseball Super 8 DVD Set
"The 59 Minute Baseball Practice"Mem-cards

Great Book!
I've already coached one kid from tee-ball thru the 11-12 group.Just about to start again with a 4 year old next season so figured I'd buy a few books to do a better job.Got some personal validation when I found out that I have much of the same philosophy as the Ripkens, and also got some great new drills and coaching advice to go along with that.I bought two books, Play Baseball The Ripken Way, and Coaching the Ripken Way, and both have great tips from dealing with parents and then going on to cover just about every aspect of youth baseball coaching and playing that you will need to know, including illustrated drills.I'm a slow reader, these books are interesting and very easy to read, I had no trouble at all getting through them and will definitely continue to use them once the practices start up again.And for the price, way worth it!In my opinion paying ten or eleven bucks for even just a good really good drills would be money well spent, but these books have way more than that.

Great Coaching Tool - HIghly Recommended
We think anyone who coaches young baseball players should read and use this book.One of Cal and Bill Ripken's biggest goals is to get young players to LOVE THE GAME and have fun!We originally picked this book because it is written by the Ripkens (and we think Cal Ripken is one of the best ballplayers of all time!)

The book is not just a list of drills but they also take time to discuss coaching responsibilities and philosophies and reasonable expectations.They include great ideas for practices and how to run games at the younger levels - we wish this book was required reading for ALL volunteer youth baseball coaches.Drills included are several for Hitting and Baserunning, Throwing and Pitching, and Fielding.

The best part of the book is the Practice Planner, where they go over Practice Particulars for each age group (4-6, 7-9, 10-12, etc.)They also tell you what skills you should be teaching kids at what age level.I was amazed at the "basics" that my 8 year old son hasn't learned yet.The Ripkens want kids to learn and have fun doing it so they love the game.

We found ourselves agreeing with everything the Ripkens had to say and we will be using the rest of the spring/summer to "backyard coach" our 5 year old, 8 year old and 10 year old daughter now that baseball is over for the year - keeping it fun, of course!We would love for our children to go to one of the Ripkens' baseball camps, but this book will have to suffice.

Perfect for any Baseball Coach
This is a fantastic book. I'm a first time Tee-Ball coach and this book gave me a great start. I now plan to look into other Ripken Way products. ... Read more

Product Description
"We are the ship; all else the sea."--Rube Foster, founder of the Negro National League

The story of Negro League baseball is the story of gifted athletes and determined owners; of racial discrimination and international sportsmanship; of fortunes won and lost; of triumphs and defeats on and off the field. It is a perfect mirror for the social and political history of black America in the first half of the twentieth century.But most of all, the story of the Negro Leagues is about hundreds of unsung heroes who overcame segregation, hatred, terrible conditions, and low pay to do the one thing they loved more than anything else in the world: play ball. Using an "Everyman" player as his narrator, Kadir Nelson tells the story of Negro League baseball from its beginnings in the 1920s through its decline after Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in 1947.The voice is so authentic, you will feel as if you are sitting on dusty bleachers listening intently to the memories of a man who has known the great ballplayers of that time and shared their experiences.But what makes this book so outstanding are the dozens of full-page and double-page oil paintings--breathtaking in their perspectives, rich in emotion, and created with understanding and affection for these lost heroes of our national game.

We Are the Ship is a tour de force for baseball lovers of all ages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

Hard work pays off
The story explores the formation of the first Negro League in 1920. After showing how hard it is for African Americans to make it in sports. The story has a happy ending when Jackie Robinson goes to white major league baseball. I would use this book in my social studies class it made history very enjoyable.

I missed the boat.
I played baseball as a teenager, but I never read about the Negro baseball leagues even though I knew they existed. Yet, Kadir Nelson brings them to life in pictures and words in We are the Ships.For example, he tells us about the first African American to play professional baseball, Bud Fowler, sixty years before Jackie Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 and the Negro World Series-October11, 1924 in Kansas City, MO.Also, he featured some of the giants of the Negro Leagues in book, such as Rube Foster, who invented the bun and run, and ran his club like a major league team.The illustrations in the book are remarkable, they allow you to capture the essence of these great ball players and imagine the games they played. Finally, read this book to young people, it can help them get on the right ship to the major league.

Excellent condition
The book arrived within a few days and was shipped in a padded box. I was pleased!

Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children
In the face of blatant racial discrimination and institutionalized segregation, African American baseball players in the early 1900s tried to organize professional leagues of their own.These leagues had trouble staying afloat until Andrew "Rube" Foster, a brilliant player and manager in his own right, organized the Negro Baseball League in 1920.Speaking to the power of collective action, he declared the Negro Baseball League's independence from the all-white major league baseball with his famous expression, "We are the ship; all else the sea."

This league, which started with eight teams, proved to be highly successful in providing opportunities for talented African American players to compete and excel in a game they loved.It also gave fans all over the country the chance to see exciting baseball games with players who were otherwise restricted from playing on professional teams.Although black players in the league still faced enormous challenges associated with the country's racial inequality, the league was able to draw large crowds and generate a sustainable earnings stream until the late 1940s, when major league baseball became integrated and attracted most of best black players.

With its stunning paintings and careful historical research, We Are the Ship offers readers a deeply compelling and informative account of the Negro Baseball League. Entwined in the historical account are numerous lessons in economics, particularly with the business side of operating a baseball league and the economic injustice associated with discrimination. That said, women's roles in this history are marginalized, with but a few references to the attractive women some of the players liked to watch. Despite this drawback, most baseball history buffs will value this addition to the literature.

Excellent book by Kadir Nelson
This is an excellent book and illustration by Kadir Nelson and the price was great. Thanks ... Read more

Product Description

In his classic tribute to America's pastime—now with a new introduction—political commentator, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and lifelong sports enthusiast George F. Will travels from the baseball field to the dugout to the locker room to get to the root of the game we all love. He breaks down the sport to its four basic components, managing, pitching, hitting, and fielding, and analyzes the way four of its notables, manager Tony La Russa, pitcher Orel Hershiser, outfielder Tony Gwynn, and shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., approach the game. One of the most acclaimed sports books ever written, Men at Work is a revelatory, and often surprising, study of professional baseball.

Customer Reviews (61)

Outdated...
Should be RE-titled "Men At Work: In The Late 80's" There are some interesting tidbits but overall this book has not aged well. About as useful as an outdated textbook. Not recommended.

Men at Work
This book was recommended to me, but I have not had an opportunity to read it.The book arrived quickly and in fine condition.

Men At Work
I am definitely enjoying this book.I'm sure any baseball fan would feel the same.

Great service!
Received the book in a timely fashion! It was in the same condition I expected it to be in after reading the description of the book on Amazon!! :=)

Sports history
As expected, this book is a concise and insightful trip into America's favorite sport. The author is both knowledgeable and objective about the evolution of the game in the last half of the 20th century. It makes for good reading even if you are not well versed in the sport. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
Obsessed with BASEBALL explores little known facts, fascinating anecdotes, and great trivia of America's national pastime. This comprehensive yet compact book offers more than 2,500 questions to engage and challenge even the greatest baseball buff. In addition, each spread features a lengthier question that goes deep into the subject. What makes this package truly different from any other trivia book is the computerized module embedded in a corner of the book's cover, which allows readers to test themselves or compete against a friend. Play ball! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Test Your Baseball Knowledge
The product was delivered, as advertised. The quiz is easy to use and fun to take. There are 2500 questions and I am still working through them. There are interesting photos of ball players throughout the book, also. This was a great bargain.

