Ask Hal: Answers to Fans' Most Interesting Questions About Baseball Rules, from a Hall-of-Fame Sportswriter [Paperback]

Hal Lebovitz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 27, 2007

"Very few writers (or broadcasters for that matter) know the rules of the games they cover as Hal Lebovitz did." - Bob Costas

Think it couldn't happen? It probably did! Just ask Hal.
Hal Lebovitz reigned as a leading expert on baseball rules for more than four decades. From 1957 until his death in 2005, Hal answered readers' questions about sports in his popular "Ask Hal" newspaper column. Baseball provided the most frequent questions--and often the most curious and confounding ones. But Hal was never stumped.
Many questions came from real situations--Little League, church-league softball, major league games--even the World Series. (NBC sports broadcasters sometimes phoned Hal at home during Series games to get his opinion of an onfield ruling!) Some came straight from fans' vivid imaginations. Either way, there was always an answer, and Hal had it.
This book collects the best and most entertaining questions and answers about baseball rules from four decades of "Ask Hal." Flip to any page and you'll find a question that might spark a lively debate at any dinner table or settle a bet at the local tavern. How many can you answer?

Editorial Reviews

Review

The kind of book you can read over and over again, put it down for awhile, then read all over again. --WKNR AM Radio

About the Author

Hal Lebovitz, who was inducted into the writer s wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000, was a sportswriter for more than six decades. He got his first job covering high school sports for the Cleveland News in 1942 and soon became a beat writer covering the Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Indians. He was hired by the Plain Dealer in 1960 to cover baseball and was that paper s sports editor from 1964 1982. Ask Hal, the Referee, his popular column on sports rules, began in 1957 and also appeared in the Sporting News. A former college athlete, he also coached baseball, basketball, and football and officiated all three sports, including a stint as a referee traveling with the Harlem Globetrotters. His sportswriting continued to appear regularly in the News-Herald (Lake County, Ohio), the Morning Journal (Lorain, Ohio), and several other newspapers, until his death, at age 89, in 2005.

Product Details

• Paperback: 181 pages
• Publisher: Gray & Co., Publishers (April 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598510347
• ISBN-13: 978-1598510348
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #934,090 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Diamond Gem, January 8, 2008

By 

Bicycle Day - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Ask Hal: Answers to Fans' Most Interesting Questions About Baseball Rules, from a Hall-of-Fame Sportswriter (Paperback)

Hal Lebovitz was not only a Cleveland (Ohio) sportswriting legend - Cleveland News; The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, where he was also the sports editor; The News-Herald/The Morning Journal - for more than 60 years, but he was a national treasure with his "Ask Hal the Referee" column which appeared locally and in The Sporting News.

Lebovitz would answer questions from fans concerning (controversial) calls in baseball, basketball and football, based upon his knowledge from working as an official and his appreciation for the rules which govern the games.

This collection captures the baseball Q&A over the many years - Lebovitz covered sports from 1942 until his death in 2005, at age 89 - he wrote this unique column. The staying power itself was impressive, since its popularity gained momentum when newspapers actually mattered and never ebbed in the age of the Internet.

Whether this is a trip down memory lane or simply a search for a diamond gem to add to a sports library, the book is truly timeless and an absolute joy to read.

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun trivia read and a "must-have" for baseball fans who enjoy being right about their beloved sport., October 6, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ask Hal: Answers to Fans' Most Interesting Questions About Baseball Rules, from a Hall-of-Fame Sportswriter (Paperback)

Ask Hal: Answers to Fans' Most Interesting Questions about Baseball Rules from a Hall-of-Fame Sportswriter is a question-and-answer format guide by dedicated fan Hal Lebovitz, who was inducted into the writers' wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000. The baseball questions that Hal answers come from Little League, church-league softball, major league games, the World Series, and fans' excited imaginations. A fun trivia read and a "must-have" for baseball fans who enjoy being right about their beloved sport. "Q: Say a batter is running to first base with the bat in both hands and the fielder tagged the bat. Would the runner be safe or out? A: He's out. The bat becomes part of him when he holds it, so it's a legal tag. A batter who carries a bat to first base is batty."