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George F. Will

Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball Paperback – Unabridged, April 13, 2010

by George F. Will (Author)

231 ratings

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#1 New York Times Bestseller

"A delightful look at all the little things that make major league baseball a subtle spectacle." —Seattle Times

In his classic tribute to America's pastime, political commentator, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and lifelong sports enthusiast George F. Will travels from the baseball field to the dugout to the locker room to get to the root of the game we all love. He breaks down the sport to its four basic components, managing, pitching, hitting, and fielding, and analyzes the way four of its notables, manager Tony La Russa, pitcher Orel Hershiser, outfielder Tony Gwynn, and shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., approach the game. One of the most acclaimed sports books ever written, Men at Work is a revelatory, and often surprising, study of professional baseball.

Print length

400 pages
Language

English
Publication date

April 13, 2010
Dimensions

5.31 x 0.9 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

9780061999819
ISBN-13

978-0061999819
Lexile measure

1130L
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A classic that may even stand up as the best baseball book of the ‘90s.” -- Chicago Tribune

“All fans will be in Will’s thrall and in his debt.” -- New York Times Book Review

"Will's Work is a joy . . . a book that we must read [and] talk about." -- San Diego Union-Tribune

"George Will on baseball. Perfect. . . . Men at Work is clearly a labor of love. . . a book of surpassing enthusiasm and intelligence." -- Los Angeles Times

"Anyone who truly loves the game. . . will find Men at Work thoroughly rewarding." -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch

From the Back Cover

In his classic tribute to America's pastime—now with a new introduction—political commentator, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and lifelong sports enthusiast George F. Will travels from the baseball field to the dugout to the locker room to get to the root of the game we all love. He breaks down the sport to its four basic components, managing, pitching, hitting, and fielding, and analyzes the way four of its notables, manager Tony La Russa, pitcher Orel Hershiser, outfielder Tony Gwynn, and shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., approach the game. One of the most acclaimed sports books ever written, Men at Work is a revelatory, and often surprising, study of professional baseball.

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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0061999814
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (April 13, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780061999819
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0061999819
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1130L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.9 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.9 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #19,188 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #19 in Baseball (Books)
- #736 in United States History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
231 ratings

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5 star		72%
4 star		18%
3 star		8%
2 star		2%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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Glenn Gravlee

"Men at Work" works part-time for me.

Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2018

Verified Purchase

I found "Men at Work" surprising in some ways and predictable in others. George Will is a very accomplished writer, and he learned and conveyed a lot of information in writing this book. As a baseball "lite" level of fan, I learned a great deal. The detail was excessive at times. For example (hypothetically), if someone embellished discussion about a team by noting that they were one of four National League teams before 1960 that had five or more consecutive losing seasons, I would prefer that the other three not be named. Being a thorough soul, Will invariably did so. The organization into four sections (hitting, pitching, fielding, managing) with a primary (and impressive) interviewee for each one was interesting, but Will wandered far afield from these primary sources fairly often. Sometimes these diversions were great. At other times, not so much.
Admirably, I found Will's train of thought easy to follow throughout, which I cannot routinely say about his regular columns.
I found Will's book, "A Nice Little Place on the North Side" much more enjoyable. That book focuses on Wrigley Field and the Chicago Cubs.
"Men at Work" appears on more than one top 20 or 25 baseball books lists. If you prefer intense immersion in baseball techniques, history, and statistics to reading a good nonfiction baseball book, then "Men at Work" will find a place on your top 25 list as well. I've probably read 20-25 nonfiction baseball books, and it would fall into the bottom 20% for me. Still, I'm glad I read it, because I learned so much.

12 people found this helpful

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G. Sanders

For My Avid Beaver Fan

Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2019

Verified Purchase

I got this book for my husband who is an avid fan of the Oregon State University baseball team .. who, by the way, won the national championship 2 ot 3 years ( I don't remember stats like he does). Anyway ... he was mesmerized by this book, couldn't stop reading it and goes back to some topics over and over. There is much to be learned not only about baseball but about life and how to experience it. George Will is a wordsmith extrodinaire, he captures your interest and keeps it throughout the book. Highly recommended not only for baseball fans but students of life as well. Enjoy!