Best Gift Ever!
I gave this book to my 62 year old brother, & he said it was THE best gift that he had ever received! He absolutely LOVED it! I am now going to purchase one for my brother-in-law!

Obsessed with CORRECT Baseball Trivia
I am crazy about this book/game.It was a Christmas gift.A friend and I spent the entire afternoon (on and off) playing with it.

BUT - I've found at least one incorrect question/answer. I suspect there are more.I'm not bad with my baseball trivia.But, according to this book, I'm basically a slobbering idiot.I knew the Mets won the Series in 1969, but according to one question (I did not have presence of mind to write down the question number) they weren't even in the series that year.

Picky - yes, but I want to know I'm either right or wrong - actually, and not due to a mistake.

SJR

Fun Book to have.
This book is a lot of fun for those of us who have been around a while.Educational for the young that love the history of baseball.Only wish there was one for Football.

Great trivia book!I love it!
It hate it when people give something bad reviews due to price or availability like most of the early reviews did.That has nothing to do with the quality of the product people!!!!

I love baseball trivia, and this seems like the perfect book.The little computer makes it more fun than having to page to the back many trivia books.With 2500 questions I hope it stays fresh for quite a while.It is great to use while on road trips as long as someone other than the driver is controlling the computer:-)
... Read more

Product Description
In this gripping account of one of the most important steps in the history of American desegregation, Jules Tygiel tells the story of Jackie Robinson's crossing of baseball's color line. Examining the social and historical context of Robinson's introduction into white organized baseball, both on and off the field, Tygiel also tells the often neglected stories of other African-American players--such as Satchel Paige, Roy Campanella, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron--who helped transform our national pastime into an integrated game. Drawing on dozens of interviews with players and front office executives, contemporary newspaper accounts, and personal papers, Tygiel provides the most telling and insightful account of Jackie Robinson's influence on American baseball and society. The anniversary issue features a new foreword by the author. 4 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Masterpiece
This is the seminal work on this subject and is important for an understanding of race relations in this country, as well as the transformation of baseball into the game as we know it today.

A must-read baseball classic
Author Jules Tygiel describes "Baseball's Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and His Legacy," as "Not a biography of Jackie Robinson, but rather a broad social history of the integration process in baseball."Naturally, Robinson plays a central role in the story.

In the afterword of the 25th anniversary edition of the classic work, Tygiel stresses that the book is also the history of the Negro Leagues, the campaign to end segregation in baseball, the experiences of other African Americans and non-White Hispanic players in both the minor and major leagues.

The segregation of baseball is a sad chapter in its history.In 1942, Baseball Commissioner Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis said there was no rule of any kind prohibiting Negroes from playing in the major leagues.Baseball blamed other parties and circumstances beyond their control for the absence of Negroes in the majors.Baseball executive Larry MacPhail blamed the absence of Blacks on ignorant protesters, inadequate black athletes and the greedy Negro Leagues.

Unbelievably, in 1945 The Sporting News stated there was "not a single Negro player with major league possibilities."Around the same time, Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller said he could not see any future in major league baseball for Jackie Robinson.

World War II and the integration of the armed forces was the watershed in the struggle for civil rights, according to Tygiel.The efforts of black sportswriters, the Communist Party and a handful of white sportswriters helped open the door to integration.

Robinson was the right man to integrate baseball because he was "tough, intelligent and proud."Under terrific pressure while playing for Montreal in the International League in 1946, Robinson passed the test with a superb performance.He led the league in batting average and runs and was second in stolen bases.

Robinson faced many challenges during his rookie season with the Dodgers in 1947, but he met them on and off the field.By the end of the year, he was voted Rookie of the Year and the second most popular man in America (only behind Bing Crosby) in a national poll.

Robinson opened the doors for players such as Roy Campanella, Don Newcombe, Luke Easter, Monte Irvin and Hank Thompson.Many black players such as Piper Davis and Ray Danridge, however, were denied the full means of fame they deserved.

Even after Robinson broke the color barrier, black players had to endure discrimination and despicable behavior through the 1950s and 1960s, particularly in the minor leagues.As Tygiel notes, "most teams headed down the begrudging path to integration."

Every serious baseball fan should read this book.

BASEBALL'S GREAT EXPERIMENT
I RECEIVED THE BOOK IN EXCELLENT CONDITION AND IN A TIMELY MANNER. GOOD JOB.
T[[ASIN:0195339282 Baseball's Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and His Legacy]
THANK YOU!

Baseball as History
This is the book from which John McCain and his ghost writer "borrowed" most of the content, both of facts and of rhetoric, for the first chapter of McCain's "Hard Call". The ghost does acknowledge Tygiel, but merely in passing.

And this is surely the deepest historical biography of any sports figure ever written. Jules Tygiel is a professor of history at San Francisco State University, and the author of a fine dispassionate biography of Ronald Reagan, as well as the book "Baseball As History", which quite brilliantly examines the culture of America in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries through the lens of baseball.

You can read "Baseball's Great Experiment" simply for pleasure, as a baseball lover, or you can read it for historical insight, which it offers aplenty. It's a great irony that baseball and the army were integrated meaningfully long before corporate business, the mainline Christian churches, the federal bureaucracy, or academia!

Tygiel writes firm straight-forward prose, with a minimum of sermonizing (McCain's big fault as a writer) or academic pomposity. His portrayals of Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson are well-rounded and believable, with both their strengths and their weaknesses. Even if you have a total indifference to baseball, you'll find the human drama fascinating.

As for yours truly... Do it again, Red Sox!

Real Eye-Opener
THis is a wonderful book that I can't praise enough.If you - like me - have been putting off reading about Jackie Robinson and the other black baseball pioneers of the late 1940's and 1950's, this is the book for you. It's a shocking description of just what life was like for blacks at that time. It's a real eye-opener that needs to be read by all baseball fans and all students of American history. ... Read more

Product Description
From A-Rod to Albert Pujols...

It's all here: the all-time winners and losers, old games, new games, stars, scandals and scores.

Discover the unconventional, the offbeat feats, the historic moments, and the one-of-a-kind characters that have kept baseball flying for more than 150 years. This comprehensive and updated volume features all the need-to-know stats, scores, and strikeouts every diehard baseball fan wants. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Best Baseball Record Book
Anybody can write a baseball record book, but David Nemec writes a contextual record book. For example, he won't just tell you that Rogers Hornsby's 0.424 batting average was the highest single-season mark in history; he'll tell you who holds the highest batting average in a season, position by position. He'll tell you who holds the record since African Americans entered the Major Leagues. He'll tell you who had the WORST batting averages at each position. Moreover, Nemec lists fielding and pitching records for both individuals and teams.

Great Baseball Feats, Facts, and Firsts is the first and finest record book any baseball fan should read.

The Most Comprehensive Baseball Reference Guide Ever?
If you're passionate about the game of baseball, and want to know every relevant nugget of historical information conceivable; you're in luck.

It's all right here, compliments of David Nemec & Scott Flatow.The authors are a couple of genuine baseball historians who have compiled this wonderful reference guide for guys like me to peruse for hours on end.

