Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this book for the hard-core baseball fan, Will persuades such notables as Tony La Russa, Orel Hershiser and Tony Gwynn to offer details on the finer points of the game. ``The author tends to retell well-known baseball history a little too often,'' said PW. ``But as a sports journalist, he shows himself to be a master at enticing players into particularly enlightening discussions.'' (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Columnist/commentator Will turns his attention from political parties and economies to split-fingered fastballs and aluminum bats in this study of four men who practice the craft of baseball with consummate skill. The four are Tony LaRussa, Orel Hershiser, Tony Gwynn, and Cal Ripken Jr., each of whom represents a major element of the game (managing, pitching, hitting, and fielding). He credits their success to attention to detail, a necessity in ``a game where you have to do more than one thing very well, but one at a time.'' The author's own devotion to detail in defining the components of the game is sure to instill in readers a greater appreciation of what is required to master the sport at the major league level, thereby providing a deeper understanding of the foundation of the game. Altogether, this is hardcore baseball presented in fluent style. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 10/1/89.-- William H. Hoffman, Ft. Myers-Lee Cty. P.L., Fla. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Political pundit Will, as readers of his column are aware, is a baseball buff whose principal claim to fame has been an unrequited passion for the Chicago Cubs. Here, he essays a sort of thinking-man's guide to the national pastime--one that, for all its occasional pleasures, is gratingly pretentious. Ostensibly, Will focuses on four real pros: Tony LaRussa (manager, Oakland Athletics); Orel Hershiser (pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers); Tony Gwynn (outfielder, San Diego Padres); and Cai Ripken, Jr. (shortstop, Baltimore Orioles). The nominal subjects of his profiles, however, serve mainly as departure points for wide-ranging inquiries into base-running, defense, hitting, pitching, stealing (signs as well as bases), and other of baseball's essential skills. At his best, Will is an informed, frequently astute, student of the diamond. He appreciates, for instance, that any given matchup can surprise because the players ""are not robots."" In addition, the author persuasively rates today's ""physically more impressive"" stars above their storied counterparts of yesteryear. As often as not, however, he parades his knowledge, introducing extraneous facts, minutiae, and statistics that dazzle rather than illuminate. Without explanation or any mention of Latin countries, for example, Will offers a rundown on the changing list of states that produce the greatest numbers of major-leaguers. Included as well (without further comment) are data on losing streaks and consecutive winning seasons for franchises in all sports. Nor does Will shrink from pedantspeak (e.g., arguing at one point that ""baseball exemplifies a tension in the American mind, a constant pull between our atomistic individualism and our yearning for community""). He concludes with an odd harangue on the sorry State of the Union vis-á-vis the putatively healthy condition of the game he also loves. The scouting report: Good hit, no field; can't go to his left. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
