Customer Reviews

The Psychology of Baseball: Inside the Mental Game of the Major League Player

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

 

 

"The Psychology of Baseball" is well-researched, thorough, and has greatly enhanced my watching of the game. Stadler combs through a wealth of archival research that explores the psychology and physiology of hitting, pitching and fielding. I now have a new respect for the players, and my love of baseball has taken on a new dimension thanks to this book. Highly recommended!

The research and information present in this book is top notch. This author knows his stuff inside out.

On the flipside it's delivery "paints the corners" of becomming a bone dry Psychology textbook. Young readers curious for a mild read may lose their grip on this one. I found myself skipping pages upon pages of statistical analysis.

I found this book to be an interesting read and generally felt that Stadler (2007) performed admirably in writing about a complex topic. Stadler is a academic by trade, having earned a Ph.D from Purdue University and working as a Psychology professor at the University of Missouri, which works to his advantage in the creation of this book. Stadler breaks the book down into chapters centered around the processes involve with hitting baseballs, catching baseballs, pitching, creating a baseball team through player analysis, performing in the clutch, and the psychology of the sports fan.

Each chapter was written in an accessible format and style with copious amounts of statistical analysis and psychological research woven within to provide logical support for the claimes being presented. Because the information provided is quite advanced and grounded in academic research many casual fans might be turned away by the elevated nature of the book. However, for fans yearning for more understanding about the game they love and the psychological processes involved, the statistics and research utilized make for a fascinating read that serves as both entertainment and an avenue for acquisition of knowledge.

Overall, it was a nice read. I was entertained and gained the most use from the chapters about sports fans and the psychological aspects of selecting players for baseball team rosters. Like several others who have written a review of this book on Amazon.com, I too was slightly bored and overwhelmed with the physics and psychology involved with catching a baseball. To conclude, The Psychology of Baseball by Mike Stadler (2007) was time well spent for me and I feel like I gained some usual knowledge and perspective about the game.

The book, in its majority, deals with the psychology of the actual playing, that is the mental game involved in the pitching and batting, other aspects of baseball. However, it is interesting to note, that there are a lot of little details in this book which are good for anyone doing analytical research about the sport. Things of note are the "violence," or violent act, of throwing the pitch, mentioning that 19 pitchers have ruptured their disks while in the act of pitching. Also, interesting not about NFL football and sociological study by Wann, that NFL losses are associated with a higher rate of domestic violence. Study performed in Washington D.C. concerning Washington Redskins.Gives good references about violence, attitude in stands, that is the drunken-brawl spirit that permeates.
So, it was worth reading. But the majority of the book deals with keeping the mind focused, how players overcome that mental block of the sport. Also, of note, that baseball is the most superstitious sport, among both players, coaches and fans. So, it was an enlightening book in many respects.

The title is a misnomer. Stadler spends more paper space discussing the Neurophysiological aspects of hitting, pitching, and fielding, or reviewing arguments for and against some of baseball's commonly held beliefs, than he does discussing psychology proper.

Although though the book fails to deliver on the title's promise, I did find it interesting, and I think most serious baseball fans will enjoy Stadler's analysis of the sport. I even think it is worth keeping in my library, although I am tempted to tape over the spine and write: The Neurophysiological and Statistical Analysis of Baseball

I'm not embarrassed to say I quickly got lost and bored reading this book. I started out in earnest, then as Stadler got into the details of his LOT models and strategies, generalized optical acceleration cancellations, coarticulations, psychometrics, physics, even NASA (!)...and beyond, I started skimming pages, then skipping paragraphs and then jumping pages. When I began to skip chapters to "get to the good stuff," I decided to reach for another book.

I can't imagine the kind of baseball fan or player that would take the time to closely read the fatiguing analysis of catching wind-blown flyballs, hitting a monster curve ball, or throwing a tricky, rising (?) fastball, and more...although there must be lots of them who need/want this information. --But it's definitely more fun playing the game!

It's a good, solid work. There's no getting around that, and there are probably plenty of readers beyond psychologist types who would fully understand and enjoy author Stadler's effort. For me, however, a true "died-in-the-wool" baseball fan for over 30 years, it turned out to be quite over my head and beyond my sphere of interest.

Great book if you are looking for what goes on behind what you are seeing when you watch a baseball game. Lots of thought and planning ahead between players and coaches. Amazing information in one chapter about how difficult it is to "keep your eye on the ball". Actually, it's impossible!
The book is filled with facts about studies, yet it is written in a very readable and suspensful way.

Book is interesting in that it gives further study to a game that has more complexity than what is generally understood as well as some occasional humor that probably isn't entirely intended by the author. At times the book gets a little lost in the technical beyond what is necessary but you can skim over such paragraphs without missing anything totally necessary.

Pros: Fascinating look at the mental intricacies of baseball. Includes a chapter on fan psychology, which was a nice, unexpected touch

Cons: Would have liked more mention of baseball superstitions, like not talking about a no-hitter in progress.

Grade: A-