If you love baseball, its statistical history and rich folklore, you've got to have this book; arguably, the most comprehensive reference guide ever produced.Quite simply, if you want to know just about everything there is to know about our National Pastime, look no further; it's all right here.

A collection of almost every statistic imaginable
This book is the baseball fan's dream. Packed with almost every record imaginable, even to statistics about the umpires, it is an organized chronicle of the firsts in baseball. Records for minor league teams and by a teenager are also included. Hours can be spent in poring over the contents of this book; it is both a history of the game and a giver of credit to many players who rarely get it. I enjoyed every page.

Ultimate "Argument Settler"
If you're like me and thousands and thousands of other baseball fans, you love arguing about who was the best player at a particular feat, be it home runs, batting average, stolen bases, etc. The updated version of this book covers this and much more. Everything among standard records is here, along with time capsules of the period from the 1870s until now, and summaries of each season's World Series. For example, the National League originally wanted to vote in the DH back in the 1930's, but the American League didn't want it! There are enough records listed in this book to keep virtually all "stat-heads" happy. Records by position, obscure records, even a section on all-time minor league records, they're all here.

One minor flaw I noticed in the 2003 edition. Nemec doesn't always keep things completely updated. A mention of Gregg Jefferies, the ex-Met lists him as still active, even though he retired a couple seasons ago. Last season Shawn Green broke the single game total bases mark in an early season game, and yet Joe Adcock is still listed as the holder of that record.

Still, if you love baseball records you will love this book. It's full of those and quite a bit more.

Great Baseball Feats, Facts et al by Nemec
This book contains the most discriminating baseball facts
imaginable. It is written for the baseball buff.For instance,
the first night game of baseball was recorded on 9-2-1880.
Mack holds the record as the longest manager in baseball's
history. Babe Ruth has the most bases.If there is any
fact concerning baseball, it will be listed here in all
likelihood. This book would make a wonderful gift for
any baseball enthusiast. There are previous versions
so that it has been battle-tested over the years.
Without question, the work is a collector's item. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (3)

Baseball and ... the Civil War?
America's favorite pastime existed in the Civil War? As a Civil War historian it never crossed my mind that baseball existed in the mid nineteenth century.But it did and it was popular!This book not only relates baseball to the Civil War but also presents the roots of America's favorite pastime.While many baseball and sports historians claim that Abner Doubleday, a Union general in the Civil War, was instrumental in creating the baseball we know today, Kirsch shows evidence that the game was actually developed in the 1840's and 1850's.

The Civil War hurt baseball for obvious reasons- the first being that several of its key players choose to drop their bats and pick up the rifle.The second explanation for baseball's decline during the early stages of war was the shift of focus from baseball to the war front.American nationalism was high and baseball took a back seat to the war effort, at least for the first couple of years.Baseball fans became more interested in how there country was doing rather than who won the local ball game.But as Kirsch explains, the game did not die with the Civil War, but rather came stronger as it progressed.Games in 1864 and 1865 were popular, especially in the bigger cities such as Philadelphia and New York City.Soldiers in the camps and prisons used baseball as a form of entertainment.The game was beginning to show its true popularity.

As Kirsch says, his book shows that American nationalism and baseball really came of age at the end of the Civil War.As the death toll for both armies began to mount, the people looked for ways to entertain themselves and perhaps escape the realities of being at war.Going to theaters, band concerts, and other forms of entertainment were essential to ease the pain.Baseball was easing the tensions of a dividing nation while slowly improving the racial relations of blacks and whites.Baseball was not considered America's favorite pastime in 1850 or 1865 but it was growing in popularity.Games became meaningful and the attendance began to rise.Local clubs became national teams and soon people in Chicago were interested in how a New York team was doing.Baseball was soon to be our nation's pastime.

Good early baseball history, not much Civil War
The title of George B. Kirsch's book Baseball in Blue & Gray is a tad misleading.It implies that the book is a history of baseball as played by soldiers in the American Civil War. Though one chapter, titled battlefront, is devoted to baseball as it was played in the military and prison camps of that war, the remainder of the book is best captured by its sub-title - The National Pastime During the Civil War. As a history of how baseball developed, progressed, and grew into the American National Pastime during the first half of the 1860s, this book does a fine job. If, however, you are looking for a book full of Civil War baseball antidotes, you will find this book a disappointment.
Kirsch begins with a quick history lesson on the origins of baseball. He claims that the game is distantly related to the English game of rounders, not the more famous English bat and ball game cricket. Rounders underwent a major transformation in America, and emerged as the game of townball, a unique American version of the game that was widely played throughout the country in the antebellum years. In the 1840s, a New York club, the Knickerbockers, developed rules of play for townball that qualified it as the earliest form of baseball. This New York style of play became quickly popular, and by the 1850s had spread all over the region and beyond. Kirsch claims that the soldiers in the Civil War helped to spread the new form of the game around the country, but has little more than antidotal evidence for this claim.
The real virtue of Baseball in Blue & Gray is not its Civil War tie in, put the wealth of knowledge on the early development of baseball in the days before professional leagues. Kirsch shows how the game progressed from being an amusement of a few gentlemen's clubs in New York, Philadelphia, and Boston in the 1850s, to having an honest claim to the title of the National Pastime by 1870. He tells how men like Henry Chadwick and Albert Spalding help to shape what the game became, and shows why their names are enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
At 135 pages, Baseball in Blue & Gray is but a brief book. It is written in a clear and concise manner, and is easy reading. Anyone interested in the history of the origins and development of baseball should find it worthwhile, although those who are searching primarily for the Civil War angle may find it a bit disappointing, as it was somewhat of a stretch to market this baseball history as Civil War literature.

Theo Logos

Baseball - outlined against a blue, gray historical backdrop
George Kirsch's book about baseball during the middle of the 19th century, particularly the Civil War years, is a little too scholarly and a little too detailed to be considered light reading, in spite of its fairly small size.

But it's still a very engaging book, which will inform and entertain reasonably literate baseball fans (yes, I know these often seem scarce).

The Abner Doubleday legend was put to bed long ago, as was the myth that Lincoln, on his deathbed, begged Doubleday to keep baseball alive (with a bullet lodged 6 inches in his brain, Lincoln never regained consciousness after being shot).

Still, traditionalists will find much to cheer, for in place of these legends, and in a relatively short space, Kirsch provides a wealth of information that actually does establish baseball as a uniquely American activity.

The traditionally English pastime of rounders is of distant ancestry to American baseball, more so than cricket, but as Kirsch notes - citing Henry Chadwick - baseball modified and improved in the United States to an extent almost to deprive it of any or its original features beyond the mere groundwork of the game.

Chadwick's name comes up frequently in this volume, and Kirsch provides information justifying the present-day consensus that the English-born American-raised Chadwick was the "father" of modern-day baseball - having extensively promoted the game, worked assiduously in an effort to keep it free of corruptive elements such as gambling, and invented the first set of statistics and box scores to record and summarize the action.

There is apparently no reliable evidence of Lincoln participating in or actively following baseball during his life, but the mystiques conjured in the imagination by both Lincoln and baseball almost demand a legendary connection between the two.The fictitious dying wish expressed by Lincoln to Doubleday is undoubtedly wish-fulfillment.

