Customer Reviews

Watching Baseball Smarter: A Professional Fan's Guide for Beginners, Semi-experts, and Deeply Serious Geeks

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The subtitle of this well crafted work: "A Professional Fan's Guide for Beginners, Semi-Experts, and Deeply Serious Geeks." For the first two categories, right on! Geeks are not going to learn a whole lot that they already do not know. That aside, though, this is a nice work.

Examples of what is in some of the chapters: Chapter 2 focuses on "Pitchers and Catchers." The first part of the chapter describes basic pitches (and how they are thrown)--fastball, curveball, slider, change-up, split-finger fastball, knuckleball, screwball, spitball (naughty, naughty!), eephus, and gyroball (does it even exist?). Each is described, with a bit of humor added here and there.

Chapter 5 explores "Fielding." There are brief descriptions of what each position has to do. As an old second baseman, I enjoyed reading about the basics of the double play and so on.

Chapter 6 examines "Stadiums" (but should this not be "Stadia," to use the proper Latin term?). One of the more enjoyable features is the description of some unique fields. Think Fenway Park or Wrigley Field. But why not talk about the cool stadium in Cleveland?

Chapter 9 takes a peek at "Random Stuff to Know." E.g., Why K for strikeout on scorecards? What about uniform numbers? The seventh inning stretch? And so on.

This book is a lot of fun. Even hard core baseball fans might enjoy it for its style, even though they may not learn a great deal that is new. For beginners and intermediate fans, though, this will be quite a pleasure!

I really liked this book a lot...I learned quite a bit about baseball and I enjoyed the author's sense of humor. I don't think the book quite lives up to its subtitle: ...for beginners, semi-experts, and deeply serious geeks. It probably won't be quite basic enough to totally please the absolute beginner...but still not a bad choice either. Likewise I think that most semi-experts and serious geeks are going to be looking for something more than what is offered here. Nevertheless, I'm sure there are a lot of people out there that will really enjoy and learn from this book, the way I did. I'd recommend it for people with at least a very basic knowledge of how baseball is played, who want to learn more about a truly fascinating game.

this book is a must read for anyone interested in getting the most out of watching a baseball game. even the most knowledgeable fans will find lots of new and interesting information in this extremely thoughtful book...but not to worry, it is extemely entertaining and funny as well. in addition to the well laid out text there are references in italics linking to a prodigious glossary at the end containing every imaginable baseball term. this is a welcome addition to the literature especially as it comes right at the beginning of the new season.

I think this book is pretty much aimed at younger readers, 10-20, or an occasional follower of the game. It's material is really fairly light. If you're familiar with baseball, then there's not much here that hasn't been said somewhere. It has five interesting questions on the back cover. For example, "Why do some players urinate on their hands?" Good luck if you can find the answer. There is no index. That is quite unfortunate in my view. If you are pretty familiar with baseball, you'll find yourself skipping over material to find something you might find interesting. The lack of an index will let you down.

I'm turning this over to my 12-13 year old nephews. I'm sure they'll love it.

I don't think the interesting question about name five ways a hitter can get to first without hitting the ball is in here. (Answer is found by Google.)

It's easy to read and entertaining. The book is well-edited - chapters are split up in such a way that makes it easy to find immediate answers during a game, yet it flows cohesively enough to make it an entertaining read on a quiet night. I like the extensive dictionary of baseball terms and phrases. It has lots of whats, but frequently also includes the whys behind things like the history of certain stats and the main reason the MLB did away with spitballs. There's lots of insider info, interesting facts and anecdotes; everything from how to read a box score to unusual attributes of ball parks. This book is loaded, and any baseball fan will enjoy it.

I strongly disagree with the reviewer that says that there is not much here that has not been said elsewhere. While I am new to baseball, at the age of 55 vastly more familiar with soccer, football, and basketball, my youngest son loves the game, and I have spent time looking for the perfect book that can both help him see the nuances, and help me follow the game.

This book is nothing less than extraordinary. It would be a superb gift for any high school or college student who loves the game, and for any parent or grandparent new to the game. Personally I think it has a great deal of information that those who consider themselves avid fans have NOT noticed, but you can decide that better than I.

Here are some of the nuggets in this book, which is the tactical complement to the strategic companion by another author, "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game." The two books together constitute an instant reference library from any baseball affecionado.

1) 1 in 100,000 make it to major leagues from among those who strive to get there.

2) Going to college is a superb way to perfect your skills and shorten the time to selection for minor leagues--a tiny handfull get to go straight to the majors.

3) Five tool players can field well, throw hard (and accurately), run fast, hit home runs, and hit a high batting average.

4) Any major leaguer, however "bad" they might appear on a given day, is the best of the best and has spent a lifetime getting there.

5) Awesome concise clear description of the many kinds of balls that a pitcher can throw to a batter.

6) Runner on second can see catcher's signals and signal to the hitter more often than not. I had no idea.

7) When bases are loaded, a fast ball is more likely, hit to it and improve your batting average.

8) Amazing list of all the *many* reasons a coach might walk out to talk to a pitcher.

9) Leg strength is critical for all players and helps power the ball.

10) Run bases on a CURVE for faster rounding of bases.

11) A catcher can be the team's reference librarian, a goldmine of knowledge about hitters built up over a lifetime of observation.

12) Strike zone defined by each player, not a fixed box. From the kneecaps to a line halfway between the belt and the shoulders.

