The 2005 ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia (Paperback)

by Gary Gillette (Editor), Pete Palmer (Editor), Peter Gammons (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Numbers, names, facts. What good would a baseball encyclopedia be without them? In his foreword, ESPN baseball correspondent Peter Gammons says, "In baseball, statistics and numbers matter. They really matter." This is why The 2005 ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia contains more than 1,700 pages of statistics and numbers covering 16,213 major league baseball players from 134 years of baseball.

There are 16 sections of the encyclopedia covering the batter register, the pitcher register, the managers, team rosters, the historical record from 1871 to 2004, the All-Star games, big league ballparks, and other topics. Most sections are arranged alphabetically by player or team name or chronologically by date, and most begin with a two- to four-page section description complete with the historical significance of the topic, definitions, and any abbreviations used.

New to this edition is the section "Black Baseball and the Negro Leagues," which lists the "top 100 players," Hall of Famers, and players with "Hall of Fame-Caliber Careers" in addition to providing statistics and information on home ballparks for big-league-caliber teams from 1920 to 1954. Other new items include coverage of the days spent on the disabled list; the College World Series, Little League and American Legion champions; and spring-training venues. Biographical information and Hall of Fame voting data have been expanded.

The encyclopedia is not only a lesson in baseball history but also a lesson in math. Many complicated baseball formulas and computations are explained throughout the book. For example, ".2*(PO - SO + .4*(A - CS) - E + DP + PB/2)" is a formula used to determine the fielding rates for the catcher position.

A Web site [http://www.247baseball.com] provides updated statistics for the encyclopedia, which is recommended for public libraries and baseball enthusiasts. Heck, at $24.95, buy a copy for the local baseball pub, too; it's cheaper than a round of beer! Sue Polanka
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

Now officially endorsed by ESPN! Based on an amazing database created by award-winning baseball analyst Pete Palmer, and edited by baseball commentator and historian Gary Gillette, this is the most complete and accurate baseball reference ever compiled-completely updated through 2004, and including a foreword by ESPN's Peter Gammons.

"I want a bumper sticker: You can have my Baseball Encyclopedia when you tear it from my cold, dead hands."
--Bill James, author of the Historical Baseball Abstract Today and Sports Weekly

Product Details

• Paperback: 1728 pages
• Publisher: Sterling (February 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140272568X
• ISBN-13: 978-1402725685
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 2.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #839,122 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Poor Substitute For MacMillan, April 10, 2005

By	Jimmy G. "Redman" (Brewster NY) - See all my reviews

Sure! It's loaded with new age stats(AOPS,ABR,AERA,RNG,BFW).But are you looking to see why Reggie Jackson was called Mr.October? Well don't look under his entry in the Batter Register. As a matter of fact don't look anywhere in this book because players AL/NLCS or World Series stats ARE NOT listed! Want to look up some post season facts? Your search begins on page 1631 and ends on page 1634! No line scores for Playoff or World Series games! The post-season section is no more comprehensive than you would find in the World Almanac! Not what I'm looking for in a Baseball encyclopedia. If you've ever spent an hour or two just getting lost in your old MacMillan encyclopedia flipping back from section to section, don't expect this cheap imposter volume to re-create that feeling.

4 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Excellent !!, April 15, 2005

By	JORGE ZURITA S "jazs_1972" (CARACAS, VENEZUELA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This encyclopedia it's for a baseball fan like the bible for a priest ! Simply it's the bible of baseball.
It represents a great asset for any library.
Simply Excellent !!!

7 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia 2005, March 6, 2005

A Kid's Review

It was great it told me everything I need to know about baseball. This is the best book in recorded history!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!