Kirsch does provide some contemporary anecdotal evidence connecting Lincoln with baseball.This includes one amusing political cartoon in which Lincoln and the three defeated presidential candidates from the 1860 election assume the easy poses of "strikers" and use baseball terminology to describe their respective views of the campaign. In this cartoon, John Breckenridge remarks that old Abe was able to make such a "good lick" because he had that "confounded rail to strike with".

The stories about baseball being played by both Union and Confederate soldiers among themselves or even against each other in between battles and in prison camps apparently have a great deal of truth to them - at least during the first two years of the war when the carnage was relatively light and provisions were relatively ample.

Interestingly enough, baseball was also played largely without interruption by many of the same amateur club members and fraternal organization members who had competed before the war - those who were able to delay or avoid military service.There are even recorded histories of baseball games being played by slaves on southern plantations.

Every time this country undergoes a national crisis, or even a local one, such as the San Francisco earthquake of 1989 - a segment of the population always decries the continuation of sporting events as unseemly and insensitive.

In this context, the fact that amateur baseball (the concept of professionals playing for monetary gain was largely unheard of at the time) continued largely unabated during the most bloody national crisis in American history should provide food for thought.Benefits from the proceeds were often donated to the war effort and remembrances acknowledged as part of the game ceremonies, as would later be the case during other crises from World War I to September 11.

Another thing that I found both informative and pleasing addresses the arguments made by today's pseudo-traditionalists like George Will, who insist that baseball was MEANT to be a unending game proceeding at a snail's pace concomitant with the lengthy passage of time on a sultry summer afternoon - and who oppose all efforts to speed up the game on that basis.

Contemporary newspaper accounts of baseball from this era make clear that the reason why America so passionately adopted baseball as its own unique brand of recreation - and why it was favorably regarded by military authorities as a pastime for soldiers was the strenuousness and fast pace of the 19th century game.

One commentator alludes to baseball as "an admirable preliminary school" for attaining the qualifications of a first-rate soldier because its practice enhanced "the endurance of bodily fatigue and the cultivation of activity of movement."

How 19th century baseball fans would regard today`s "hurlers" who stall endlessly between pitches and who throw incessantly to first base, as well as today`s "strikers" who pass interminable time preparing themselves outside of the batter's box is anyone's guess. ... Read more

Product Description
Rarely is a book so collaborative in its inception, authoritative in its information, useful in its application, and wide in its scope that it serves as both the gospel and guide on a subject. The Baseball Coaching Bible earns that special status by presenting the knowledge of many of the greatest to have ever coached the game and covering a full spectrum of topics on leading a team to become champions.

The 27 contributing coaches share their keys to winning baseball—something they know well, having won 50 national titles and nearly 25,000 games. The book's varied and vast amount of information allows you to pick and choose what you wish to implement in your program, but you will gain knowledge and be entertained by it all. The wit and wisdom of baseball’s sharpest minds shine through in their memorable stories and valuable insights. The contributing coaches include:

• Bob Bennett
• Skip Bertman
• Bobo Brayton
• Ed Cheff
• Rod Dedeaux
• Ron Fraser
• Gordon Gillespie
• Charlie Greene
• Cliff Gustafson
• Tom House
• Itch Jones
• Dave Keilitz
• Jerry Kindall
• Danny Litwhiler
• Andy Lopez
• Mark Marquess
• Ron Polk
• Gary Pullins
• Ken Schreiber
• John Scolinos
• Hal Smeltzly
• Bob Smith
• Jack Stallings
• Glen Tuckett
• Gary Ward
• John Winkin
• Bobby Winkles ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Coach Gary Ward is the best ever.... Lopez, worst coach ever
The chapter by Coach Gary Ward is phenomenal.I played for Coach Ward at OSU and he is the best coach, best leader and best hitting instructor I have ever dealt with or been exposed to in my many years of baseball.My father is a baseball hitting instrutor and minor league coach and Coach Ward blew his mind with his teachings and the results he obtains.His hitting system is incredible and acheives tremendous results with the proper commitment. I don't have enough great things to say about Coach Ward as a coach, a person or as a hitting instructor.


The chapter by Andy Lopez, however, is horrific.I also played for Lopez while at UF and I can't take anything he says seriously and am always surprised that he remains employed at the Division 1 level.His actions have demonstrated to me that he is quite media savvy and works well to sell his product to school administration, but is a hypocrite and lacks leadership skills with his players.Anything he says about leadership, loyalty or character are merely aspirational items he is parroting from somewhere else and doesn't truly live by.You can take some good things away from the chapter, but it lost all credibility with me given the author.

not bad!
This book received a 3 star rating for the following reason!! Its average. not bad, very basic on baseball.its been a while since i've read it so this review wont be helpful.

I read the entire book
As a new high school baseball coach, I purchased many books in order to help me gain the knowledge I needed to feel confident about beginning a new program. This book is average compared to the rest.

The Baseball Coaching Bible
I bought this book for my son who is a teacher and a baseball player who will also be coaching for the first time this Spring.
He says the book is great!

Brilliant.....
Coach Winkin is 86 years young(87 in 2006) and he still is a college baseball coach.His knowledge and passion for the game is evident here.He has put together a great book to expand your over-all wisdom regarding a game so few really understand.Everyone knows about pitchers and hitters, but there are thousands of hidden aspects of the game to learn about. ... Read more

Product Description

He was the world's greatest athlete, and a hero—until his medals were taken away.

Customer Reviews (7)

Jim thorpe
I enjoyed this book, just as I have enjoyed all the books in the series.

i love jim!
i loved this book so much.I also loved jims kindness in this book. i read this book in a day because i loved it so much. dan gutman is amazing.oh and im an 11 year old girl.

Another great book by Dan Gutman
My son and I have now read all of the Baseball Card Adventure Series by Dan Gutman.Another excellent book with a mix of fact and great storytelling.We cannot wait for the next one to come out!

Good read but . . .
I'd purchased several of the Baseball Card books for my 12 year old grandson to be read and passed on to his younger brothers. I glance through them first because I like baseball myself and also want to make certain the book is what they should be reading. I was tickled to find the Jim Thorpe book because he's from our county and I'd told my grandson about his sports exploits several times. As I thumbed through this book I saw, once again, a lie that's been told via several books and continues to be passed on because the author of the current book doesn't do his own homework. He states, as other books do, that Shawnee Oklahoma REFUSED to bury Jim Thorpe's body. That's simply untrue. Thorpe's body lay in the local mausoleum for several months while city fathers launched a fund raising effort to build a permanent resting place and memorial for our favorite son. Plans were drawn up and it was to be placed between the football and baseball stadiums on the west side of town. More than $5,000 had been raised when suddenly, literally in the middle of the night, Thorpe's third wife swept him out of town. The stadium was named in his honor and a plaque put in the mausoleum.I know this to be true because my father was on the fund raising committee. As usual, this book is well written and interesting but faulty. Makes me wonder now if there were errors in the others in this series that I've bought.

