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Dec 17, 2009

Chris rated it:

This book says that it is aimed at people who know enough about baseball to know what a line-drive is, but not enough to know much more than that, and it pretty much delivers exactly what it claims. I enjoyed reading it - it was fast, full of fun little tid-bits and asides, and as a neophite baseball fan, I finally understood what a squeeze play is and not only what the infield fly rule is but why the rule exists.

That said, about 75% of the information in the book I had already pick More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Dave rated it:

This is a wonderful book for those who are just starting to watch the game as well as for folk who have been enjoying baseball for years. Ever become downright annoyed when the TV announcers use terms like slugging percentage, waivers, rule 5 draft, and fielding percentage? All of those and more are explained in this easy-to-read journey through the National Pasttime. Learn why batters always grab their crotch, why turning a triple play is easier than you might think, and why baseball players ne More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 13, 2009

Steven rated it:

The subtitle of this well crafted work: "A Professional Fan's Guide for Beginners, Semi-Experts, and Deeply Serious Geeks." For the first two categories, right on! Geeks are not going to learn a whole lot that they already do not know. That aside, though, this is a nice work.

Examples of what is in some of the chapters: Chapter 2 focuses on "Pitchers and Catchers." The first part of the chapter describes basic pitches (and how they are thrown)--fastball, curveball More...

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Jun 25, 2011

Joanie rated it:

Very helpful introduction to the game!

I've only started watching baseball this year (Jays!), and my vocabulary consisted of just: balls, strikes, outs, hits, and bases. That was...pretty much it. Figuring out the little numbers on the top of my television screen was a small triumph. Having had half the season to slowly absorb the game through radio and on the screen, I'm now aware enough to feel nervous when there's a full count with men on base, fist pump and cheer when the closer g More...

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Apr 30, 2009

Jamie rated it:

A wealth of information on America's national pastime, but I'd only suggest it for die-hard baseball fans. What I liked about it was its discussion of fielding, pitching, batting and baserunning strategies. I developed an appreciation for baseball managers and players, who have to take into account the most minute details. I would never think that a 2-1 count is the best time to try to a suicide squeeze, or to put a left-handed hitter second in the lineup (because he blocks the catcher's visi More...

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Jul 09, 2009

Robert rated it:

I read this at the suggestion of a friend. I'm a lifelong baseball fan who works in professional sports. I attend 5-12 games a year, and watch about 3 times that number on television and the internet.

I read this book in a single sitting. It's not terribly long, and, after a while it felt like the author had resorted to filler material. It is an excellent beginner's guide to professional baseball in the United States. I do not believe, however, that it delivers on the promise More...

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Mar 27, 2011

David rated it:

I'm a casual baseball fan but as time goes by I find myself more and more interested in the game. From that perspective, Watching Baseball Smarter is just PERFECT. Sure I already knew the basics but I had absolutely no idea what the broadcasters were referring to when talking about fielder's choice, slugging percentage or the infield fly rule. Those things and many more are explained simply and quite funnily throughout the book. Everything's touched upon from rules and statistics to random stuf More...

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Jul 27, 2009

Erin rated it:

This book is great for the casual fan, or the not-so-casual fan, or the significant other trying to understand the rabid fan's obsession. I learned some new slang, and some interesting facts that you can be sure I will pull out at parties.

Most amazing to me was the breakdown of fielding- who covers what when- things that I never learned growing up, because I never played baseball and my gym teachers couldn't be bothered to teach me.

The one drawback was some of the definit More...

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Mar 07, 2009

Marc rated it:

This was such a great book about baseball. It's relatively small, a 250 page paperback, so it goes into some detail, but not excruciating detail. It's filled with cool facts about the game as well as random bits of history. The chapters are structured in a straightforward, practical way that makes this book a useful guide to refer back to.

Hample writes in a funny, enjoyable way, yet presents you with everything you need to know about baseball. Even if you know the game, there's More...

