Customer Reviews

Batting Stance Guy

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
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Just like the title says, this is a love letter to baseball. Using his 50 favorite batting stances as a framing device, Gar tells sweet stories from games, players, and parks he's encountered in his 30+ years of fandom. If you're looking for wonky data on players for your fantasy team, this isn't your book. If you love the game or more importantly, you love hearing someone explain why they love the game, this is for you. I guarantee you'll laugh. I'm pretty sure you'll tear up a time or two. I promise you won't want to put this down and will end up recommending for your baseball loving friends.

You know when you are at a ho hum gathering and you end up sitting next to someone who loves the same thing you do? And that moment you discover you both love that thing the party instantly becomes awesome and memorable? Even more so when that person turns out to be insightful, funny, self deprecating and enthusiastic and not a machismo, one upper story teller. For the baseball fan- this is that awesome conversation at that party. "A Love Letter To Baseball" is full of inside jokes that will make you laugh out loud and stories that will make you remember why you fell in love with the game. It's the kind of book that will make you lose time- you'll start with the intention of reading for 5 minutes and be surprised when two hours have passed. Get it and thank yourself for it.

(first off, let me say: this is not greg, this is his wife, hijacking his account.) we've watched the clips of BSG on youtube, and my husband laughed til he cried, because he loves baseball more than anyone i know. i knew he loved baseball when i married him; our road-trip honeymoon included visiting the ballparks in every city that we were in from the west coast to the east, but i didn't fully realize what "baseball-widowdom" would mean, (haha!) and 13 years later, i can confess i still don't get it, but i try to understand.
here's how it went: i saw this book at the bookstore, i walked over and read him the introduction... didn't even get past the 2nd paragraph with Gar name dropping his childhood pete rose and gary carter halloween costumes, and my husband is giggling incredulously, saying "Come'on, you're kiddin' me, NO ONE dressed up like gary carter" and i said "no. look, there's even pictures", so i show him. and i read on to the third paragraph, (where Gar talks about his baseball card drafts and line-up games as a kid,) and he is now laughing uncontrollably. in the bookstore. doubled over, with tears. because he knows all those names. NO ONE he knows knows all those names. by the time we get to the last paragraph, with ALL the names of the guys who didn't make the book, he's beside himself. needless to say, of course we bought the book. we've only gotten through the first few chapters, and they have not disappointed! but what i wanted to say was:

THANK YOU, Batting Stance Guy, for the laughter! and i look forward to more of it! :)
sincerely,
rachel, the nodding and smiling wife of one serious baseball fan.

(p.s. to the non-knowledgeable baseball folk--
i've actually begun reading this book myself, and in-between all the name references that i don't get, is a ton of funny writing and childhood stories that also makes me laugh. and my 12 year old son. really. this is one fun book!!)

If you have seen Gar do his batting stance impressions anywhere, you are probably thinking that the impressions are great, but how could a book about it be interesting? Well...I guarantee you that the book is totally engaging start to finish. If you love baseball (heck, if you have only been to one baseball game in your entire life) you will love this book. As a true testament to the power of this book, after reading through it just a bit, my wife finally found baseball marginally interesting where she had been previously bored to tears.

This is one of those books that you will pick up over and over again, and each time you do you will find a new humorous tidbit you missed before.

The Batting Stance Guy has delivered exactly what the title of his book sets out to do - deliver a love letter to baseball. From the introduction, there is no mistaking that this book was written from a special place, which causes baseball fans to not only fall in love with the game all over again but actually fall in love with the writer's affection for the game as well. Engaging and endearing, Gar Ryness delivers a poignant and humorous compilation designed to indulge the 12-year old in all of us. You don't have to be a baseball fan to enjoy this book - just enjoy the ride.

I don't think you can get a better look at the pop culture of the last 30 years of the U.S. than you can by reading this book. Oh yeah, it has baseball players in it too! Besides instanly taking me back to moments of fond baseball memories, I found my self laughing out loud a lot. Gar has the knack of quipping that hilarious thought by zipping if forward into your memory with an obscure reference you'd never put together and yet you know - he completely nailed it.
I want to go to a game with him! I was surprised how emotionally wistful I got reading this book. Why did I actually play with that Willie Mays 1000th hit ball I got at Candlestick and lose it? The Batting Stance Guy reminded me ... it is still a game and it's wonderful and fun. The untold story is even in the pictures. You don't get that many pictures of you and your Dad all over the map unless you shared the same love. You don't have to be a baseball fan to fully enjoy this wonderful look at growing up in the last 30 years. If he hasn't thrown you over his shoulder and carried you into fandom after just reading the forward, then your heart is made of stone. Or you're a Wockenfuss ... my new go to adjective. Get this book and remember when you loved something and how it made you a kid!

This book is absolutely terrific! Even if you aren't a baseball fan, you will appreciate this book! It's hilarious and he has so many stories that are truely hilarious and fascinating. A book from a "Guy" who's been to every MLB park and can perfectly imitate any baseball player's stance you want. A must have!!!!!!!!!!!

I was intrigued by the title of Batting Stance Guy's book: A Love Letter to Baseball, after seeing Gar Ryness on David Letterman's show, and many times appearing on ESPN. Gar makes baseball seem like the best sport , even to a non-sports person like me. I was amazed by how many imitations Gar knows. When does this guy sleep? He must practice perfecting his swings while he gets his ZZZZZs.

I loved seeing the pictures, especially of a boy who fell in love with baseball when he was a youngster.Gar's determination to see a game of every major league team, played in their home field, definitely showed how much he truly loves baseball. Can't wait to see what his next book will be!

If you you like passionate and funny writing, this is the book for you! Oh, you should probably like baseball too, cause the Batting Stance Guy loves it and it shows through on every page. Shared love of the Expos and Ben Oglivie made me smile as well. A genuinely good book by a genuinely good guy. If you didn't end up here by way of his youtube collection of stances and MLB updates get over there, hilarious!

Just finished the book and loved it! Very fun, engaging, well-designed and well-written. I agree with the conclusion that baseball is supposed to be fun -- a fundamental idea that seems to have gotten overshadowed with all the focus on players' contracts and sabermetrics. Taking note of batters' goofy mannerisms at the plate is loads more fun than debating arcane details about contract talks. It's a perfect gift for any baseball fan, especially for those who came of age in the 1980s and also have a soft spot in their hearts for the stylings of Johnny Wockenfuss.