Awesome Book
I'm Sean Fay and I'm 10 years old (11 on May 12!) and I've read the whole baseball card adventure series and a big fan. I just really wish that Dan Gutman would come out with books in the baseball card adventure series about a lot of the better stars like Jim Abbott (Abbott & Me), or Carl Yastrzemski (Yaz & Me), or maybe even.... Louie Tiant (Louie & Me). So, I hope these books will come in the near and dire future. Thanks! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (9)

Total Fun and Cheaper Than a Ticket To The Game
Received this as a bd gift which was sort of strange since I know fairly little about baseball. Other than a passing acquaintance with Lou Boudreau and his family when I was a kid, that was pretty much it. I guess I got this because I owned 5 other books by Chris Epting.
The skinny on this book: it is a baseball roadtrip without ever leaving your chair. Epting has taken to the road and approached baseball historically and identified the locations of many, many significent sites that have gone down in baseball history/lore and worked it into a nice tapestry of informative text that revisits the event and its significance in the world of baseball. Everything is organized by state and even includes the grave locations of hall-of-famers. Cool trivia is included such as the location of Babe Ruth's homes, etc.
For this baseball know nothing what amazed me was how much I was able to get into this book which is total baseball from start to finish. I learned quite a lot about the game itself as well as the players. It managed to provide me with an understanding regarding why baseball fans are so well versed in players stats etc. I found the enthusiasm Epting shares with millions of fans intoxicating and contagious.
Why should you buy this book? This book is so much fun that it took maybe five minutes to know I was going to stick with it. It gave me enough background to start researching things that interested me that were covered in the book. If you are well-versed in baseball you will enjoy it equally for the same reasons and enjoy its fresh approach to the grand old game.
Epting has enough experience re: trivia on the road to put together a good read.
His product is professionally done and isn't a schlock job done on the run. He knows his stuff and after reading this one, so will you.

genius
I used to do something similar to this for my travels.Typically, I'd go visit the grave of a Hall of Famer or see where an old stadium used to be.

How cool to see I'm not the only crazy out there.And how much more Chris Epting has been able to put together than I ever could (and how much work he's saved me!).Here are some faves:

- The sandlot where Mickey Mantle was discovered (in Baxter Springs, OK)
- An historical marker for a ballfield where Abe Lincoln once played town ball
- The pond where Babe Ruth pushed his piano onto the ice
- All that's left of the Polo Grounds (a hidden stairway)
- The original Little League field
- Where Ron Necciai's 27-strikeout game happened

A couple of nits:

- Joe Jackson is from Greenville SC, not NC
- Lefty O'Doul was a hitter, not a pitcher

There were also a fair amount of typos.No biggee, though, for such a great book.

Great Baseball Tour Guide
This book tells about most of Baseball's Landmarks throughout America. Great stories and pictures of the landmaks too. When I retire, my goal is to take this book on the road and see most of these places with my own two eyes. This book will come in very handy for that mission.

America's treasures uncovered
Chris Epting's passion for baseball and it's history pours out of the pages in this book, Roadeside Baseball. Not only does he take the reader to the historic places in the U.S. and Canada, but he also documents them well. We learn about the locations of past and current ballparks along with their history of memorable moments. The players remembered on markers, include short bio's. Birthplaces and final resting places of players are recorded. He tours the baseball museums and points of baseball interest, such as the Washington Monument, where Gabby Street once caught a ball that was dropped off the top of the monument. We see and feel that baseball is still the National Pastime, and always will be. I have a copy in my car, and one at my home. Baseball fans should not leave home without their copy. They will be surprised to see landmarks closer to their home than they thought. Thanks to the passion and incredible job of Chris Epting.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame!Great book...
I bought this book several mos. ago and it has lived up to its reputation as one of the best baseball books around.Great book to take "on the road" and fills a real niche for the baseball historian/enthusiast.I've actually taken this one on the road and it does the job and does it quite well.Kudos to the author on this one. ... Read more

Product Description

When legendary Negro League player Buck O'Neil asked Joe Posnanski how he fell in love with baseball, the renowned sports columnist was inspired by the question. He decided to spend the 2005 baseball season touring the country with the ninety-four-year-old O'Neil in hopes of rediscovering the love that first drew them to the game.

Customer Reviews (48)

Four stars for the book.Five stars for Buck O'Neil.
Buck O'Neil spent some of his baseball life scouting players.He said anyone can spot a young player who can already hit, run, and catch.Buck O'Neil described how to find the next great player to hit, run, and catch.

In a connection to the Negro Leagues, the book describes why no major leaguer wears number 42, and why there is one red seat in a sea of blue seats in the Kansas City Royal's stadium, and how to play "Cool Papa Bell".My kids and I play it when we are driving places.

There is much more about the man, the sport, and how America has changed for the better.

Even if you don't like baseball, you will love the man in this well written book.

Keep on the sunny side
I love Buck O'Neil but who didn't? So I was going to enjoy any book that was about him. But this book gave me a chance to see the world through his wisdom and for that I am truly grateful. I don't read much but when I started this book I could not stop untill I finished. The stories were great and put together in such a way that I just had to read the next one.

The biggest thing I am taking away from reading this book is the need in life to keep thingspositive. Buck lived through horrible injustices yet only spread love. My life will never be 1/100th as hard but yet I'm inspired by the tales in this book to try to spread at least 1/100th of the love... And that will leave me with a lot of work to do.

I just promise that on my way I'll never pass a lady in a red dress.

(ps I bought this for the kindle iPad app and it was a flawless read. Copy and paste would be nice though. )

O'Neill shared many anecdotes
Buck O'Neill is a famous player and manager from the Negro Leagues. The author accompanied O'Neill for a year as he traveled around the country promoting the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. O'Neill shared many anecdotes, some funny and some sad, from his life and from his time around baseball.

A gentleman graced our game.
Here we have a man who has every right to be bitter with the hand that was dealt him. Instead, he portrays the positive in what had to be trying circumstances as a ballplayer.
I find this book to be a gift to all of us. Enjoy.

Made me smile all the way through
Buck O'Neil being my favorite Negro League player I thought i'd give this book a try. I suggest, anyone who is a remote fan of Buck O'Neil, the Negro Leagues or baseball in general to pick up this book and not let it go until you have finished it all. However, this is not just about baseball. This is not even a biography (If you want one I suggest reading I was Right On Time" another wonderful selection!). This is a man's life and how beautifully he lived it. Mr O'Neil was a wonderful person with a lively spirit and loving nature. He touched so many lives it is uncountable. Joe Posnanski writes in excruciating detail, each encounter, meeting, etc as he followed this amazing man across America for a year. While reading you get lost in the kind of man Mr O'Neil was and the memories he left behind. Most importantly, the record is set straight. You get a glimpse of what the Negro Leagues were REALLY like, through the eyes of Buck O'Neil and his colleagues not just your preconceived notions or a page from an encyclopedia. I followed Mr O'Neil and grew to love him like he was my own family member. I laughed, smiled, learned and cried.

Definitely worth reading! ... Read more

Product Description
The expanded and now-definitive work on the language ofbaseball—“That rarest of sports books, a valuable reference work that provides absorbing and enlightening reading.” (Sports Illustrated)Hailed as “a staggering piece of scholarship” (Wall Street Journal) The Dickson Baseball Dictionary is the most complete resource on the lexicon of baseball in the English language. More than twenty-five years in the making, with the help of more than 400 baseball and lexical experts, this masterful third edition, expanded by more than 30 percent, with over 10,000 terms and 18,000 definitions, provides the comprehensive history and meanings of words and phrases from around the world of baseball.

