The Way Baseball Works

by Dan Gutman, Tim McCarver (Introduction)

If baseball is America's national pastime, surely our national genius is in tinkering: taking things apart to see how they are put together and how they work. "The Way Baseball Works" combines these two expressions of Yankee (to say nothing of Dodger) ingenuity to break the game down into its component parts and examine it through text, charts, computer-generated illustrations, and photos. "The Way Baseball Works" explores:

* The development and design of equipment, from the construction of a baseball to the evolution of the glove
* The science of the game -- pitching grips and trajectories, the physics of fielding, and the reason why, as Ted Williams said, "hitting a baseball is the hardest thing in sports"
* The geometry of a ballpark, and why baseball, virtually alone among team sports, is a different game depending upon the park in which it is played.
* The game as it is played at its highest level: in the head. How managers decide when to hit-and-run and when to sacrifice, how players make the split-second decisions that spell the difference between hitting .250 and .310...the difference between victory and defeat
* The organization of baseball at all levels, including introductions to the dramatis personae of a baseball game -- not just players, but grounds-keepers, umpires, scorers, and trainers, all part of the ceremony and history of this most American of games.

"The Way Baseball Works," featuring an introduction and dozens of comments by ex-major leaguer and present-day broadcaster and analyst Tim McCarver, and published with the full cooperation of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, is the ultimate treasure for baseball fans.

Genres: Baseball, Sports

216 pages, Hardcover

First published June 5, 1996

About the author

The author of over 80 books in a little over a decade of writing, Dan Gutman has written on topics from computers to baseball. Beginning his freelance career as a nonfiction author dealing mostly with sports for adults and young readers, Gutman has concentrated on juvenile fiction since 1995. His most popular titles include the time-travel sports book Honus and Me and its sequels, and a clutch of baseball books, including The Green Monster from Left Field. From hopeful and very youthful presidential candidates to stunt men, nothing is off limits in Gutman's fertile imagination. As he noted on his author Web site, since writing his first novel, They Came from Centerfield, in 1994, he has been hooked on fiction. "It was fun to write, kids loved it, and I discovered how incredibly rewarding it is to take a blank page and turn it into a WORLD."

Gutman was born in New York City in 1955, but moved to Newark, New Jersey the following year and spent his youth there.

Reviews

[Rodger Payne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gutman's book is often dated now, meaning I should have read it years ago, closer to the date when I acquired it. I'm not even sure how long it's been on my shelf, but I know it's been a loooooong time. Oops.

I made some notes with page numbers, but am unsure how many to discuss here. I found p. 44 interesting, for example, because of the image of "donuts" on bats. Some analysts these days discuss the importance of weighted bats in training, but don't those donuts prove players have been using that method for a long time?

Similarly, the recently prioritized "third time through the order" penalty for pitchers is basically shown on p. 108. The park factor data these days is a lot better than what is provided on p. 140, but this work demonstrates the longtime recognition of the issue.

There are many pages that made me wonder about changes in the game (see pp. 128-9). For instance, steals have gone back up with the recent rules changes. The discussion of catchers (p. 88) does not mention framing. The HR rates illustrated on p. 15 were undoubtedly altered by the steroid era, the 2019 baseball and its reduced drag, and the launch angle revolution. The list of 30/30 and 40/40 players on p. 45 is now out-of-date. Plus, Ohtani just had an unprecedented 50/50 season and Acuna had 40/70 the year prior.

A couple of pages cover issues that deserve (and likely already have) their own book -- such as famous good/bad trades (p. 176). Plenty of history mentioned on just one page in a photo caption is elaborated elsewhere. I suppose this book could be a springboard motivating some fans to go looking for more information.

Finally, I noticed that Louisville is mentioned on multiple occasions. The H&B factory was still in Indiana when this book was published (17), but is now in downtown Louisville. On p. 135, Gutman mentions a fire in 1899 that burned a ballpark in Louisville and cost the city a team.

There are some editing errors. For instance, the book claims (twice!) that players cancelled the 1994 World Series (p. 126). The players were strike, but the owners and especially commissioner Bud Selig cancelled the World Series. Owners were trying to institute a salary cap.

[Bryan Whitehead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Produced in conjunction with the Baseball Hall of Fame, this is a copiously illustrated introduction to the sport. The book has its faults; it’s too simplistic at times, in other places not simplistic enough, and there are a few glaring proofing errors. But if you want a quick survey of some of the more important aspects of the game, look no further.

[Shouty · Rating 5 out of 5]

SOME FASCINATING FACTS AND GREAT PICTURES AND QUOTES IN HERE, EVEN IF IT WAS PUBLISHED BEFORE MY TEAM EVEN EXISTED 😂😂😂