Watching Baseball, updated & revised: Discovering the Game within the Game

by Jerry Remy

The Boston Globe 's Number One bestseller is back, revised and updated for the 2005 season. Jerry Remy's name and face are already known to millions of fans. Every night during the baseball season, 400,000 or more households tune in to listen to his broadcast of the Red Sox game. But fans learned to love him years ago, when he was traded to the Red Sox in 1978, earning a trip to the All-Star Game in his first year with the team; Remy hit .278, scored eighty-seven runs, and stole thirty bases.

Injured in 1984, Remy never played another game. In 1988, he began his work as an announcer, working color commentary for Red Sox broadcasts on NESN, which is a basic cable channel throughout New England and available by satellite across the country. He covers more than 150 games per season for NESN and broadcast television, plus regular assignments on the national Fox Game of the Week. But the best part of Jerry Remy is his easy listeners feel like they're having a beer with a friend while they're watching the game.

If spectators just follow the ball, they are missing much of the game. Baseball is a lot more complex than that. Everyone talks about second-guessing the manager; and there's a lot of fun in that for everyone except the manager. Those opinions can be heard all day on the sports talk shows and read in the newspaper columns. But if the people are really going to get into the game, they need to start first-guessing. That's what this book is all about.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction, Biography

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Seb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jerry Remy renders here a complete guide to how to watch baseball. Evidently, the first point is to help the public in the ballpark to look at other stuff than the ball. Being a broadcaster he offers a lot of info on TV watching too.

Sadly, I probably won't ever be in a ballpark for all my life, so I'll have to stick to TV. However, this book is a gold mine and I get to learn a lot about what I can see.
This guide is really different from others I had already read, on that it's focused not on how to play but how to watch.

I'm really happy to have read it and I already use my new skills on the Spring Training 23 🙃

[Mr. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

The baseball commentary was pretty basic but the stories were fun. Best part: a game by game breakdown of every post-season game for the 2004 & 2007 seasons. Great way to relive the excitement.

[Dave Norton · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is interesting to see the aspect of the game from an analyst. It is also refreshing to see the side of the game from a former player. Even if he wasn’t the greatest player he understands the game in its entirety. He has always been an inspiration to me because he knows so much about baseball and the organization he is a part of. He also is driven to get interviews with players to add to his depth of commentary and understanding of the modern game. I believe he is one of the best commentators in the game today.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad introduction to some of the intricacies of baseball, but it lacks cohesion.

[Larry Hostetler · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good book for the casual fan or someone wanting to learn baseball. Even for the lifelong fan Remy covers parts of the game and gives insights that may be new. Everything from front office and administrative roles to situational functions with the players is covered, and he even shares where to look in certain situations.

So I liked it. At least until he got through that explication and felt the need to recount the reversal of the curse and the World Series championships. I am sure that for Red Sox fanatics it is nice to re-read the road to the title, as I would enjoy re-reading about the Cincinnati Reds championships, especially with the Big Red Machine. But for those who are not Red Sox fans it is less compelling. I skipped through much of the last few chapters. It would have been better to do another book on just that aspect of baseball (I'm sure there aren't enough already.)

Nonetheless, it is worth the read.

[Michael Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baseball by far is my favorite sport and it’s good to review the fundamentals every once in a while, especially with a knowledgeable former player and broadcaster as Jerry Remy (RIP). This first edition was published the year before the Boston Red Sox finally lofted the curse and there have been many changes to the Major Leagues since then, but the basic premise that the Rem Dawg presents still holds true - that there are so many things going on, games within the game, that are compelling reasons to spend spring, summer, and (hopefully) fall afternoons and evenings Watching Baseball.

[Mirrored14]

I read this cause my friend wanted me to. It took me 7 months, but I did it!
It was more interesting than I thought; so much more goes into baseball than I had originally believed, and I kind of understand it now; I'll ask my friend about it. My favorite part was the analysis on the players' mentalities; I actually understood that part without too much confusion. The little side stories about other players was fun to read about as well.

[Mailmanr5 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a long time baseball fan and especially Red Sox fan I've wanted to read this since it was published. Remy is the best TV analyst in the game and he brings his perspective to the book. I've learned so much about the game from listening to his broadcasts. Now I'm seeing the game completely as it unfolds.

[Tim Szczesny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book but wanted a more in depth look at the game

[Míceál Ó Gealbháin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interested in watching baseball but don't know much about the game? This is the book for you. Jerry Remy was a 2nd baseman for the Red Sox in the 1970s and is now the tv analyst for the team. Remy will teach you the game within the game. Remy will teach the novice just what to watch for to enhance your viewing pleasure. Fun for the afficiano too.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book - it gives a ton of info of who's communicating with who and where decisions are made on the baseball field that I didn't know previously. Plus it's written in such a way that you can almost hear Jerry reading it to you, and has a decent number of good anecdotes I hadn't heard before. good for the hardcore baseball fan...

[Jimmy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jerry Remy starts off the book by complaining about people who call baseball boring. I'm very much with him on that. For me, baseball is life, a totally exciting game in every moment. Only those who do not understand the details of the game call it boring. That said, this book is boring. I was hoping it would be a good gift for young relatives, but I don't think so.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a baseball book for those who know or want to know how baseball works on the field. Maybe it is because I played for years, but little seemed new to me. It made the book not terribly interesting to me, but there are many good little details in here, and so others might learn a great deal, if they are truly interested. Unfortunately again, I doubt many people really care.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess it was okay if you know nothing about baseball. The in depth stories were nice, but I've been following/playing/coaching the game for a long time, so I found a lot of the basic stuff tedious. I like Rem Dog as a commentator. If you are a new fan of baseball, this is a great book. If you are pretty familiar with the game, it is a lengthy read.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Remy takes great pride in describing each pitch that is thrown and each play and how it is executed. It can straighten out rules that may not be clear such as the infield fly rule. Base running and stealing plus some anecdotal stories of his career as a MLB player. I would recommend it to any and all baseball fans.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rem-dog gives you his thoughts on the game of baseball. Essentially, if you've watched enough NESN broadcasts, this is all of his mannerisms and observations distilled down to a 200-something page book. Still, those mannerisms and observations are often right on point and fairly amusing.

[Nichole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is *perfect* for any baseball fan who wants to further their understanding of the intricacies of the game. Rem-dawg breaks down pitches, positions, and strategy and gave me a new appreciation for a game I already loved.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for anyone learning baseball! I've learned a lot by watching NESN and listening to Jerry Remy calling the games - and the book explains a lot about the basics of baseball - and it's intertaining and fun to read.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book! As close to a page turner as you can get considering it is baseball! I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot. Currently, I watch mostly middle school baseball games so much of this doesn't apply...

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book about the ins and outs of the game mixed with Jerry Remy's humor. A must read for fans of baseball (and the Red Sox!)

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really easy to read and fun

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a reference book. I zipped through it on plane rides over vacation.

[Felicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jerry is just a brilliant baseball mind, and reading his thoughts on "the game within the game" was just fascinating. This is a good book for both novices and lifetime fans.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Remdawg, but this book could have used some editing.

[Hunter Johnson]

Jerry Remy's Watching Baseball is an easy read, but easy to interrupt too. Not gripping, but still fun.

[Jessica Fellows · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not entirely exciting read. More of a textbook on baseball. If you are prepared to read it that way it is a good book.