Drawing on dozens of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century periodicals, as well as contemporary sources, Paul Dickson’s brilliant, illuminating definitions trace the earliest appearances of our most treasured baseball expressions (“tearin’ up the pea patch,” “can o’ corn,” “catbird seat,” etc.). Termed “baseball’s Webster,” Dickson has spent nearly a decade painstakingly revising and writing new definitions, for words both well-known and obscure, including those introduced by Latin-American ballplayers, and statistical expressions relating to fantasy baseball and the SABR/Moneyball era. More than 200 photos throughout the book—many rare and previously unpublished—illuminate various historical and contemporary terms.

Because of its deep and broad coverage, its authoritativeness and its rich and colorful descriptions, The Dickson Baseball Dictionary will prove indispensable to baseball fans and word lovers alike. 263 illustrations ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Who is this guy and how does he know all of this stuff?
Every obsessive pursuit has its own jargon, and baseball is up there with the best of them when it comes to creating a language of its own.Dickson (and perhaps a team of researchers working behind him in the infield and outfield?) seems to know it all.Now that the 2009 baseball season has just come to an end (with the Yankees taking their unprecedented 27th World Series title), many of us will need an occasional baseball fix until spring training rolls around to ward off Post-Season Affective Disorder.This is it -- a way to connect with the game, past and present, in an encyclopedic yet entertaining style.Where else are you going to find an extended essay on the origins and usage of the term "eephus" (a "slowly thrown, high-arcing pitch likely to reach an apex of 25 feet above the ground between the mound and the plate" used to devastating effect by the Pirate's Rip Sewell in the early 40's)?Well, you've got it here.

10,000 Entries 18,000 Definitions More Than 400 Contributors
This hefty 4.2 lb. dictionary is superb. It contains excellent concise understandable explanations of just about any word, phrase or terminolgy related to baseball from statistical explanations on to almost anything you might think of. A great reference. Buy it!

Perfect book
Great for my knowledge even if it was the 1989 edition and not really "like new". But it was still ok!

The Dickson Baseball Dictionary Third Edition
This book was a gift for my husband.He really enjoyed all of the information given in the book.He also found the information in the book to be very helpful.

For Any Baseball Fan - Casual or Serious
This is an incredible compendium of terms and phrases used in baseball, and even if you know the game very well or an avid fan, I can pretty much guarantee there will be something new in here for you, whether it is a phrase or the genisis of the phrase.

The decision to buy this book is really a can of corn and if you are undecided, just remember that when you get to a fork in the road you should take it.

Well done and lots of fun. ... Read more

Product Description
Many fans enjoy keeping track of baseball action with easy abbreviations written on simple grids. Serious scorekeeping, however, is more complicated than just jotting down runs, outs, and the final score. Official scorekeeping requires a thorough knowledge of a large body of rules—many of which are confusing, and all of which must be followed carefully to ensure that the scorekeeper’s data are valid.

With confidence and enthusiasm, Andres Wirkmaa leads the reader through the daunting maze of rules that govern official scorekeeping. Chapters explain and clarify the official scorer’s duties, responsibilities and authority; the official scorer’s reports; and all the game-to-game details such as player listings, substitute batters and runners, out-of-turn batters, called and forfeited games, runs batted in, base hits, stolen bases, sacrifices, putouts, assists, double and triple plays, errors (and instances when errors are not charged), wild pitches and passed balls, bases on balls, strikeouts, earned runs, winning and losing pitchers, and saves. Also covered are statistics, percentage records, minimum standards for individual championships, and consecutive hitting and playing streaks. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Bob's Take
I have yet to encounter a situation that isn't covered in this book of baseball rules.Unbelievably, I read it like a piece of fiction.It takes complicated information and states it in clear and concise language.It is by far the best book on baseball rules and scorekeeping I have ever come across.

A reviewer from Sierra Vista, AZ
I would just like to confirm what a previous reviewer stated for Mr. Wirkmaa's book.I took the reviewer's advice, bought the book on Amazon, and also went ahead and bought "The Scorekeeper's Friend" available at Mr. Glasco's website.The two taken together offer a winning combination for those aspiring to become competent baseball/softball scorekeepers.The former comprehensively explains the reasoning behind the scoring rules of baseball, while the latter shows you how to do it on a scorecard.Two thumbs up!

Indispensable!
If you're an official scorer at any level you need this book. I'm an official scorer for a minor league baseball team, and I keep mine handy during the games. Every now and then I'll need to pull it out to check a rule when something odd happens. Without it I would have been able to find answers in the official rule book, but not nearly as quickly or definitively.

I hope the author is working on an updated edition to reflect the scoring rule changes put into place in 2007! I'll buy this book again if he does!

enjoyable
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn the basics of score keeping. It is about as simple as it can get as the offensive numbers goes.

This is THE book
Mr. Wirkmaa patterns his book directly on the Rules of Baseball, therefore making it simple to go from the Rules to his interpretation of how the scoring would be handled for that particular situation.This type of editing lays out what is still a complicated subject in at least a methodical fashion.

My only disappointment on receiving the book was that he includes no diagrams on the scorekeeping itself.I wanted to see the actual scribblings when someone "runs the book."Not in there.I purchased another excellent book (not available through Amazon) entitled "The Scorekeeper's Friend" by Bill Glasco that has the level of diagramming (and explanations) that I was initially seeking.

All in all, any person serious about their scorekeeping should own Mr. Wirkmaa's book.I hope he follows it up with another. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (21)

Enjoyable and Informative
I started collecting baseball cards in 1968 and I thought I knew pretty much about the hobby.This book quintupled my education in a short, thoroughly enjoyable week.Jamieson delivers the good, the bad, and the ugly -- as he promised in his introduction -- and left me both hopeful and concerned about the future of cards.

This book should be of interest not only to those who have continued to dabble in the hobby, but also those who just want to re-visit a childhood passion with greater understanding and context to their own experiences.It is also a great set of case studies about business, from product development to marketing to consumer research to collusion to monopoly.Enjoy!

Fantastic Book to be enjoyed by collectors or non-collectors alike.
This book is a fantastic read.It gives you an in depth and colorful history of baseball cards from the beginning to the present.The history of the baseball cards and card collecting laid out in this book brings back a nostalgia that makes you want to be a kid again looking for that perfect card.It made me look at my old collection and remember how much fun it was collecting, organizing and trading cards as a kid.The history on cards from the 1800-early 1900 is fantastic.Laying out how the old Tobacco and Gum companies started putting cards in their products as a selling point.How Other cards such as Horrors of War and the Mars Attacks cards were put out.You will learn about the famous Wagner card and the history of the card as it moved from owner to owner and eventually sold for a record $ amount.The book even touches on cards that are altered and counterfeit.

Again, a great read for collector and non-collectors alike.I loan this book out to whomever is willing to give it a try.

For some it was ALWAYS a business...
I "inherited" my first 52 Topps from a friend whose Mom was probably sick of moving them.Barry Wallach later became a CPA and his future success was demonstrated in the small notebook in which he recorded every player's card by number.He meticulously collected this data while he managed his collection.I've tried several times to find him to return this childhood keepsake.Most of us collected the cards as a first love.....some, however, were onto its' financial value long before it became a national obsession.
The same thing that you might learn from this book was pointed out to us in "Toy Story".......USE, ENJOY, WEAR THE HELL out of your childhood things.....you can't trade them in for your youth anyhow.

Like my cards, this book will be with me forever...
This is the book that many of us have been waiting for, if not outright then at least in our imaginations.Jamieson delves mightily into a subject that was so near to the heart of many a childhood (and let's face it, adulthood as well.)

