MADreads

Making sense of the ballgame

June 11th, 2007 Gregg - Sequoya

How long has it been since you have played a game of baseball?  I don’t think that I’ve played since little league, but I’ve always enjoyed the game, and like catching the occasional Mallards or Brewers game.  If you would like to take your appreciation of the game to a whole new level then check out Watching Baseball Smarter : A Professional Fan’s Guide for Beginners, Semi-experts, and Deeply Serious Geeks.  Zack Hample is obviously quite a fan, and he describes the many games within the game such as pitcher vs batter, pitcher vs runner on first, first baseman vs runner on first, etc. In addition he clears up many mysteries such as the infield fly rule.  My only complaint (and it’s a minor one) is the way he sometimes uses baseball lingo without explaining it; you need to go to the glossary to find out the definition of the term he just used.  Other than that, this is a great book to help you appreciate all of the nuances that are involved in a baseball game.

Entry Filed under: Nonfiction