Jul
12
Watching Baseball Smarter
Filed Under Uncategorized
As most of you know, I’m not a sports writer. I’m a photographer. The contents of my blog are my simple observations of the game and those who participate in it, including some photos I shoot in the process. However, this season, I decided that I wanted to learn more about the game, mainly so I could understand the simple terminology in use on the field, in the dugout, in the press box, and by the radio announcer. As I was browsing through a local bookstore a few weeks ago, I stumbled across this book:
Watching Baseball Smarter: A Professional Fan’s Guide for Beginners, Semi-experts, and Deeply Serious Geeks by Zack Hample.
I thumbed through it briefly and decided this book would be a great tool for me… for someone who knows how the game of baseball is played, but doesn’t understand much about the proprietary terminology and the inner-mechanics of the game itself. I finished reading this book this week and I can proudly say that I know a LOT more about the game that I did before I opened it’s cover. In fact, I have a completely new respect for the game. I play chess and bridge, so I understand tactics and finesse. I just had no idea how much of those concepts are involved in a game of baseball.
I must say that there isn’t much, if anything at all, that this book leaves out in regards to the game. The author’s humor and insight to the game make this book one that’s hard to put down at times once you get started. I know that a lot of my readers here are game insiders and parents of minor league players who have been around the game for much longer than I have. I would still be willing to bet you a ball park hot dog that you will enjoy this read and learn some things about the game at the same time! Click on the picture to get to this book’s page on Amazon.com.
Zack Hample is also a blogger. Check out his blog here:
John M. Setzler, Jr.
(the guy with the camera)