The official rules of baseball: An anecdotal look at the rules of baseball and how they came to be, with over 50 vintage photographs [Hardcover]

David Nemec (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1999

The entertaining story of the rules' evolution.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Must reading for all, including the players."--Phil Rizzuto

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Fascinating in their origins, central to the history of the game and to how it is played today, the rules of baseball provide never-ending material for the arguments, anecdotes, and great moments that make baseball what it is.In The Rules of Baseball, David Nemec relates the history of the rules, explores how the rules have changed and why, and relates some of the many memorable episodes in baseball in which the rules have played a central role: the famed "Pine Tar Game," the beaning of Ray Chapman, and many more.The book is illustrated with over 50 black-and-white photographs of key moments in the evolution of baseball's rules. The Rules of Baseball will be required reading for anyone who wants to know the game well - and for the millions of fans who want to know it better.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 270 pages
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble Books; Glued bdg, paper over bds edition (1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760716102
• ISBN-13: 978-0760716106
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,703,806 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book I've Read on This Subject, December 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Rules of Baseball (Paperback)

Nice job of interweaving baseball's rules with anecdotes giving you the reasons they were first implemented or else later modified. I found it a surprise that this book was first written in 1994 and then updated for 1999 with almost no effort at all. Because there have been no important changes at all in the rules for a number of years now! Think about that. Monumental player strikes, massive umpiring problems, records toppling almost every day--but the basic game has remained changeless. This book, as a result, may hold up for a long while as the best I've seen on the rules and their history.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprise, surprise, September 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Rules of Baseball (Paperback)

Terrible title, but the book more than survives it. The Rules of Baseball a fun read? Somehow Nemec makes it happen. Just wish it had been longer. You get the feeling that for every anecdote he used he had another 10 or 12 he could have given us that were just about as entertaining.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book I've read on the subject, August 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Rules of Baseball (Paperback)

Apart from the fact that the author seems to pick and choose which rule changes to explore, I have nothing but praise and admiration for this book. The tumultuous origins of many basic rules that we now take for granted and assume have always been an integral part of baseball are where the author is at his very best.