I am awed by the amount of research performed by the author.He tracks down and interviews dozens of a dying breed, those who were around in the early days of the card explosion.Additionally, he does not leave aside those who were key to the industry/hobby but who are no longer alive.He seems to have gone to great lengths to provide a thorough accounting of the product's evolution, making many a trek to review various collections of cards and, by extension, other pop culture.

I am further wowed by Jamieson's ability to translate his research in such a fascinating and vivid way.In fact, the author's accounts of some of the works he has seen has piqued my curiosity enough to seek these trips out myself.Other than in a travel magazine, how often do you read about a place or thing, and the description is so interesting that you then have to see it for yourself?For me, this is a first, and what makes this idea even more preposterous is that some of the items that Jamieson mentions were merely extensions of his research and had before held little interest to me.

Though I read non-fiction more than fiction, I find myself periodically needing to lay the non-fiction aside for a day or two before picking it up again.Not this book:I could not put it down.

Thanks, Dave, for a great read.Much like pulling my cards out from their closet every few years, I suspect that I will again be pulling your book off the shelf.

An obession explained
I never collected baseball cards as a kid (I spent my allowance money in the 1960s on comic books). i did start collecting as an adult, getting into the hobby just before the 'baseball card as an investment' craze took off. I never believed that any of those cards I bought in the 1980s was ever going to be worth any money. I collected because I liked baseball, and, as long-time Topps card designer, Woody Gelman, is quoted in the book because I had the "collecting disease". 25 years later and I'm still collecting, for much the same reason. This book is a pretty good summation of 100 or so yearsof baseball card collecting. Some of the material is duplicative of material found in "The Card" by Michael O'Keefee and Teri Thompson. But "The Card" is mostly about the 1909 Honus Wagner card while Jamieson's book is more broadly focused. This book will interest anyone involved in the hobby. ... Read more

Product Description
Get in top condition for baseball—just like the pros! Major League players are getting bigger, stronger, and faster every season. Their conditioning level is at an all-time high, resulting in more towering home runs and blazing fastballs than ever before. With 52-Week Baseball Training, you can use the same baseball-specific training regimen to improve your performance and reduce the risk of injury.

As the strength and conditioning coach for the Houston Astros, Gene Coleman has helped develop the careers of Major League stars like Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio. In 52-Week Baseball Training, Coleman provides a complete year-round conditioning plan to keep in shape in the off-season and for peak performance when it counts, during the season and playoffs. These day-by-day, week-by-week, season-by-season workouts include resistance training, total conditioning exercises, and position-specific activities.

The training plan can be used for high school, college, and summer-league competitive levels and schedules, and it organizes workouts into five sequential phases:
• Postseason—Active Rest and Recovery
• Off-Season—Fitness Training
• Preseason—Training to Play
• In-Season—Training to Win

Take the guesswork out of your training program and get the results that will pay off on the field. Use 52-Week Baseball Training to perform better at the plate, in the field, and on the mound—every game, every season. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Good book, VERY poor layout!!
While I agree with everyone that the text of this book is awesome and that Mr. Coleman knows what he's talking about, the layout is horrendous! There is no table of contents (really). There is no index of exercises. If you're not sure what an exercise is, you must flip though the pages and hopefullyfind it. If it had an index like the 52 Week Football training guide, I would rate this book 5 stars. As an example, page 17 says to do a Wheel Drill and X-Jumps categorized under Speed/Quickness. I'm guessing that this is for legs due to the work "Jumps". Now going to the back of the book where the exercises are defined between pages 143 and 248, I have determine which sub section it's in and try and find what a X-Jump is. For the record, it's under "Speed" and on page 220. In the Football training guide, all one has to do is go to the alphabetical index in the back of the book and look up an exercise or drill. The page is then clearly marked.

It's too bad that the "52 Week" books couldn't have the same format. So far, I'm very unimpressed due to the layout.

Do it yourself guide

This bokk can certainly help you plan your
own workouts if you do not have a trainer.

Take the guesswork out of baseball training
A Very complete guide that will help any athlete and an excellent resource for baseball players searching for how to train for their sport.

52-Week Baseball Training: A Comprehensive Review
This text represents a comprehensive look at the application of current principles of conditioning and training for the baseball player.It is an extremely well written text. Dr. Coleman does an excellent job of blending both the theoretical aspects of training with the practical aspects he knows to be viable because of his years of experience working with, not only major league players, but also younger players.The application of the concept of periodization to baseball conditioning is extremely important for the development of strength, power, speed, and agility.With improvement in these areas, the ability to enhance performance is optimized.The use of humor throughout the text also serves as a good buffer between the various theoretical sections.The Forward to the book by Nolan Ryan and the Introduction to the �Physical Demands of the Game� set the stage for an extremely thorough look at the various aspects of conditioning that are involved in developing the baseball player.The examples of different players who developed at different rates indicate that players of all levels can benefit by applying the theories and programs presented in this text to their individual programs.Dr. Coleman�s presentation of a year-round periodization model blends the theoretical aspects of this type of training with the reality of the baseball season.By defining the plans as he has, Dr. Coleman provides the individual with an idea of what is expected throughout each training regime.

Specifically important in the first section is the workout order.Many players train very inefficiently.By Dr. Coleman delineating the optimal order for performance enhancement,players gets an idea of how to best plan their entire training program.

In Chapter One on Postseason training, his presentation of the dietary needs of the athlete for training is very concise and straightforward.He presents a good plan for maintaining fitness during this period of time.By organizing his Off-season training program (Chapter Two) by positions, he deals with one of the primary aspects of physical development--specificity of training.He shows that although there are general exercises that all can do, there are certain exercises that are position specific.In this section he presents a simple yet thorough presentation of dietary needs, which is quite important to the individual.

By including baseball specific drills in Chapter Three, Preseason One training, he again focuses on the need for specificity of training.The section on avoiding arm problems is very important because oftentimes players are overzealous about trying to get ready for the season.This can cause setbacks rather than getting them ready for the upcoming season.His concluding comments on fueling the body with supplements are extremely well stated.He writes, �Eating a diet high in carbohydrates and training hard are the best ergogenic aids available.They are safe, cheap, and effective.�So many players today are looking for a quick and easy way to develop their physical abilities.In reality, the best way to do it as Dr. Coleman suggests is to eat right and work hard.

Also in this chapter, his baseball ratings test is a good guideline for players to use to see how much they have improved.Although his criteria may not be appropriate for the specific player, individual players can use this to measure gains over time. Monitoring themselves on these various parameters can provide two checks: 1) if their conditioning program is effective and 2) if they are over training and/or stale.

The Preseason Two chapter further emphasizes specificity of training when he discusses simulated innings training and fueling the body.His ten best food tips are a realistic look at the current state of society.Although it is ideal for people to prepare meals, in many cases this is not possible. His suggestions are well taken.

His In Season program (Chapter Five) focuses on the importance of maintaining what has been gained.At this time many players, because they are working on game specific drills, neglect things such as speed and agility.It is critical that Dr. Coleman�s comments be heeded in this section.

Under the section on running, he states, �The key to strength is intensity not volume�.This relates to another important training concept � overload.He focuses on how critical it is to be efficient in your training.Teaching players to train (and perform) better, not harder, is a critical element of successful coaching. An example with pitching is if you want to learn to pitch fast you should practice pitching fast.

