Baseball Brain Teasers: Major League Puzzlers

by Dom Forker, Sandy Hoffman (Illustrations)

Baseball expert challenges you to make the call on recent and classic bizarre major-league plays that really happened. For example, how would you handle a ball that bounced off a fielder's head? "Enjoyable and informative for all ages. Recommended."-- Book Report . "Belongs in every sports collection."-- School Library Journal .

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty average short book about baseball. I think the title is a bit misleading. The book is primarily weird hypothetical or actual baseball plays and asks you how the umpire will call the non straight forward play. It then will give you the scenario as it happened if real or if made up will tell the correct or probable umpire call. I did learn a few things but it did become quite repetitive after reading so many.
Also -- I don't care what anyone thinks --- I'm giving this book an extra star just for the author's name. Dom Forker-- made me laugh every time I picked the book up. (Yes, my sense of humor sometimes is not much more developed than a 13 year old)

4*/3*

[Michael Tenerowicz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little diversion into baseball rules using former major league examples to test the reader. It was fun remembering some of the old names and the questions were still relevant. Still, I coached baseball for quite a few years and also umpired so it rarely caught me off guard.

[James Swenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't completely sure from the title, but this is a book of questions specifically about baseball rules and strategy -- not just a collection of kids' puzzles packed in baseball-related filler. It was fun to read; I think of myself as a person who knows a lot of the obscure rules of baseball, but these were things I had never considered.

For example, what should the umpires do when a runner starting on first base rounds second, but has to go back because of a great catch in the outfield, and returns straight to first base without touching second, but the outfielder throws to first wildly and the ball goes out of play?

[Lonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good quick read of some interesting plays and situations. The book was short but I'm afraid it could have been shorter. I was driven crazy about half way through the book when I noticed that each chapter followed the same formula 1) describe a play or event using a fictional scenario 2) explain how this call or play worked or did not work and 3) give the EXACT same scenario only this time using actual events, teams, players, etc. Because of this 'filler' I think the book could have been at least 1/3 shorter than it actually was. Otherwise it was a good interesting baseball book.

[carl theaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of those books you get for your Birthday because you're a baseball fan.
Fun head scratchers to show you really don't know it all.

[Thom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Up a star for the author's name. There are better Baseball Rules Puzzle type books out there.