Baseball Desk Reference
Produced by sports editor Lorimer and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, this richly illustrated volume contains a treasure trove of useful information. The first section presents a brief analysis of "the American Pastime," with a time line, a history of baseball's Valhalla, and a look at baseball mechanics. Section 2 offers short biographical sketches of baseball businessmen; short, year-by-year accounts of the game's history; and an exploration of baseball franchises. This portion of the book also includes brief profiles, containing both texts and statistics of more than 700 of baseball's greatest performers and managers. Ty Cobb, for example, is shown to have led the league in key batting areas more frequently than any other major leaguer, while Walter Johnson, Warren Spahn, and Lefty Grove were the top moundsmen, as indicated by their collection of individual pitching titles. Photographic images of Hall of Fame plaques, complete with the actual inscriptions, are placed next to the biographical sketches. The sometimes ignored on-base percentage statistic is featured, while lists of the top lifetime and single-season earned run averages are intelligently divided into the dead ball and live ball eras. Section 3 examines the international, college, and youth components of the game, along with women and baseball, the Negro leagues, and the minors. The final section, "Lore and Lingo," is particularly intriguing; it explores the media, "Baseball Song and Verse," museums and libraries, baseball dialect, baseball movies, literature about the sport, and collectibles. This book offers a vast array of information not included in other baseball collections. Recommended for all public libraries. R.C. Cottrell, California State Univ., ChicoCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.