The section on eating in popular restaurants discusses how important it is to eat a good diet.His examples of foods to order and foods to skip are quite good.

Part 2 of the text presents the meat of the material.Although I feel that this could have been placed at the beginning to give the reader an idea of what was to follow, I am sure Dr. Coleman�s decision to place them in this order is based on his background and skill in the field. He presents 16 principles at the beginning of Part 2.These are so critical in developing a sound philosophy of how to train. It is important that these be read and reread before a training program is developed.

Chapter Six discusses the importance of warm-up and cool down in the development of flexibility and in the optimization of training. It contains a series of game specific activities that can help prepare the performer.The use of diagrams and the description of these exercises are quite thorough and build a good base for his training program.

Chapter Seven on core strength training is quite well done.He describes circuit weight training; multiple set training, pyramid training, and four-day split training, along with six day split training.Although a little more detail could have been included in some of these descriptions, enough is presented for the reader to at least ask a conditioning coach for suggestions for developing an individualized program.He presents a concise model for designing the components of your strength program discussing the specifics of sets and reps.

Again, following with the practical nature of the book, the section on the �dos and don�ts of crunches� is quite well stated.The pictures and descriptions of the daily core are very thorough and very informative.His use of various mediums including medballs and plyometrics points out how complex the field of training is today.

Chapter Eight dealing with the development of the shoulder, elbow, forearm, and hand is quite necessary for the development of throwing for both fielders and pitchers.His cautions about the exercises that can hurt your shoulder are very important.His rotator cuff program is very specific to the baseball player.

Speed (Chapter Nine) is an area that is often overlooked.His five key components to the development of speed concisely present all that is necessary for the individual.His description of the components of running helps the individual player in a very simplistic way � what needs to be done to run fast.This goes back to specificity of training � in order to run fast you must run fast.

Finally, Chapter Ten on power and the plyometric element of training to baseball is important.The use of medballs and bounding are quite critical to the complete development of the baseball player.

In conclusion, I feel that this is an excellent text that deals with a number of elements that the player must consider in conditioning.Baseball is not something that is just played during the season.You do not get better by just fielding more grounders or taking more swings.The physical abilities necessary to play the game must be developed.Fitness and conditioning for baseball must be a year-round project.

Excellent Resource!
Having trained both amateur and professional baseball players, I can say that Dr. Coleman continues to be at the forefront of strength and conditioning, particularly with respect to baseball.This book will be a useful resource for any player or coach wanting to reach peak baseball performance through improving strength, speed, and agility. I highly recommend this book! ... Read more

Product Description

Among the national treasures you'll find:

Customer Reviews (24)

Smiothsonian Baseball
I purchased this as a gift and the recipient was thrilled with it.I did sneak a peak before giving it away and enjoyed it immencely.

Smithsonian Baseball
A very well done book. Big glossy pictures of some of the greatest Baseball artifacts in America. Probably the closest I will get to seeing these in person.

1 picture is worth...........
As a lover of the old days of baseball (prior to the 1970's) , and with an interest in various types of artifacts pertaining to the old days,this book wonderfully broadened my horizons.The sections on baseball cards was especially fascinating for me as i do some collecting to add to some as i had as a kid (50's-60's).
would recommend this book to anyone remotely interested in the old days of baseball or collects baseball memorabilia.

Yes, It's Beautiful, but It's Smart, Too
Stephen Wong has created a drop-dead gorgeous look at some of the game's great artifacts, and many will be surprised to learn that they are not at the Baseball Hall of Fame nor even at the Smithsonian (despite the book's title). The game's artifacts extend way beyond the cards and gimcrack collectibles sold at the ballpark, and Wong has deftly toggled his focus from collectible to collector and back again, providing a memorable prose portrait of the lively game played off the field. I cannot recommend this brilliantly conceived book highly enough.

The Ultimate Coffee-Table Book
This beautiful book belongs in every baseball enthusiast's library, but it would be a mistake to keep it on the shelves.Author Stephen Wong has partnered with the Smithsonian to publish the moststunning book on baseball on the market.It deserves to be on your coffee table not only because of its wonderful photographs but also due to the wonderfully rich way he presents the history of the game.Wong gained remarkable access to the sport's foremost collectors, combing through hundreds of images and memorabilia items.The payoff is tremendous for anyone with an interest in baseball or, for that matter, in American history and culture.Readers will learn the essential facts about the game, and the fascinating tidbits, such as the origins of the curve ball.They then get to see remarkable shots, some most unusual - from folk art statues to Don Larsen's enshrined shoes from his perfect game to the bricks of former stadiums.In fact, this book should be placed in the Hall of Fame! ... Read more

Product Description
Baseball Skills & Drills is both a comprehensive instructional guide and a useful practice tool for coaches and players at all levels. Written by three of baseball’s top teaching coaches-Pat McMahon of Mississippi State University, Mark Johnson of Texas A&M University, and Jack Leggett from Clemson University-and developed in cooperation with the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), this is a book that you’ll use as often as your favorite bat.Master all the fundamentals through the book’s expert instruction, numerous photographs, and essential drills. The 17 chapters cover all the bases in teaching the best techniques for

• hitting,
• baserunning,
• fielding,
• pitching, and
• catching.

Winning baseball teams are solid in all facets of the game, whether at bat, on the mound, or in the field. Use Baseball Skills & Drills to develop the consistent, proper execution of the fundamentals needed to be a winner. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

COVERS IT ALL
This book covers all areas of baseball and gives tips, skills and drills for improving performance.It is not geared toward little league, but some drills can be used for even the youngest players.My husband can use this book until my 7 year old son is playing in high school.

Skill/Drills
I played D1 baseball and this book not only helped remind me of drills that I used, but also gave me some great new ideas.It's worth the purchase!

Great Resource
I am impressed with the quality of this book. Nothing is over explained and its easy to follow. I use it with my teammates who English is thier second language. They like to borrow it.

Covers good fundamentals, good pictures
Covers good fundamentals, good pictures breaking down proper sequences, and good drills.More focused towards high school players.

Baseball Skills & Drills: American Baseball Coaches Association
Purchased for my husband. He said that the book gave him more insight in to the basic fundamentals and explains the different positions more indepth. He recommends this book for any little league coach. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (7)

Hidden Language fo Baseball
Totally love this Book. For the casual fan, it's very revealing. For the rabid fan, it,s still fun.

Awesome Book!
This is a fantastic book for baseball lovers. My son is in high school and just loved it!

Good, for diehards
This is a good study of baseball's mostly nonverbal communication (as the author points out, a scientific study is tough) - would not recommend this as a starter book for beginners or kids.But, if you are reading this, you probably read a LOT of baseball books, so go for it.

A fine chronology of player signals
During any given nine-inning baseball game over a thousand silent instructions are given between players and from umpires to coaches. You've seen the hand signals - now understand their meaning in the first examination of their history, evolution and methods. Baseball games are surveyed past and present to gain a fine chronology of player signals.

Play Ball!
A short but thorough history of baseball as seen through the development of signs, sign stealing and tip-off reading. Includes some delightful photographs, numerous anotations, a lengthy bibliography and index. Paul Dickson's approach to baseball makes me wonder if the recent homerun records aren't more a case for renewed talent in sign stealing / tip-off reading than for new technology for bats or performance inhancing drugs. ... Read more