Fairly short book resulting in a fairly short review - but packed with good information. It did have a little (very little) "Glory of Their Times" feel, but it was less about the stories of these men and more about the game of baseball itself.
Title/Author:
“Talking Baseball with Major League Stars” by Wayne Stewart
Rating:
3 of 5 stars (good)
Review:
If one wants to learn about any aspect of baseball, whether it be pitching, hitting, fielding, strategy, or any other topic related to the game, it only makes sense to talk to those who do it best. That is the concept behind this book by Wayne Stewart, where a reader will learn about these topics and more from interviews with many Major League baseball players and managers.
Through these numerous interviews, Stewart was able to craft a decent narrative on so many different approaches to the game. This is not only due to the sheer number of people who provided quotes and information, but just because of the many nuances of the game. A great example of this is the section on pitching, which was my favorite chapter of the book. Just about any type of pitch that a reader can think of, whether it is in current use (split-finger fastball, cutter) or one that is not used as often as it used to be (forkball, knuckleball), there will be several people giving their opinions or knowledge about that topic.
While this makes for very interesting reading and even hardcore fans can learn something new, it can get overwhelming at times to read the book. Not so much because of the information, but because of the sheer number of players and managers interviewed. I had a hard time keeping track of which person said which quote when many would talk about the same detail. It was still good to read, just hard to follow who said what.
I wish to thank Rowman and Littlefield for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.
Link: Talking
Baseball with Major League Stars: Stewart, Wayne: 9781538185285: Amazon.com:
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