Customer Reviews

Out of Left Field: Over 1,134 Newly Discovered Amazing Baseball Records, Connections, Coincidences, and More!

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

 

 

This book is so filled with errors that the authors and editor should be ashamed. Some of the more glaring examples: they identify Gene Conley as the only man to play on a NBA and MLB championship team in the same city - Boston. While Conley did play on a world series winner it was the Milwaukee Braves in '57 - not the Boston Braves who left that city in '53. He did play for the NBA winning Celtics a little later. They also state that all world series games were played between 1947 and 1956 in New York City. They fail to remember that the famous Philadelphia Phillies Whiz Kids were in the '50 series. Those are just two of many unpardonable errors which riddle this book. An old fashioned editor with a little knowledge of baseball is needed. I hope Mr. Lyons, esq. is not as sloppy in his legal briefs as he was in compiling this mess.

In addition to the several glaring errors mentioned in the two earlier customer reviews, I'd like to point out that Paul Molitor is not the only designated hitter to score more than 100 runs in a season Edgar Martinez did it three times, including two seasons of 121 runs, which is more than Molitor ever achieved in the DH slot.

Uninformed, misleading and lazily researched books like this only give baseball publishing a bad reputation.

The authors compiled 1,134 facts, tidbits, and stumpers for all baseball fans. The book is mostly good, but has a glaring weakness in that there are more than a couple errors of fact. On the good side, the book is a trivia book with a more educational feel, as some of the answers are informative explanations rather than short answers. Who was baseball's youngest World Series MVP? What cousin of Babe Ruth's wife went on to a hall-of-fame career primarily with the Cardinals? What was the first team to print player names on uniforms? There are many such questions that will amuse, befuddle, and stump even the most hardcore baseball fans. Aficionados will spend hours with this informative, readable book, and will come away with better knowledge and ready to discuss with their friends. Unfortunately, as has been stated in other reviews, the book has some errors of fact, among the most glaring being the first Jewish MVP (Hank Greenberg 1935, not Al Rosen 1953), and run scoring DH's (Paul Molitor outdone by Edgar Martinez). Sadly, when you find a few errors, you wonder how many may exist. Still, this is a fun, informative book.

This is another boonie dog book review from Wolfie and Kansas. While there is no canine angle to "Out of Left Field" by Jeffrey and Douglas Lyons, we have noted in prior reviews that we like to read books about humans playing fetch. On the whole, "Out of Left Field" is well above average for baseball trivia books. However, we are posting this review to show that even boonie dogs can catch an error if it is obvious enough.

Lyons and Lyons assert that Al Rosen, the 1953 AL MVP, was the first Jewish MVP. Hank Greenberg once said, "When you're playing, awards don't seem like much. Then you get older and all of it becomes more precious. It is nice to be remembered." Lyons and Lyons were not nice to the memory of the Hall of Famer and war hero who won the AL MVP award in 1935 and 1940.

This book is the best baseball stat book ever! You have to know something about the game to read it though. It was printed in 1998, so not all of the facts are true, because they have been broken.

Okay there is obviously no baseball fans that enter this website. 2 of the above 3 reviewers have absolutely no knowledge of the game. This is a fabulous book. Even though I am a close friend of Mr. Doug Lyons, there is nothing sloppy about this book. I don't know what that "western reader" is talking about. This is one of the best researched books I've ever read. It is so interesting and has so many interesting facts in it. Maybe you should give this book another chance, and buy the sequel which is coming out soon. Only real baseball fans get this book. If you are not one, then don't bother!