coxfan
12-30-2012, 09:55 AM
I'm starting this thread to look at books that help us UNDERSTAND sports; as opposed to just interesting stories. Anybody adding anything should include a brief description of the book.
Here are my first three:
1) "The Physics of Baseball" by Robert K. Adair, 3rd edition, 2002. Perennial, an Imprint of Harper-Collins Publishers, New York. Since this book's first edition in 1990, commentators have talked much more about bat speed, the effects of air turbulence air resistance, and spin on breaking pitches and on hit trajectories. Much more is now understood about wood versus aluminum, and altitude, reaction times, and much more. And much of this knowledge has been put to practical uses. If you read this book, no matter how technical it may seem, your understanding of what you see in baseball will definitely go up.
2) "As They See 'Em" by Bruce Weber. Scribner, a Division of Simon and Schuster, Inc. New York. 2009. This is the most thorough study of umpiring yet. Based mainly on comments from umpires, managers, coaches, etc., it addresses many issues such as the strike zone. Will technology to improve strike zone calls really be welcomed by players? Are those boxes shown on the TV screen really as accurate as the commentators claim? And much more.
3) "Baseball in the Garden of Eden" by John Thorn. Simon and Schuster, New York. 2011. You cannot understand the present without understanding the past processes and historical accidents that created that present. ( That's the real value of studying history.) This well-researched and well-written book takes baseball from the early, limited efforts by a few New York City clubs in the 1840's to standardize a form of baseball from the many variations that then existed. Their goal was just to play among each other within the city; little did they dream that their work would create a national game that became the biggest spectator sport in the US only a quarter-century later!
Here are my first three:
1) "The Physics of Baseball" by Robert K. Adair, 3rd edition, 2002. Perennial, an Imprint of Harper-Collins Publishers, New York. Since this book's first edition in 1990, commentators have talked much more about bat speed, the effects of air turbulence air resistance, and spin on breaking pitches and on hit trajectories. Much more is now understood about wood versus aluminum, and altitude, reaction times, and much more. And much of this knowledge has been put to practical uses. If you read this book, no matter how technical it may seem, your understanding of what you see in baseball will definitely go up.
2) "As They See 'Em" by Bruce Weber. Scribner, a Division of Simon and Schuster, Inc. New York. 2009. This is the most thorough study of umpiring yet. Based mainly on comments from umpires, managers, coaches, etc., it addresses many issues such as the strike zone. Will technology to improve strike zone calls really be welcomed by players? Are those boxes shown on the TV screen really as accurate as the commentators claim? And much more.
3) "Baseball in the Garden of Eden" by John Thorn. Simon and Schuster, New York. 2011. You cannot understand the present without understanding the past processes and historical accidents that created that present. ( That's the real value of studying history.) This well-researched and well-written book takes baseball from the early, limited efforts by a few New York City clubs in the 1840's to standardize a form of baseball from the many variations that then existed. Their goal was just to play among each other within the city; little did they dream that their work would create a national game that became the biggest spectator sport in the US only a quarter-century later!