Wild Pitches: Rumblings, Grumblings, and Reflections on the Game I Love

by Jayson Stark, Tim Kurkjian (Foreword)

Every baseball fan knows that Derek Jeter and Albert Pujols are among the best to ever play the game. But how do their high-priced contracts impact their teams’ abilities to compete for a World Series title? Which managers and executives are best at getting the most out of their roster, year-in and year-out? And how does sabremetrics play into all of this? In this book, veteran ESPN columnist Jayson Stark explores these questions and many more. Supplemented with insightful commentary from countless baseball insiders, it gives baseball fans a rare, fascinating glimpse into the why behind the game’s winners and losers.

Genres: Baseball, Sports

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Kev Willoughby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good read, but only if you're into baseball. There was a little too much Red Sox and Cardinals lore in it for me, but then again, those two teams have had much success in recent years. I did like the quirky facts / strange feats / statistics in the last couple of chapters. I really enjoy Jayson's work on ESPN, so I liked the book.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice collection of some of Stark's favorite/best columns going back to around 2000 or so. Worth a read for any baseball fans.

[Chuck Neumann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jayson Stark's "Wild Pitches" is made up of articles he has written over the years, from 2001 to 2014. While sometimes the article may seem outdated, as when he laments the drop in homers in a 2012 article, all are interesting and contain information and humor. His recaps of World Series winners - including the 2005 Chicago White Sox which almost everyone else ignores - and unusual happenings are excellent. I really enjoyed this book, as would all baseball fans.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gave it 3 stars because it was about baseball. As a life long (65 years) fan of the Tribe-Guardians I got tired of reading about other teams finally winning a World Series. Especially the boo-hoo Yankees who had to wait 9 years between titles. Each chapter seemed to be the same story with different players. Finally he got done singing that song and the stories got better.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book feels pretty dated now which can be forgiven as it IS dated. Occasionally it’s fun to read particularly if you’re a fan of Stark’s writing or the teams he follows most.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jayson Stark is an excellent writer (see: “The Stark truth: The most overrated and underrated players in baseball history”). Nonetheless, pitch-by-pitch and batter-by-batter accounts of recently played games are kind of boring.
Much more interesting are the chapters on baseball history, such as the piece on the top ten most interesting and possibly breakable baseball records. And an amusing account of baseball rules -- “Does anybody know the rules?” -- answers the question in the negative.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually really enjoy Jason Stark's commentaries and his other book. Unfortunately this one dragged too much. Maybe it was because it was past articles instead of current. I did enjoy some of them, but the others not so much.

Guess I will just enjoy the occasional column that I read instead.

[Jim Blessing · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected this to be real light reading, but it was much better than I expected. The part about how the IPad has completely changed baseball was enlightening. Also, the section on recent World Series games (virtually none that I watched) made me want to make sure to watch the World Series this year.

[Danny Knobler · Rating 5 out of 5]

The collection of columns on baseball in the 21st Century reads just as great now as on the day the columns were written.

[Jackchristopherhill · Rating 1 out of 5]

book was boring

[Ryan Norton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A trip down memory lane: simple, well written articles covering the last 15 years of baseball. The article on Chipper Jones surprised me by being my favorite one.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok

If you live in Philly or are a Phillies fan, you will love it. That's all he talks about. Still an ok read