13) Outstanding section on umpires, who can spend thousands on a school and endure 8-12 years in the minors on bare subsistence salaries. If they do make it to the majors, then they earn a six-figure salary.

14) Lovely section that clearly illustrates and explains all of the symbols needed to record every move in a baseball game.

15) Umpires WILL remember every slight over the years, and when borderline calls need to be made, the slights will come home to roost.

Superb glossary.

I am giving this review and the book to my 12-year old, in the hopes that he will read every word and refer back to this book many times in the years to come.

This book is a GEM. Ignore the faint praise by other reviewers.

See also the DVDs
Field of Dreams (Widescreen Two-Disc Anniversary Edition)
A League of Their OwnBaseball - A Film By Ken Burns
The Natural (Director's Cut)
For Love of the Game
Impossible to Forget: The Story of the '67 Boston Red Sox
Nine Innings From Ground Zero: The 2001 World Series
Rising Sons Return - Matsui, Ichiro and More!
American Pastime
The Pride of the Yankees (Anniversary Edition)

Watching Baseball Smarter will appeal to youngsters around 9-12 who are eager to grab as much baseball knowledge as possible by attending and watching games on television. For those young people, scoring, colorful terms, and obscure rules can make the game seem more mysterious than it is. At the same time, learn those elements of active watching and a youngster can develop the basics to enjoy being a lifelong fan.

If someone had given me this book at that age, I would have treasured Watching Baseball Smarter above all over gifts I got that at that time. I would have been most thrilled by the illustrations of how the various pitches are thrown.

Remember that observation when you consider if you know any budding fans who would be thrilled to have this book.

As for the claim that the book is also for semi-experts and deeply serious geeks, I don't think so. I didn't see any material that wasn't well known to me by the time I was 15. And I was hardly a semi-expert or a deeply serious geek. I just enjoyed watching and attending the games.

Don't give this book to a serious baseball fan; you'll embarrass yourself if you do.

Here are few questions to test your ability to enjoy the book:

1. What is the infield fly rule?

2. What is a double switch?

3. What is a catcher's earned run average?

4. What is a safety squeeze?

5. How do you keep score?

If know all five, this book isn't for you. If you know four, you'll get an occasional nugget from the book. If you know three or fewer, this book is a good choice for you.

On this reading, the main pleasure was from remembering when I first learned the material and from an occasional bit of trivia that was new to me. The former pleasure was what kept me reading, and I was disappointed that the book was aimed mostly at an elementary level . . . having found the subtitle to be misleading in terms of the book's relevance for me.

Play ball!

This book really offers nothing to any sort of fan. I don't care whether you calculate players' WARP for fun or are still wondering who that guy standing between second and third is, this book won't help you.

It really comes down to a pedagogical failing of the author. He just doesn't seem to have a concept of how to explain things. He writes in a way that will only make the answer clear if you already know the answer: half-answers and tertiary information, leaving out the primary answer. For example, take his explanation of the curveball. He tells you how it's held (though his explanation of that is pretty piss-poor, making the included diagram its saving grace,) the spin on the ball, and about ten different synonyms for it. What's missing? An explanation of what a curveball is or how to identify it when watching a game.

The entire book is like this. It includes tons of trivia and tertiary information that might be interesting if it capped off a detailed explanation of the topic at hand, but because it just stands by itself it really doesn't offer much to anybody. It feels like each sections should be three times as long just to fill in all the missing details.

If you already know baseball bat-to-glove, this book will offer nothing but half-hearted, confusing explanations for things you already know. If you don't know anything about baseball this book will offer nothing but half-hearted, confusing explanations for things you don't know about (and will continue to not know about even after reading the book.)

For me personally, I came into the book hoping to fill in some basic gaps in my knowledge. A few years ago I got serious about baseball and jumped right into the deep-end of serious baseball blogs. Because of this I have a fair amount of knowledge of the advanced concepts of baseball, like sabermetrics and current trade rumors, but am missing some basic knowledge that was never taught to me, like the different types of pitches or exactly when a force out is in play vs. when a runner must be tagged. But due to the absolutely terrible writing in this book I ended up simply skipping over the 2/3rds of the book I already knew and not getting anything out of the remaining third I didn't.

In short, skip this book, and anything else Zack Hample may write in the future. It's honestly not worth wasting a tree over.

So you'll probably hear a lot of reviews for this book that start with, "Okay, I'm a huge baseball fan..." or "I played baseball my whole life, and..." followed by praise for Mr. Hample's insight, research, and humor.

Although the book would TOTALLY help peak interest and raise awareness amongst new baseball fans, you will probably pick it up because the huge, warn-in baseball looks good enough to eat, and you love the game like a member of your own family.

As someone who has lived and learned baseball for 30 years, Mr. Hample's book provided me with more knowledge, more open doors, and more "No kidding!" Pick this book up. Read it. Carry it with you to a game. Have it out on the table when you watch games on TV. You'll see why...

Bravo, Mr. Hample. You have created a gem.

This book is a great start for those who want a deeper understanding to the game. I always knew the basic rules about baseball and could even watch a game on Tv and not become to bored. But after reading this book my love, addiction, and knowledge of the game grew. I treat this book as a 1st step into a deeper understanding of the game, or even just to understand the difference between a fastball and curveball.
All in all, this book made me love the game of baseball even further and now I am going to more and more games. A must buy for fans and those who want to be fans alike.