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113 of 117 people found the following review helpful:
This book is a "double," not a home run, November 18, 2000
Josh Leventhal's ambitious book really does make the attempt to present a lot of information about ballparks in a creative way -- but, frankly, other books accomplish the task in a more professional and complete manner. The first thing that you will notice about "Take Me Out To The Ballpark" is the shape of the book itself. The cover and the pages are indeed shaped like a baseball park, where the spine and bottom edge are straight (like the foul lines of a field) and the other edges are rounded (like the outfield wall of a symmetrical stadium). I give the author and publisher credit for a creative effort, but sometimes the rounded edges of the pages cause important portions of photographs to be cut off. It also tends to make the layout of some of the pages cluttered. While the text is enlightening, and some attempt (although not enough for my taste) is made to provide the information in a format that is consistent from park to park, it is troubling to me to see some mistakes and questionable decision making on which photos to include. For instance, an aerial shot of old Braves Field on page 20 is printed upside down (the airplane carrying the photographer was obviously beyond centerfield looking back toward home plate -- but the photo is printed on the page with home plate at the bottom of the shot). Even worse, a beautiful color shot of Camden Yards is printed backwards (i.e., the negative was turned the wrong way, making the mirror image of the scene appear in print) on page 15. Regarding the decision making on which photos to include, I offer the two-page spread on "Minor League Ballparks of the Midwest" as an example. First, I don't understand the criteria employed to select exactly which parks are included in such sections. Second, one of the four parks highlighted in this section is the fairly unremarkable Midway Stadium in St. Paul -- yet two photos of it are shown here, plus it is the stadium that adorns the front (and back) cover of the book itself. There are also two shots of Victory Field in Indianapolis, yet both shots show similar orientations of the scenery. And worst of all, there are no shots of John O'Donnell Stadium in Davenport, even though it is one of the four parks highlighted in this section. O'Donnell, which sits right on the banks of the Mississippi River, provides one of the best views in all of baseball (hence it being included in BASEBALLPARKS.COM's "Ten Must-See Parks" list), yet there are no photos at all of this park in "Take Me Out To The Ballpark." To be fair, there is a lot of enjoyable information in this book. The parks of the Majors are fairly well covered, and features on upcoming parks are also included. However, there are several other books I would recommend more highly than this one. For instance, "The Ballpark Book" by Ron Smith and published by The Sporting News, is more complete, better organized and more graphically pleasing -- and it's every bit as up-to-date. And on the topic of ballpark history, "Diamonds -- The Evolution of the Ballpark" by Michael Gershman and "Lost Ballparks" by Lawrence Ritter are more enlightening. And perhaps the best book ever written on baseball parks is "Green Cathedrals" by Philip Lowry, although this book, sadly, is now out of print. So while "Take Me Out To The Ballpark" has a great deal of interesting information and quite a few excellent photos of new and old parks, there are better books out there on baseball parks.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
Wrigley Field high above sea-level? Dude!, August 27, 2001
There is some good information in this book, and some good pictures, but there are a number of inaccuracies that are disturbing (I take my ballpark history seriously). Consider the description of Wrigley Field as "high above sea level" and how that affects the ball flight. Dude, last time I looked, 600 feet is not high above sea level...maybe you meant the ballpark in Denver. Again, that is just ONE of the misleading inaccuracies. This is a good book, but not for serious ballpark afficionados like myself.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
Take Me Out to the Ballpark, July 27, 2001
By A Customer
Josh Leventhal has reseached all the ballparks from the start of the majors to present times. All the stadiums your fathers and yourselfs have grown up with are all in this book like Fenway Park in Boston and the Polo Grounds in New York. With well written information and pictures that make you feel like you have grown up with this ballpark in your own hometown. This masterpiece of a book communicates with you what it takes to own a major league ballpark in todays world. From groundskeeeping to conscession sales you will truly get the idea of how a ballpark works! This is a 5 star dream come book to baseball lovers!
