Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball [Paperback]

George F. Will (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 24, 1991

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning political commentator and longtime baseball fanatic George F. Will--the #1 bestselling ultimate insider's look at the exacting craft of baseball

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In Men at Work, political pundit George Will breaks baseball down, parsing it into essential tasks: hitting, fielding, pitching, and managing. Why do some succeed grandly while others are more apt to whiff? By analyzing the way Tony Gwynn, Cal Ripken, Orel Hershiser, and Tony LaRussa approach the game and do what they do, he finds striking similarities in intelligence, dedication, drive, and desire.

From Publishers Weekly

In this book for the hard-core baseball fan, Will persuades such notables as Tony La Russa, Orel Hershiser and Tony Gwynn to offer details on the finer points of the game. "The author tends to retell well-known baseball history a little too often," said PW. "But as a sports journalist, he shows himself to be a master at enticing players into particularly enlightening discussions."
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; First Edition edition (April 24, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060973722
• ISBN-13: 978-0060973728
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #627,837 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An inside look into the game of baseball., July 4, 2001

By 

ROBERT KINGSLEY (Fort Collins, Colorado USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball (Paperback)

If you have ever wondered how the players and managers prepare to do the amazing things we see every day of the baseball season this is the book for you! I have loved the game for my entire life, but I never realized so much preparation goes into every little aspect of the game. George Will covers each part of the game - pitching, hitting, and fielding - by observing and interviewing some of the greats of the game; Hershiser on pitching, Gwynn on hitting, Ripken on fielding, and Larussa on putting it all together.

George Will quoted Wes Westrum in this book - "Baseball is like church. Many attend, but few understand." This book increased my understanding of the game and as a result has added to my enjoyment of baseball. I see things I didn't see before I read this book - the nuances of the game have become more clear.

I did not believe I could love the game more, but after reading this book, I do! I would highly recommend this book to both students of the game and to newcomers looking to understand the game.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will breaks down a complex game into four manageable pieces., October 10, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Carbondale, Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball (Paperback)

Ever wondered what goes on behind closed doors as the coaches meet before a game, or how much sign stealing really ocurrs? The answers to these questions and much more about the behind-the-scenes goings on of the great game of baseball are in this magnificent book by the conservative political columnist George F. Will. Will takes you behind closed doors with Tony LaRussa, the best manager in the game. He also takes you to the pither's mound with Orel Hershiser, to the batter's box with Tony Gwynn, and to the shortstop's position with Cal Ripken, Jr. And when he gets you there, he explains every thing that is going on in everyone's head and he does it with stunning detail, and first-hand knowledge that will keep you begging for more after you finish. Will's book is a must have for even the casual baseball fan.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Baseball Gem, February 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball (Paperback)

If you have ever had any doubt that baseball is a slow paced, boring sport that withers in comparison to football, basketball, and hockey, then this book is definitely for you. In it, George Will explains the simple pleasures of baseball and the tremendous perfections in which it involves. He goes into great detail of the managers roles, the pitchers roles, the batters roles, and the fielders roles, focusing mainly on Tony LaRussa, Orel Hershieser, Tony Gwynn, and Cal Ripken respectively, but often throwing in stories of other baseball greats. Will gives tremendous insite of the finer points of the game which should be appreciated by any true sports fan. He shows how baseball is not only a game of physical skill, but of tremendous mental skill, and a little bit of luck. I found this book to be amazingly interesting and insiteful. Already being a baseball fan it taught me to enjoy the game on a whole knew level, the strategic level of it and I highly recommend it to any baseball fan, or sports fan for that matter.