1997 Official Major League Baseball Fact Book [Paperback]

Ron Smith (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1997 | Series: Official Major League Baseball Fact Book

The Official Major League Baseball Fact Book offers a preview of the coming season, a look back at the previous season, and a history review. The guide offers a balance of baseball's past and present with a unique blend of authority, comprehensiveness, and ease. 32 photos. 28 charts & diagrams.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Produced by The Sporting News, The Official Major League Baseball Fact Book is a treasure trove for baseball fans. Compiling a rather stunning amount of information, it provides a detailed review of the most recent season, a preview of the current season, profiles of current and former baseball stars, a season-by-season review from 1876 to the present, and a section on all-time leaders in various statistical categories. As an example of the book's comprehensiveness, on the page about the Detroit Tigers you'll find the team roster; the season schedule; lists of coaches, scouts, trainers, and physicians; the field dimensions of Comerica Park; ticket information; the director of merchandising, for crying out loud--and a lot more. There's also a complete list of recent transactions, an exhaustive catalog of Hall of Famers, franchise histories, and box scores from memorial games (one of the best parts of the book). Great stuff, and it includes lots of photos. --Andy Boynton --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

The Sporting News is the only magazine that has been covering baseball since 1886. For fans of the National Pastime, the annual Sporting News "Fact Book" is an eagerly awaited event. The 1997 Official Major League Baseball Fact Book continues to demonstrate why this annual publication is considered "benchmark publishing" for all major league baseball fans -- and the definitive reference resource for bets, arguments, and discussions. -- Midwest Book Review

Product Details

• Paperback: 479 pages
• Publisher: Sporting News (February 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892045701
• ISBN-13: 978-0892045709
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,562,798 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Baseball Almanac Source, June 2, 2003

By 

Sean Holtz "Baseball Almanac , Inc." (Miami, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Official Major League Baseball Fact Book (Paperback)

Our inspiration for Baseball Almanac ... began with The Baseball Encyclopedia. Our source for the team by team section was inspired by this one book which we have purchased every year since 1999 and STILL keep on our shelf side-by-side. Three stars because there are a few historical errors (-1 star), all of which I've written to them about, and not enough data for the average fan (-1 star). Though only a "fact book", it leaves you wanting more...

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Facts Need Checking, March 14, 2005

By 

George P. Mcgeoch (Asheville, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Official Major League Baseball Fact Book: 2005 Edition (Paperback)

I have enjoyed previous issues of this book but I bought the current one expecting, as a Red Sox fan, the descriptions of the scoring of the playoff games and the play by play of the World Series. Unfortunately many innings were missing and the scores were not always accurate.
The descriptions of the batting leaders for 2004 were also mistitled. It is too bad that an otherwise valuable record book was issued too hastily without checking the facts.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Statistics repository for the 2003 season, a great resource!, September 27, 2004

By 

Paul McCord (Macon, GA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Official Major League Baseball Fact Book, 2004 Edition (Paperback)

Now that the 2004 season is basically over, this book will be outdated very quickly, but look for future versions! I remember picking a copy up in the bookstore for the first time and being simply amazed by how much information was contained within its pages!

The Official MLB Fact Book (2004 Edition) includes an overwhelming supply of individual and team stats for the 2003 stats, plus postseason box scores, and list after list of baseball greats including award winners, league leaders, record holders, and hall of famers.

I used to rely only on each yearly edition of The Sporting News Record Book for updated statistics, but beginning with 2004, I may have found a better alternative.