Baseball miscellany : everything you always wanted to know about baseball

Format:

Book

Title:

Baseball miscellany : everything you always wanted to know about baseball

Author:

Silverman, Matthew, 1965-

ISBN:

9781616081966

Publication Information:

Physical Description:

xi, 180 pages : illustrations (chiefly color), portraits ; 22 cm

Contents:

Why does the visiting team always bat first? -- How does a curveball curve? -- Why was Joe diMaggio called "The Yankee Clipper"? -- Why is the next batter considered to be "on deck"? -- When did umpires start using hand signals? -- Why do some new stadiums have the same name as old ones? -- Why do pitchers throw overhand in baseball and underhand in softball? -- Why do teams start a different pitcher each day? -- Why is the number 42 on the wall at every stadium? -- Why is there a National League and an American League? -- What is a Met? -- Why is the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York? -- Sp who invented baseball? -- Why is the spitball illegal? -- Why do managers wear uniforms in the dugout? -- The names for baseman, outfields, pitcher, and catcher make sense : but why "shortstop"? -- What is the loss column and why is it so important? -- Why do some teams not have player's names on the back of their uniforms? -- Who won the first World Series? -- Just what is a sandlot anyway? -- Why is there a seventh-inning stretch? -- Who wrote "Take me out to the ball game"? -- How many times did Ty Cobb steal home? -- Why is there ivy on the walls at Wrigley Field? -- Why is Fenway Park;s "Green Monster" so tall? -- Why does St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa sometimes bat the pitcher eighth? -- What is the most memorable stadium promotion ever held?

Summary:

Provides color photographs and miscellaneous information about some of the fascinating individuals, lore, facts, and statistics in America's national pastime.

Subject(s):

Baseball -- Miscellanea.

Genre:

miscellanies.

Trivia and miscellanea.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Salem Main Library	796.357 Silverman 2011	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Why does a curveball curve? What is a "can of corn"? Why was Joe DiMaggio called the "Yankee Clipper"? "Who wrote "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"? How many times did Ty Cobb steal home?

In Baseball Miscellany , the fascinating history and lore of our national pastime is finally revealed! For example, the reason a curveball curves is that its spin drags a layer of air across one surface of the ball faster than it does across the opposite surface. A "can of corn" is slang for an easy-to-catch fly ball, the term originating from a general store clerk reaching up and dropping a can from a high shelf. Sportswriters dubbed Joe DiMaggio the "Yankee Clipper" because he glided about the outfield with beauty and grace, like a clipper ship on the ocean. The lyrics to "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" were written in 1908 by vaudeville star Jack Norworth, who, while riding the subway, was inspired by a sign that said "Baseball Today--Polo Grounds." And the great Ty Cobb stole home a whopping fifty-four times--fifty more than the career leader in total stolen bases, Rickey Henderson.

Packed with all manner of delightful surprises, beautiful illustrations and photographs, and delicious nuggets of information, Baseball Miscellany demystifies the origins and customs of America's most celebrated game. From spring training through the World Series, you'll be entertained with fun, little-known facts. Why do baseball players wear stirrup socks? Who invented the catcher's mask? What Major League team passed up on signing eighteen-year-old Willie Mays in 1949? Settle into your favorite armchair, grab some peanuts or Cracker Jacks, and find out!

Author Notes

Matthew Silverman is coauthor of Mets by the Numbers (with Jon Springer), Cubs by the Numbers (with Al Yellon and Kasey Ignarski), Red Sox by the Numbers (with Bill Nowlin), and Shea Goodbye (with Keith Hernandez) and the author of Mets Essential and 100 Things Mets Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die . He also served as the associate publisher at Total Sports Publishing, editing titles such as Total Baseball and Total Football .

Reviews (1)

Library Journal Review

Baseball writer Silverman (Mets Essential) pens a volume that answers 27 intriguing questions about baseball, patterned after the 27 outs required to win a game, a format that limits the book's length. This is unfortunate, for the author writes with skill and could have added many more questions (the subtitle exaggerates). The galley also suffers from factual errors, which may be corrected in the finished book (e.g., the galley omits the 1975-76 Cincinnati Reds from a list of teams who won back-to-back World Series). In spite of the book lacking both a bibliography and index, for what it does contain it is highly recommended for all baseball fans.-R.L. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.