The first half of this book covers the history of pitching, how the mound started, the physics involved, and the various changes that have been made over the years. The early chapters rely on historical sources about “Ol’ Hoss” Radbourn, Cy Young, and Christy Mathewson. The next several chapters include interviews which Roger Kahn conducted in person with prominent pitchers such as Warren Spahn, Johnny Sain, Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, and Bruce Sutter. This section covers how to hold the baseball to throw specific pitches and their mental approach to the game.

I enjoyed the minibiographies of notable pitchers but had read much of this historical material before. For me, the main attraction is the information Roger Kahn gleaned from conducting in-person interviews. These chapters are compelling. Their stories are entertaining, humorous, and insightful. This where we find most of the strategic discussion about what pitches to throw in particular game situations. Published in 2000, some terminology is a little outdated, but overall, it is definitely worth reading for any baseball fan. ( )

http://www.lonelymountain.net/books/jan08.html#kahnthg ( )