Customer Reviews

Watching Baseball: Discovering the Game within the Game

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

 

 

Baseball is such a simple game. Someone throws the ball, someone else tries to hit it, if he does he runs around .... Well you know.

But what's really going on. In this quite large (367 page) book, Jerry Remy, a former second baseman explains the game as the players see it. There are hundreds of little tips: playing in the rain is to the advantage of the hitter, should the cutoff man jump if necessary to catch a ball, what about contract negotiations. And of course there's the discussions about people. As a player and then a baseball broadcaster, and a chat room moderator he knows all the principals in the business/game. If baseball is your thing....

I bought this book for my son. It's a little less anecdotal and more technical than I expected. If you really want to understand the strategy of the game, this book is for you. It is light-hearted and there are also some funny baseball stories and info on the Red Sox, but that's not the main part of the book, and if that's what you're looking for this probably isn't the book for you. Overall, I very much recommend this book for those who are true students of the game, and especially for kids about age 12 and up who want insights into how to become a better player MENTALLY, or those interested in coaching. Jerry doesn't explain how to hit a fastball, but he explains the STRATEGY of the game exceptionally well.

I have enjoyed Jerry Remy's astute analysis during Red Sox games for many years and anticipated that Watching Baseball would offer the same depth that he provides as a color commentator. Unfortunately the book, while enjoyable, proved to be a bit of a let down.

Watching Baseball seems to be aimed at the fan who has a basic understanding of the game but may not appreciate all of its nuances. For these readers -- such as my wife -- Remy's book will be extremely helpful in deconstructing the proverbial game within the game.

For those like myself who have been watching and playing baseball for several decades, Remy's book comes up a little short. In particular I found that his analysis was somewhat shallow; he would begin to get into a topic and then move on to something else just as things were starting to get interesting.

While Remy provides anecdotal examples from his own playing days, I would have appreciated more emphasis on strategy. It would have been more interesting if, for example, he had picked one game from the past season and broken it down "pitch-by-pitch" from batting practice to the final out.

The book is also very Red Sox-centric -- with a particular emphasis on the 2003 season. This is understandable given Remy's connection to the team, but a lot of his insight might be lost on a casual fan from Kansas City or Oakland or New York. A second edition of the book would do well to try to appeal to a broader audience.

Watching Baseball also suffers from spotty editing (the organization is choppy and there are several typos -- as if the book was being rushed into print) and is filled with what I consider gratutious quotes in praise of Mr. Remy himself. I found the latter in particular to detract from the book: I didn't need to find a quote every tenth page telling me what a scrappy ballplayer Remy was, or what a great broadcaster he is.

My final analysis: Watching Baseball is good for the casual fan who wishes to improve his or her appreciation for the game; serious fans will find the book lacking, however. Still, 3 for 5 ain't a bad day at the ballpark.

First off, I'm a huge Red Sox fan and have watched the Sox play hundreds of games on TV just in the past several seasons alone, with Jerry Remy as the color commentator. I like him as a commentator. He has a great sense of levity and brings good natured humor to the game. Also, he often has insightful things to say about many aspects of the game, and doesn't over-talk, although he does self-promote a bit much. So maybe I've heard Remy so much that I've already learned all he has to offer.

However, to use a baseball game analogy, much of this book is filled with routine groundballs and fly balls, while you have to wait a long time for hits and runs. By the 7th inning, you need to stretch because things are getting a bit long. There's just not a lot of insight or "discovery" here, unless you really don't watch much baseball.

The book is broken up by these "Rem Dawg Remembers" excerpts, separated in the text and bolded. One such is "You don't see many great hitters that are strictly pull hitters. There have been some: Ted Williams, for example, and Barry Bonds. But they are rare." That's it. Is that really "inside information?" How about talking about David Ortiz and describing his success against the shift? A Williams story? No - no mention if Remy even ever saw Williams when he was a kid. Nothing. Hardly a homerun of insightfulness.

One reviewer noted that Remy said the hitter has the advantage in the rain. Pretty much all Remy says about this is that the field is quicker when wet (no kidding) and the ball is wet when they pick it up, maybe causing errors. Hmmm... and how much does this book cost?

The bottom line is that if you watch baseball even casually on every other weekend over the summer, you already know 95% of what's in the book. As for inside information, Remy doesn't name any names unless he's kissing their butts, has nothing negative to say about anyone (how can you be insightful and skip over criticism?), passes over the steriod scandal, and for whom I thought was a humble guy, devoted lots of the book to himself. What other author has quotes about himself all over the inside of the book? Maybe the jacket, but please.

The best chapter was "Hitter's Counts." It was the one chapter that had stats to back up Jerry's hunches and feelings. Learning Kevin Millar led the 2004 Sox with a .383 BA when ahead in the count was interesting. But if you already know "inside info" like that on a 3-1 count the pitcher is probably going to throw a fastball, you may end up feeling like you haven't learned "the game within the game" that is advertised on the cover.

The last 100 pages are filled up with boxscores from the 2004 playoffs and World Series (not written at all from Jerry's point of view, but co-author Corey Sandler) and then Jerry's favorite current players, and finishes with an brief account of each of Jerry's 7 homeruns. No big deal.

Want to know what it was like to play for years with Yaz? To bat against Nolan Ryan? What's the dugout like? What goes on in player meetings? Want to know inside info about broadcasting Sox games, or funny stories about being on the road? You've come to the wrong book.

Look, I enjoy Jerry Remy's "company" while watching Sox games. He's experienced, insightful and witty. I prefer him to all the other regional broadcasters, and much prefer Remy and Orsillo to the Fox national crew. But this book was a huge letdown. It was repetitive, topical, and lacked tempo. I didn't learn anything that I could use to become a better spectator. Given Remy's ease in front of the camera, I have to think his editor failed him, but I suppose that's neither here nor there.

Remy is the best. His analysis of the game and insights into why players do what they do are second to none--and he's always entertaining, too. I loved this book.

I know what my Father's Day gifts will be. This book is like getting personalized instructions from the man himself, Jerry Remy. It has so much inside information abut the art of baseball. Not just for Red Sox fans but fans of the game anywhere.

I always look forward to baseball games when Jerry Remy is in the broadcast booth because he continually teaches me new things about the sport. This book is full of those insights, all written in Remy's entertaining, conversational voice.