Customer Reviews

Now Batting, Number...: The Mystique, Superstition, and Lore of Baseball's Uniform Numbers

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're a baseball freak like me you'll appreciate this book. I don't how
this guy got all this information, but some really great stories. He must
have interviewed every equipment manager in major league baseball. As a
major Cardinals fan, I have to say that if Pee Wee Reese and Phil Rizzuto
are in the Hall, this book confirms that Marty Marion should be too!

Now Batting Number...: The Mystique, Superstition, And Lore Of Baseball's Uniform Numbers by former semi-pro baseball player (where he wore #4) and self-described obsessed fan Jack Looney is a very specialized baseball history that has as its particular focus the numbers on baseball jerseys. Jack explains why ball players were numbered in the beginning of baseball in the latter decades of the 19th century, and follows the evolution of uniform numbering to the serious aspect of baseball that it has become today. Superbly illustrated throughout with full-color photography, Now Batting, Number... is paced with hundreds of anecdotes and "infobits", myths and legends, "insider" stories, and the particulars behind why players choose a specific number, to produce a 560-page compendium that is a "must read" for all dedicated baseball fans, and a seminal contribution to academic and community Sports History reference collections.

I have to say, I was thrilled when I heard this book was coming out. There are so many holes in my knowledge, I couldn't believe that someone had taken the time to put all of this information together. As soon as I got it home I looked to see if he correctly had some obscure numbers I knew. In all three cases the book was incorrect. There are mutiple errors throughout the team roster section.
Additionally, some the material presented in other chapters barely seem germane to the numbers worn by players on the field.
All in all, quite an undertaking, but I was disapointed.

Every baseball announcer and enthusiast should have a copy of this book! Some of the best stats and stories about baseball numbers I have every seen. A truly great book and one that true baseball fanatics cannot do without! Seriously, BUY THIS BOOK IF YOU LOVE THE GAME!

I purchassed this book for my boyfriend because he is a baseball statistics freak- we saw it in a store and the only copy left was all battered and torn and I wasn't about to plunk down $30.00+tax for a book in this condition. I decided to look on Amazon.com to see if I could find a better copy at a cheaper price and I was pleasantly surprise! The book arrived in great condtion, promptly received and it hardly cost me anything.... Thanks, Amazon!!!

Man, the numbers this bad boy's got in it! I went looking for numbers the other day, then i remembered "Hey, I got a book that's practically nothing but numbers!" So I found the number I wanted. Instantly. One caveat: don't pay full price, as some of the numbers within are advertised as prime numbers, but really aren't (e.g. 35, 49, 69).

I just read this book and this is a must have for anyone who loves
baseball. It makes Bill James analysis look like the complicated jargon that
it is. I heard it took the author almost 20 years to compile all the
information and it's endorsed by Cooperstown. It's the new baseball bible
for fanatics!