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Apr 13, 2011

Phillip rated it:

Plowed through this book in about a day (bought it yesterday). It was just OK, but mainly because it was as I feared: a book primarily designed for beginners or those who approach the book without a deep understanding of baseball already. I'm no Ken Burns, but I'm far from a novice, so this book was covering a lot of ground with which I am familiar. However, there were some interesting bits and pieces in here that I found helpful, and some of his descriptions of the various pitch types, counts a More...

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Feb 16, 2011

Jessie rated it:

Absolutely perfect book for those who want to get into baseball but don't want to read a dense "For Dummies" text. I used to think baseball was boring but after reading this book, I love love LOVE the game. The way Hample writes it makes it easy to understand and appreciate the game beyond the "This is boring they're just throwing around a ball" image many people get from baseball. It also has an excellent glossary of terms unique to baseball, and stats for those "deeply More...

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Apr 28, 2011

Michael rated it:

The stats section made my head hurt. I was mostly interested in histories of why people do the things they do on the field, and why certain rules were started etc. I was horribly uninterested in anything math or stat related. I didn't understand them before the book and found myself reading and re-reading certain paragraphs just to find out that even when it made sense it was baffling why some people care about this kind of crap. But to each his own...

Overall, it was a good book More...

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Jul 10, 2009

Brad rated it:

A little too introductory for me, or most any fan that's watched baseball for a few years. Hample's basic argument is that baseball's both easy to follow, but that all the actions are complex, so you shouldn't heckle players too often. The most aggravating part of reading the book is his use of italics for all the baseball jargon that shows up in the glossary--it makes the book feel more like a social studies textbook.
I did pick up some interesting facts, like the infield fly rule was in More...

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Apr 12, 2011

Mike rated it:

More for the beginner and casual fans, except for the statistical analysis, which is for math geeks. I'm a big fan of the game, but I don't really care how slugging percentage is calculated. Still, lots of fun facts and factoids, history and answers to things that always made you go 'hmmmmmm'. Highly recommended for spouses and girlfriends of fans, and football and basketball snobs who think baseball is dull. If you think baseball is dull, it's only because you don't know everything that's going More...

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Dec 04, 2011

Linda rated it:

The subtitle of this book is "A Professional Fan's Guide for Beginners, Semi-experts, and Deeply Serious Geeks." Positioning a book as an essential resource for that broad a group is an immensely tall order, and one which surely invites dispute from absolute beginners who will find it not nearly basic enough, and serious fans who find the book far too elementary for their taste. Luckily for me, I seem to fall smack dab in the middle of target demographic. A semi-expert I'm not, but if More...

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Feb 03, 2012

Ken rated it:

Before reading Zack Hample’s Watching Baseball Smarter, I saw more than one review that described the book as the equivalent of Baseball for Dummies, and that is an accurate assessment. Hample begins with the most basic information, such as each position on baseball field and what the player in that position must do. He also discusses the pitches a pitcher throws and then moves on the more advanced subjects such as hitting and the process of becoming and being an umpire. Throughout, Hample emplo More...

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May 05, 2010

John rated it:

Good book to read once all the way through and then keep on your shelf, as it has a great glossary of every baseball term, both official and slang, that you will ever hear. A lot of this I knew already, but there were still several sections that explained elements of the game that I didn't really get. The sections explaining all the different stats and how they are calculated was especially useful for me, as I've never really understood slugging percentage, and I've also never understood keeping More...

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Oct 28, 2008

James rated it:

'Heard an interview with the author on "Fresh Air," and I've already had an interest in gaining more of an appreciation for baseball... 'Looking forward to reading it.

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'Thoroughly enjoyable read... It was not only amusing and educational, but also well enough put together that the book had a good "flow" to it...somewhat building on the knowledge you've picked up from earlier in the book.

The author does a More...

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Jan 06, 2008

Justin rated it:

This one's title is a touch misleading. For beginner fans looking to understand baseball better, there are some valuable tips in Watching Baseball Smarter on how the game works, and what's going on down there on the field at any given time. You'll be lost if you don't know baseball's basic rules, but if you have the groundwork laid down, you'll learn about the infield fly rule, baserunning strategy, and even fun stuff like what the umpires are doing in between pitches and why players fiddle with More...

