Fair Ball: A Fan's Case for Baseball [Hardcover]

Bob Costas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 4, 2000

From his perspective as a journalist and a true fan, Bob Costas, NBC's award-winning broadcaster, shares his views on the forces that are diminishing the appeal of Major League Baseball and proposes realistic changes that can be made to protect and promote the game's best interests.

In this cogent--and provocative--book, Costas examines the growing financial disparities that have resulted in nearly two-thirds of the teams in Major League Baseball having virtually no chance of contending for the World Series. He argues that those who run baseball have missed the crucial difference between mere change and real progress. And he presents a withering critique of the positions of both the owners and players while providing insights on the wild-card system, the designated-hitter rule, and interleague play. Costas answers each problem he cites with an achievable strategy for restoring genuine competition and rescuing fans from the forces that have diluted the sheer joy of the game.

Balanced by Costas's unbridled appreciation for what he calls the "moments of authenticity" that can still make baseball inspiring, Fair Ball offers a vision of our national pastime as it can be, a game that retains its traditional appeal while initiating meaningful changes that will allow it to thrive into the next century.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This isn't a commentator's diatribe against the sport, but rather a fan's case for baseball. What do I want? I think the same thing that most baseball fans want: To see the game prove worthy of our devotion.

Bob Costas loves baseball. And he's worried about the state of the game--superstar players abandoning the teams that helped them rise to greatness, the awkward interleague play system, the pennant-race-weakening wild cards, and the payroll disparity that effectively eliminates two-thirds of the teams in the league from having any chance to win the World Series--even before opening day. Costas addresses these problems and offers provocative solutions in Fair Ball.

Costas makes it clear from the outset that he's not a romantic, baseball-should-be-played-in-flannel traditionalist; indeed, some of his ideas--comprehensive revenue sharing and salary caps and floors--will be seen as radical by many team owners and players. Others are more standard--no more wild card, and farewell to the DH--but all are thoughtful and cogently argued.

Throughout Fair Ball Costas's affection for the national pastime softens his occasionally strident tone. Ultimately, all baseball fans want the same thing; Costas's ideas, if adopted, would go a long way toward returning the game to full health. --Sunny Delaney

From Publishers Weekly

Costas isn't the first announcer to write a manifesto on what's wrong with baseball, nor is he the only person to think the game's soul has been debased by hyper-escalating salaries, bonehead revisions to the league and shortsighted owners toeing the bottom line. But he is one of the more persuasive and eloquent. Costas firmly grasps the game's economics, and he marshals mounds of evidence and countless wise insights to show why the sport needs revenue sharing, a salary cap and a salary minimum to restore competitive balance. Next, he dissects other gimmicks of 1990s baseball, such as interleague play, the wild card, the oft-proposed radical realignment. Thankfully, Costas never sits back and says, "It was better when...." Instead, he carefully shows that these gimmicks have been implemented poorly, that they've achieved nothing they were supposed to and that they've instead made pennant races obsolete. In the last frame, Costas briefly pushes a few more hot buttons--umpire oversight, Pete Rose, the DH--and offers what may prove his most controversial opinion: he advocates using instant replay during the playoffs. Throughout, Costas remains evenhanded. If he blames most of the game's problems on the owners, he's no less critical of the superstars and their union lackeys, who, he argues, care more for a few huge paychecks than all the guys making minimum. Author tour. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Broadway; 1st edition (April 4, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767904656
• ISBN-13: 978-0767904650
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (95 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,870,942 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a Comprehensive Plan to fix Baseball, July 23, 2000

By 

J. Liesenfelt (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fair Ball: A Fan's Case for Baseball (Hardcover)

Bob Costas has taken the time (and laying his reputation on the line) to put forth a case to put the Game/Business of Major League Baseball on the right track to insure its place of prominence in the sporting world. The result of his efforts is a well thought out, capable and possibly, doable plan to fix the problems that have been growing since the strike of 94/95.

Granted, not all of the ideas are original to Mr. Costas, but he places all the ideas together, something I haven't come across before. As stated earlier, Mr. Costas premise is that the future stability of baseball has been further weaken by the owner's decisions since the last strike. Among Mr. Costas' solutions are: a revenue sharing arrangement, including local the team's media revenues and gate receipts; a salary cap complete with a floor; no radical realignment of the divisions; and the elimination of the Wild Card.

Along the way Mr. Costas chides both the owners and the players for their selfish, self-motivated attitudes, which left unchecked, just hurt the game.

One drawback to the book is the last chapter in which Mr. Costas discusses nine minor points that are best left out of the book, as the subjects do not fit the book's theme, with the exception of the debate on the DH.

In the Introduction, Mr. Costas states that his effort is to draw distinctions between progress and mere change. Mr. Costas' book does just that and is a good starting point for all baseball fans to discuss the future needs of the game.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Costas For Commissioner, May 6, 2000

By 

David M. Garrett (San Antonio, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fair Ball: A Fan's Case for Baseball (Hardcover)

Bob Costas presents an intelligent, well reasoned, and objective analysis of the state of baseball. From revenue sharing and realignment to the barber shop debates over the DH, Pete Rose, and the size of the strike zone, Costas outlines a prescription to both revitalize the great American pasttime yet keep it in balance with its long tradition. Fans of the big market teams will find his pill hard to swallow; but having grown up around Kansas City and St. Louis baseball, it seems medication worth considering. Costas steps away from the passioned positions of owners and players to present a plan that will, in the long run, make The Game better. I highly recommend this short, readable book. You may not agree with Costas or like him, but anyone who respects baseball will find his ideas worth consideration. Hey, Bud Selig, are you out there?

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't read it if you are a Yankee fan, April 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Fair Ball: A Fan's Case for Baseball (Hardcover)

I joked with my buddy earlier this year that I am going to stop rooting for the Yankees because I think the Yankees winning another World Series would be as much fun as winning a pickup game of softball in which you get to choose the eight other players you want first rather than alternating picks. After reading this book, I became even more disenchanted with the Yankees and the unlevel playing field that exists in MLB. What is great about this book is that Costas not only makes the case of what is wrong with the system but provides very rational solutions to improve it. I would love to hear Bud Selig's thoughts on why Costas' solutions shouldn't be implemented other than George Steinbrenner, Rupert Murdoch and Ted Turner don't think it is a good idea.