Just Play Ball (Hardcover)

by Joe Garagiola; Yogi (FWD) Berra (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Our fathers remember baseball the way it should be. Colorful characters who played for the love of the game, fresh cut grass, rosin bags, and pine tar remind them what the game is all about. Baseball legend Joe Garagiola's new book, Just Play Ball, is an insightful look at what is right with America' s pastime.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Northland; Stated 1st Impression: 5 4 3 2 1 edition (April 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873589238
• ISBN-13: 978-0873589239
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #99,584 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just plain fun! Get it., April 15, 2007

By	Esther Schindler (Scottsdale, AZ USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Reading this book is like sitting in a bar, lurking on the conversation at the next table and trying to keep your giggles to yourself. Assuming, that is, that the next table is as an accomplished and funny storyteller as is Joe Garagiola, who shares anecdotes and opinions and contemplations about his life in baseball.

What makes this book such good, light reading -- perfect for a summer afternoon -- is that Joe really imparts how much _fun_ the sport is (or can be). He tells stories about many of the big names in baseball (and some of the ones you never heard of, too). You learn about many of the conversations that happen on the pitcher's mound, about the evolution of the pitcher's mitt, about negotiating players' salaries... what a hoot! The book scores high on the laugh-out-loud meter but its humor is never, never mean.

There's nothing deep and serious here. Nothing, really, about baseball statistics or the (ominous tone here) Future of the Game. Nor do you have to be a Major Fan to "get" the humor; I came late to fandom, and still spend a lot of time asking dumb questions, like, "Why did the player get to move to the next base?" However, I haven't felt as though I've missed a single one of his jokes.

In short, if you like baseball and you want a light book to make you laugh, buy this one.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quick, fun recount of some of baseball's greatest moments..., April 17, 2007

By	M. Lepore - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book even impressed my dad, who has quite possibly read every baseball book published since 1950. Joe Garagiola recounts stories about Hoboken's greatest export so vividly, it's hard to believe some of them took place over half-a-century ago! Whether you're a long-time baseball history buff (like my dad) or just getting your feet wet, this book is sure to please...

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Joe Knows Baseball, April 12, 2007

By	Michael Aaron (Newark, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

Joe Garagiola's new book brings years of experience to the table of telling the tale of the baseball diamond. He is a walking tome of history, and I encourage any fan of the game to pick up this book and give it a read.