Zack Hample

A great book for rookie fans and veterans. You get the scoop on everything from types of pitches and catchers' signs to player superstitions and the origins of baseball traditions. The book is a great beginner's guide or refresher course. Even well-heeled fans are bound to learn a few things.

There's some good information in this book, but the structure and the insistence on the use of emphasis for lingo and unfamiliar terms make the tone condescending.

Disclaimer: I hate Zack Hample (and ANY ballhawks) and find them to be greedy vultures.

What a great book for anyone who wants to understand the game and get more out of watching it. Now if only someone would do this for ice hockey . . . .

This is a breezy, accessible and often humorous survey of the various positions, strategies, and structure of Major League Baseball. It comes with a very useful glossary that runs the gamut of baseball terms and lingo from a to z. Even a serious fan of the game will find things here that surprise and enlighten. But it should be a fun read even for those (relatively) new to the game. You’ll read it, and then you’ll want to recommend it to a friend. As do I.