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

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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.

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."