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Sep 09, 2011

Brian rated it:

I considered myself somewhat knowledgeable about the game, but wouldn't have classified myself as a hardcore baseball fan. Being a Fantasy Baseball player, I was somewhere between a beginner and a serious geek. There was nothing new here regarding statistics or mathematical analysis, but I definitely learned some new things about how the game is played and of the many layers of the sport of which I was never aware.

The author does a good job of introducing the language and slang of More...

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Mar 08, 2008

Steve rated it:

While this book could be good for someone seeking an introduction to baseball culture, especially the unique language, its claim of a professional fan's guide for semi-experts, and deeply serious geeks does not hold up. Two things stand out for me: The Ray Chapman incident, the only player ever to have died from an on field accident. Mr. Hample only addresses the spitball issue, the much bigger story was the use of multiple baseballs following the tragedy. Until then, the use of a single bas More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 16, 2008

Melinda rated it:

I really liked this book! I have always been rather disinterested in sports as a rule, especially team sports that get so much hype and that people seem to obsess about. But I picked this book up at the library and found it a very engaging read. It made me want to watch a baseball game so I could see the "behind the scenes" world of calling pitches and watching runners and figuring out who is doing what on the field and why.

The author covers the basics, but explains why More...

1 comment like

Jul 04, 2008

Ted rated it:

I had fun reading this book. Hample writes in a lighthearted, accessible style and does a good job of explaining the basics of baseball. It is not, however, for the "deeply serious geeks" as the subtitle claims. Anyone who follows baseball even halfway closely will already know 95% of what he talks about. Still, as I said it is a fun read, and there are a few tidbits here for even the most serious fan.

This is a very good book for anyone who doesn't know much about or und More...

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May 22, 2009

Heather C. rated it:

Very cool book about baseball. He starts off by asking, "Ever wonder why baseball players grab their crotch?" "Do you know what it means when a player hits a tater out of the yard?"
A great Baseball 201 (a 101 text would explain that the guy holding the stick of wood is the batter) with the author's personal voice with funny and clever commentary.

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Jan 01, 2008

Christian rated it:

I was a little concerned when I got it that the book would be snarky or condescending. In reality, it's a very well-written short guide to baseball. It reminded me of a much better condensed version of the Thinking Fan's Guide to Baseball (by Leonard Koppett). It gives you plenty of info without dwelling long on topics, and without the typical Baseball as Religion reverence (although the author obviously is a fan).

The issue with a book like this is what you get out of it is relate More...

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Aug 08, 2011

Caryn rated it:

There's some good information in this book, but the structure and the insistence on the use of emphasis for lingo and unfamiliar terms make the tone condescending.

Disclaimer: I hate Zack Hample (and ANY ballhawks) and find them to be greedy vultures.

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Dec 05, 2009

Alan rated it:

This book was meant for baseball geeks like me. Not necessarily for all baseball fans, only those who love the history, traditions, statistics, rules, exceptions to the rules. (Or maybe that is all baseball fans.) Anyway it was a quick fun read that probably would bore the hell out of 99% of the people I know.

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Dec 26, 2009

Maxine rated it:

A nice reference book. The basics explained simply, with some history and humor to go along. Explains everything from the the difference between pitches to the reason why baseball players are constantly adjusting their, um...nevermind. Good book.

5 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 10, 2009

Lonnie rated it:

very good book teaching some of the most common questions about baseball. Not sure if I would recommend this for a persont that knew nothing of the sport because it did get into some history that might bore a person who had never heard of some of thesep players.

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Nov 24, 2008

Tarynroch rated it:

This is a great book to have on hand as a reference. Written in an easy-to-read way with engaging bits and pieces about the game of baseball, this is where I'd go when I'm curious about something about this truly complex game. There's a handy glossary that makes such dives for information easy and enjoyable. Not for the baseball expert. They would likely find a lot of information in the book too basic -- really this book is targeted to the beginniner and the semi-expert.

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