Play Baseball the Ripken Way: The Complete Illustrated Guide to the Fundamentals (Paperback)

by Cal Ripken Jr. (Author), Bill Ripken (Author), Larry Burke (Author) "There has always been something special about the game of baseball..." (more)
Key Phrases: momentum toward the target, double play depth, free hitting, Ripken Baseball, World Series, Alex Rodriguez (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This book is the next best thing to a personal lesson with the man who broke Lou Gehrig's record of playing in 2,632 consecutive games; it's a comprehensive look at all aspects of how to play baseball that will benefit young players and adult weekend warriors. Assisted by his brother Bill, who also is a Major League veteran, and Sports Illustrated baseball editor Burke, Ripkin presents the training philosophy taught to him by his father, a legendary scout for the Baltimore Orioles. The book's nine chapters, or "innings," offer clearly detailed, precisely illustrated (by photographer Bill Wood) and incredibly helpful advice on all aspects of batting, base running, infielding and outfielding. The best are the chapters on catching, where Ripkin provides numerous insights into how a catcher can be "a true on-field manager," and on pitching, where Ripkin relies on the insights of John Habyanas, a former player and current pitching guru. He also offers short "Cal's Corner" sidebars with teaching tips. Perhaps the most helpful chapter is the "9th Inning" look at how managers need to examine "behavior issues" in the same way as catching and throwing to help players "cope with their failures and their losses."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review
?The Ripken brothers? dedication to kids and youth baseball is undeniable and this book is a great example of how much they love the game. I couldn?t think of anyone more qualified to teach kids, parents and coaches than Cal and I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn how to play the game the right way?The Ripken Way.?
-Alex Rodriguez, 2003 American League Most Valuable Player -- Review --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (January 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812970500
• ISBN-13: 978-0812970500
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #90,325 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Fundamentals, April 27, 2004

By	"majher" (South Euclid) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Play Baseball the Ripken Way: The Complete Illustrated Guide to the Fundamentals (Hardcover)

Coach John Wooden said a good player with good fundamentals will become a good player and a good player with great fundamentals will become a great player. If you're like me, a Father of a 10-year-old boy who loves playing baseball and you have been looking for that one book that can show you the fundamentals of baseball from hitting to fielding and pitching. Look no further, because this book has everything you will need and a whole lot more. The Ripkens have put together a baseball book that tells the how to, in an approach easy to understand and not only the how to but the why, which as Cal points out, all kids ask. Many thanks to the Ripken family from late Father Cal to sons Cal and Billy and their fine staff who have put together a great baseball book of fundamentals for the Father, Coach and ballplayer.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, March 21, 2005

By	L. Smith (midwest USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Play Baseball the Ripken Way: The Complete Illustrated Guide to the Fundamentals (Hardcover)

A previous reviewer asks, "What would you expect from Cal Ripken?" Well, from any major league player, I would expect a half baked, ghosted book with a lot of reminiscenses and some trite advice. Fortunately, that is not the case with this book. The Ripkens have obviously thought deeply about the fundamentals of baseball and how to teach them to young players. They boil the instruction down to the essence, and explain why. For example, I have always heard "get your butt down," to field a ground ball. The Ripkens explain that's so you can see the ball better as it comes to you. How many times have you heard coaches tell young players to "get the back elbow up" when hitting? I know that's wrong - now I know why it's wrong.

All in all, this a great instructional book. It really does stress the fundamentals and doesn't get bogged down in the details only a double A player would care about.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What You would Expect from Cal Ripken: Excellent, December 19, 2005

By	J. E. Robinson - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I am a baseball fan. I played as a kid and go to seem MLB games in my home town of Toronto. We are in the same conference as the Baltimore Orioles (American League East), Cal's old team so I saw him play quite a bit. He is a graceful and thoughtful player. His four trademarks were a love of the game, natural ability, a lot of practice, a thinking player, and he has a lot of experience. Also he comes from a baseball family. In short he is among the best all round players to have ever played the games and to our benefit he stayed late after every game signing autographs - a rarity today.

If I was going to pick one recent player to write a book an learning baseball he would be the man. He has intelligence, experience and the love for the game. Many other players might be faster, or better hitters, etc. but he was the total package, a guy that could pace himself on and off the field and a person that really loved the game and cared for the fans.

So that brings us to the book. It is impressive! It is a work of love by the authors. It is well laid out with a chapter by chapter review of the game with lots and lots of bright color photographs, some in a time sequence so they show how the action evolves. He and the other authors appear in the photos wearing simple black and white uniforms demonstrating baseball fundamentals. He tries to explain some of the more subtle yet important parts of the game. He covers all the basic aspects such as pitching, how to hold the pitched ball, catching, playing the infield, the outfield, hitting, etc.

Excellent for all levels of baseball, playing or a fan. Highly recommend. Everyone will learn something new, even old fans like me.