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
Excellent Ballpark Pictorial, December 26, 2000
Take Me Out To The Ballpark is an excellent coffee table book. It contains pictures and brief overviews of all the baseball stadiums currently in use and those that have met the wrecking ball. The book does not contain an in depth account of the parks, but gives a brief history and dates of significant highlights. A perfect book for any baseball fan and a perfect book to pick up and skim through.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
A diamond in the rough, March 30, 2003
Take Me Out to the Ballpark captures your eye with its unusual shape, which tells you that you're not just going on for a stodgy history of baseball. Levinthal takes on the task of extolling our ballparks past and present. Of course this is a huge task, which he makes bigger with a smattering of looks at minor league parks and Negro League parks. There is also the unenviable task of trying to give the same space for storied Fenway Park or Ebbets Field and newer places such as SAFECO Field. How does he do? He does surprisingly well, considering the task. The book is not perfect - Levinthal had to decide what to cull and what to include. Some of it is dry - after a while reading the book I didn't care the center field distance of each park. It is nice to know it's there should I wish to look it up, but it was repetitive after a while. And unfortunately he is writing in the midst of a trend of ballpark changes and construction. So even though the book is only a couple of years old, it suffers telling about some of the fields that are no longer with us now that teams have moved on. However, beyond that the book is fun. So much attention is paid to the players over the years it's nice to see someone pay attention to the green cathedrals that are so integral to the game. In many ways this book could be a launching pad for someone who wants to read up more on the Polo Grounds or other great fields which are no longer with us. It is good for the curious as an introduction to the breadth of ballparks, as well as the fan, who will enjoy the stats and stories of their most and least favorite parks. A good book to get you into the new baseball season.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
A Real Treasure, August 18, 2002
This book about baseball stadiums, past and present is wonderful, not just because it lists facts and figures about all major league stadiums, past and present, and not just because it lists famous events at each stadium, but also because it describes the histories of each ballpark. There are also breif descriptions of Negro league ballparks, some minor league parks of note, as well as the "behind the scenes" people and places that make baseball stadiums the stuff of legends. Pages about PA Announcers, team mascots, scoreboards and billboard ads in stadiums are also included here. The book starts off with a history of stadiums, from the wooden edifices of the late 19th century to the "retro ballparks" of today.Reading through this book, you get a real feel for what each stadium is like, and what it feels like to experience watching a ballgame there. Well worth buying even if you're just a casual fan, this book captures a part of baseball history just now becoming popular, ballpark histories.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Take Me Out to the Ballpark: An Illustrated Tour to Baseball Parks, August 2, 2005
I first purchased this for my baseball-fan grown sons. My mother (also a fan) was enthralled by it, so I bought one for her, too. It has lots of information, great photos - all-in-all, a successful gift for the baseball-lover.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Phenomenal, November 18, 2003
This book has to be among the best (if not the best) book about ballparks currently on the market. Not only are there a wealth of pictures and facts about all the current (and some past) major league ballparks, there are also the "stories" behind each of these facilities. There are also a number of minor league and Negro league parks mentioned as well. It's clear this book is a true labor of love by the author. My "West Coast bias" is showing, because I was hoping to see Sacramento's Raley Field (a gorgeous minor league park) mentioned here, but alas it isn't. Oh well, it's a very minor disappointment. And seeing as how a large number of gorgeous minor league parks are now opening across the country, perhaps Mr Leventhal's next project could be a book about minor league parks? As I leafed through its pages, I found myself realizing that next season I need to go on a "road trip" to experience some of these stadiums in person.The book is remarkable in its scope. It starts off by describing the "history" of ballparks, from the rickety old parks of the 19th century to the 'retro" parks of the early 21st century. And with these retro ballparks of today being built, it's piqued people's interest in learning more about the various major league ballparks across the US and into Canada. And in addition to descriptions of every current major league ballpark, there are also features on stadium PA announcers, mascots, ballpark food, groundskeepers, even a page or two on which parks are "home runs havens' and which are "pitcher's dreams." Any baseball fan will adore this book.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Off Season Survival, December 12, 2001
This is great to cuddle up with on those cold and lonely nights when it seems spring training will never arrive. I was first drawn to the book's interesting shape, but then was hooked by the glorious pictures, fascinating trivia, and interesting statistics. I took this book to bed for a few minutes of skimming before lights out, but stayed up most of the night skipping from ballpark to ballpark. I became so infected by baseball fever that I even had to get up for a bag of peanuts. By the way, those shells were heck between the sheets. My only complaint is that this book made me late for work the next morning. O yes, this is great for the junkie who needs a fix before Opening Day.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
baseball parks, December 18, 2006
A Kid's Review
Take me out to the ballpark by Josh Leventhal is a very exciting book because it shows you baseball's old stadiums. For instance, the Brooklyn Dodgers Stadium. The book shows you how many stadiums there are. I used to think there were only 30 stadiums, but this book gives information on more than 100 major and minor league stadiums around the country.
The book shows some very unique stadiums. Some have roofs, some do not and some are football stadiums like Minnesota's stadium. My favorite part of the book is when they show you the old Yankee Stadium. I think a baseball fan should read this book.
By Jacob
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