Out by a Step: The 100 Best Players Not in the Baseball Hall of Fame [Hardcover]

Mike Shalin (Author), Neil Shalin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 5, 2002

To diehard baseball fans, the selection of players who will join the ranks of Cooperstown inductees often seems a bit arbitrary. Over the years there have been many outstanding players passed over, time and again, by the Veterans Committee, despite the players' qualifications and the support of fans and teammates. In Out by a Step, Mike and Neil Shalin compile their list of the 100 finest major leaguers who, in their views, deserve a place on the hallowed walls of Baseball's Hall of Fame. Out by a Step celebrates the fine careers of this "close but no cigar" fraternity—Richie Allen, Joe Torre, Tommy John, Elroy Face, and Urban Shocker, to name just a few—and will surely open up lively debate among baseball fans everywhere.

Editorial Reviews

Review

it's sure to open up lively debates among baseball fans everywhere. (Chicago Daily Herald )

Brothers Mike and Neil Shalin will stir up baseball fans of all ages...a fast moving and entertaining collection of the 100 best players not in the Hall of Fame... (Arizona Republic )

...is the only book I know of which pays tribute to those players whose accomplishments have fallen short of Cooperstown glory. This is a terrific read.... (lloyd Carroll Good Times Magazine )

mention of Shalin giving a talk at Borders, Oak Brook, IL (Oak Brook Doings )

This boffo book for baseball buffs makes oft-convincing cases for why 115 players should be elected to join the national pastime's heroes already immortalized in Cooperstown. (Forbes )

About the Author

Veteran sportswriter Mike Shalin spent 15 years on the baseball beat, first covering the New York Yankees for the New York Post and then the Boston Red Sox for the Boston Herald. Since leaving the beat in 1995, he has covered the sports scene at Boston College, but still keeps his hand in baseball via freelance writing, including a series of young readers' books done in the late 90s. Mike Shalin resides in Peabody, Massachusetts. Neil Shalin is a freelance writer in the Chicago, Illinois, area, who currently covers high school and college sports for The Daily Herald. In 1999, he retired from his position as an editor, speechwriter, and Midwest public relations director for MetLife.

Veteran sportswriter Mike Shalin spent 15 years on the baseball beat, first covering the New York Yankees for the New York Post and then the Boston Red Sox for the Boston Herald. Since leaving the beat in 1995, he has covered the sports scene at Boston College, but still keeps his hand in baseball via freelance writing, including a series of young readers' books done in the late 90s. Mike Shalin resides in Peabody, Massachusetts. Neil Shalin is a freelance writer in the Chicago, Illinois, area, who currently covers high school and college sports for The Daily Herald. In 1999, he retired from his position as an editor, speechwriter, and Midwest public relations director for MetLife.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing (August 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888698446
• ISBN-13: 978-1888698442
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,384,585 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mike Shalin is a veteran of 35 years in sports journalism. The 1976 graduate of Wichita State University started with the wire services in New York in the 70s, moved to the New York Post from 1980-82 and then spent 22 years at the Boston Herald, covering the Red Sox for 12 years and then Boston College football and basketball before leaving the newspaper in 2005. He is now a freelancer in the Boston area, with varied duties including work as an official scorer at Fenway Park. Shalin, a Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 1989, co-authored a book entitled "Out By A Step, The 100 Best Players Not in the Baseball Hall of Fame and is the author of the 2011 release "Donnie Baseball, The Definitive Biography of Don Mattingly (Triumph). He also co-penned Gilles Villemure's Tales From The Rangers Locker Room, as well as several books for young readers and has worked in radio and television. Shalin resides in Easton, Ma.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars It Could Have Been Good, November 21, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Out by a Step: The 100 Best Players Not in the Baseball Hall of Fame (Hardcover)

I looked forward to receiving this book, but am not happy with it. Absent are the career total statistics for each player. Instead, the authors provide a highlight statistics box of the numbers they want to provide. These do not remain consistent from one player to the next. The arguments for the Hall-of-Fame are weak and unconvincing. Richie Allen, their #1 choice for example, is argued for inclusion in the Hall because of his 1972 MVP season, the fact that he had his own rules (and that his anger was mostly at management, not his teammates) and the fact that Don Drysdale and Jim Kaat state that he was a great hitter. I remain unconvinced. After reading the first essay, I skimmed the text for the arguments about players I always felt were borderline candidates, or at least cared about, Don Mattingly, Elston Howard, Graig Nettles, Ron Guidry, Thurman Munson, Willie Randolph (yes, a definite Yankee bias here). These essays were also weak. I was hoping for detailed analysis providing convincing arguments for the players to be included in the Hall-of-Fame. This book does not provide that. The authors also do not follow the same logic for every ballplayer. The randomness of the articles, based mostly on isolated statistics and comments from former teammates or opponents remembering their greatness ("He was as good as any I've seen for that period of time" - Willie Randolph on Don Mattingly) (Ken Harrilson says Graig Nettles was one of the best fastball hitters he ever saw.) If you are looking for a baseball book in the Bill James, Rob Neyer mold, this book is not it. If you're looking for simple arguments about some very good players, you may want to consider this book.

2.0 out of 5 stars Book is off by a bit., August 13, 2011

By 

Corrie Campbell (Eatontown, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Out by a Step: The 100 Best Players Not in the Baseball Hall of Fame (Hardcover)

This book is strictly for the most avid baseball fan. It highlights the careers of all-star caliber players that just missed the MLB Hall of Fame by introducing their stats and some good anecdotes. Not enough photos especially for the old-time players that someone from this generation would need to have in order to connect with. Some of those interviewed are repeated for multiple players thereby diluting the strength of the accolades they attribute to those 'Out by a Step.' It feels like the Shalins had a fun time writing this book, but that enthusiasm doesn't translate nearly enough for many of the unfamiliar players.

5.0 out of 5 stars Christmas Presents, January 10, 2008

By 

Mean Mr. Mustard (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Out by a Step: The 100 Best Players Not in the Baseball Hall of Fame (Hardcover)

I bought 5 of these books for Christmas presents for avid baseball fans. All parties were thrilled with the book and it generated a lot of discussion and friendly bantering. The Shalins do a terrific job.