5 people found this helpful

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Rabbit the Reader

Wow

Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2019

Verified Purchase

It is dated as it covers baseball in the eighties. ON the other hand, while I do like the man's politics he knows baseball. My grandson is a high school senior, a baseball player, and plans on playing baseball in college; he loved this book. Made his Grampa happy.

3 people found this helpful

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Brilliant Baseball

Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2019

Verified Purchase

George Will has put in a nutshell the intricacies of baseball. I love the way he describes play during the 80’s. The story tells us about another era which also explains why the game of today is what it is. Players take more first and second pitches and the strike zone has shrunk. No wonder games are longer now than as recently as the 80’s. I love the book and I have read several times.

2 people found this helpful

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Catmom

A dated tome that wanders.

Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2014

Verified Purchase

Descartes. Dizzy Dean. The 1952 musical "The Pajama Game." Ray Kroc. William James. Pete Maravich. Pericles. John Updike. This is just a sampling of cultural references from the last 5 pages of "Men at Work The Craft of Baseball." The beginning and middle of the book are equally replete with similar high-brow references. If you are looking for a book of pure baseball craftsmanship, statistics and history, you'll find some of that, too. The problem is ferreting out the relative information from the clutter. This book is now 25-years old so, yes, it is dated. It has history, which Will claims is essential to the understanding of the game, but the history often overpowers the point Will is trying to make. The book wanders aimlessly at times, too. So much more could have been accomplished with a lot fewer words.

5 people found this helpful

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Pugwash

The Pre-Moneyball

Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2009

Verified Purchase

George Will was always thought of a Conservative think tank columnist until he wrote a book on baseball. To his credit, his approach is, if not unique, then refreshing. He takes a micro-look at baseball, while focussing on some of the bright lights of the era of the late 1980's and early 1990's. Tony LaRussa from a managing perspective, Tony Gwynn from a hitting perspective, Cal Ripken, from fielding and Orel Hershiser from pitching.

Will looks at the day to day preparation of each of these athletes, and how they approach their sport 162 days a year.

He has chosen fine models for his investigation. Gwynn had a cerebral and focussed hitting approach that was so thoughtful, and so advanced, that he could have come from several decades in the future. Ripken set a standard for high level consistency that may never be challenged. And Hershiser, like Ron Guidry before him, may never be a Hall of Famer, but soared to heights for a few a seasons that few have ascended.

Tony LaRussa, as of this writing is still an active manager, and is still in the elite of baseball dugout management.

This is a highbrow look at professional baseball, and is a precursor to Michael Lewis' excellent book, "Moneyball."

Will has a passion for baseball, and I am glad he shared this book. It is a highly worthwhile read.

4 people found this helpful

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E2Rose

Best baseball book I've ever read

Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2015

Verified Purchase

Best baseball book I've ever read. Mr. Will shows all that goes into a game is much more than what you see. The strategies and moves that go into a typical game, although after reading this you may decide there is no such thing as a typical game, are identified as is the game through the eyes of the manager. Curious and interesting events and milestones are revealed along with many humorous stories. This book will will spark, perhaps reawaken, your interest in the great pastime.

4 people found this helpful

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zorba

Outdated, But Fascinating Nevertheless

Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2011

Verified Purchase

This somewhat outdated book (written in late '80s) is an ambitious compendium of the skills employed by some of the best players and managers of the game. Through the eyes of Tony LaRussa, Orel Hershiser, Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr., Will fees us a Herculean amount of "inside baseball." Perhaps the boatload of statistics and anecdotes are a little too weighty, but Will leavens it with his wit and his solid journalism. Maybe a good baseball fan doesn't need to know all that Will gives us. But as a former baseball fanatic who lost interest for decades, I found it very enjoyable to take a refresher course in the ins and outs of our national pastime and be reminded why I love the game so much. A solid, notable baseball book by a devoted fan.

5 people found this helpful

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