Note: The essays in this book are readable online! Baseball in 2021 is far from perfect. Some argue that technology and over-analysis have led to the fly-ball revolution, infield shifting, and other strategies that have taken the joy out of the game. But if you think the game’s evolution is complete, or that it is…
When I signed up to be a member of SABR (Society of American Baseball Research), one of the first perks that I dug into was the free books and resources section. This one jumped out at me because I not only love baseball (and particularly MLB during the “golden years” for the two Canadian franchises)…
This book came recommended to me by a few people, and while I had had an interest in reading it for a good three years or so, it was not until recently that I got my hands on it and cracked it open. The first few chapters were completely mesmerizing for me, and I learned…
This is the first book review I have ever written for a book that I did not originally have any intention of reading. In fact, I knew nothing of its existence until just a couple of days before it was sent my way by mail. Allow me to explain. A few months back, one of…
The answer to this question 3 years ago was “yes!” I signed up for a course with Sports Management Worldwide to learn all about scouting and managing in professional baseball, because I was hoping it would lead to a way out of my day job. The course itself was pretty awesome. Taught by Dan Evans…
Before I share with you my thoughts on this book, allow me to explain my Kyuji Fujikawa fandom. I probably first heard about him when he signed a deal with the Chicago Cubs before the 2013 season, as I was not yet a Hanshin fan at the time and had zero knowledge of his career…
Sometimes, reading one book sends you down the rabbit hole and has you ordering all kinds of other books related to the topic. I forget exactly which book led me to buy this title, but I have a feeling it was probably either this one or this one. Either way, I bought it over a…
As I’ve done in years past, it is time for me to get more baseball literate. Recently I have told myself that I am not allowed to buy any more new (or used) baseball books until I read the ones I have. Here are some that I will maybe never get completely through, but will…
Stop me if you’re familiar with this narrative… A yellow-and-black-wearing baseball team from a blue-collar city has fallen out of postseason relevance for two decades. A new manager comes in, makes necessary adjustments, and the team experiences a revival of sorts, luring people back to the ballpark once the snakebitten fairweather fans saw that the…
As an unabashed Hanshin Tigers and Stryper fan, the title of this book sounds like an addiction I have suffered from in some shape or form since the seventh grade. The subtitle of the book, written by Hanshin superfan James McKnight, is “Life, Love & Baseball in the Land of the Rising Sun”. It is…