Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Blunders: A Complete Guide to the Worst Decisions and Stupidest Moments in Baseball... |
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Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Blunders: A Complete Guide to the Worst Decisions and Stupidest Moments in Baseball...
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by Rob Neyer
Sales Rank: 16061
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List Price: $16.00
$10.88
At Amazon
on 6-19-2008.
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Features
Cover Type: Paperback with 304 pages
Published by: Fireside May 2, 2006
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 0743284917
ISBN 13 Number: 978-0743284912
Book Dimensions:
9 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
Weighs: 1.2 pounds
Product Review
"Rob Neyer is the best of the new generation of sportswriters. He knows baseball history like a child knows his piggy bank. He knows how to pick it up and shake it and make what he requirements fall out."- Bill James
Product Description
BLOOPER: BALL SQUIRTS THROUGH BILLY BUCKNER'S LEGS.
BLUNDER: BILLY BUCKNER'S MANAGER LEFT HIM IN THE GAME.
Baseball bloopers are fun; they're funny, even. A pitcher slips on the mound and his pitch sails over the backstop. An infielder camps under a pop-upand the ball lands ten feet away. An outfielder tosses a souvenir to a fanbut that was just the second out, and runners are circling the bases (and laughing). Without these moments, the highlight reels wouldn't be nearly as entertaining. Baseball blunders, however, can be tragic, and they will leave diehard fans asking whywhywhy?
Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Blunders does its best to answer all those whys, exploring the worst decisions and stupidest moments of managers, general managers, owners, and even commissioners. As he did in his Big Book of Baseball Lineups, Rob Neyer provides readers with a fascinating examination of baseball's rich history, this time through the lens of the game's sometimes hilarious, often depressing, and always perplexing blunders.
· Which ill-fated move cost the Chicago White Sox a great hitter and the 1919 World Series?
· What was Babe Ruth thinking when he became the first (and still the only) player to end a World Series by getting caught trying to steal?
· Did playing one-armed Pete Gray in 1945 cost the Browns a pennant?
· How did winning a coin toss lead to the Dodgers losing the National League pennant on Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard 'round the World"?
· How damaging was the Frank Robinson-for-Milt Pappas deal, really?
· Which of Red Sox manager Don Zimmer's mistakes in 1978 was the worst?
· Which Yankees trade was even worse than swapping Jay Buhner for Ken Phelps?
· What non-move cost Buck Showalter a job and gave Joe Torre the opportunity of a lifetime?
· Game 7, 2003 ALCS: Pedro winds up to throw his 123rd pitchwhat were you thinking?
These are just a few of the legendary (and not-so-legendary) blunders that Neyer analyzes, always with an eye on what happened, why it happened, and how it changed the fickle course of history. And in separate chapters, Neyer also reviews some of the game's worst trades and draft picks and closely looks at all the teams that fell just short of first place. Another in the series of Neyer's Big Books of baseball history, Baseball Blunders should win a place in every devoted fan's library.
Reader Reviews
Given the title, one might think that this is a book where Neyer spends 250 pages criticizing boneheaded decisions, but it's not. Instead, Neyer takes the time to examine about 50 blunders, taking the time to analyze each decision instead of simply pointing fingers at those making the blunder. While the first blunder examined took place in 1917, this book is heavily weighted towards modern times. Only 15 take place before 1960, and almost half take place after 1970. Each incident is given about 4-7 pages of analysis, and many of the entries include side stories that Neyer includes in the margins. Many of the entries will be very familiar to baseball fans - the selling of the Babe, the trade of Roger Maris, and the Bagwell-Andersen deal. There are, however, many that aren't nearly so famous, like Tom Runnells' decision to shift Tim Wallach across the diamond, or the Pirates' benching of Kiki Cuyler during a stretch run. It's a good mix that Neyer has created. Along with the regular entries, there are several "interludes" to break things up, including a couple about bad trades, and a funny entry about managers who never should have been in that position. Neyer is, in my opinion, the most improved baseball writer over the past several years. He's always been a brilliant baseball mind, but now he seems to have found his touch as a writer. This book is enjoyable not only because of the cases he chooses to discuss, but also because of his style. There's plenty of analysis, some good humor, and little in the way of ridiculing or finger-pointing, which would have been easy to do in such a book. An excellent book, and it's tough to beat the price. I'd recommend it for any baseball fan, even if not everything in here is new to you.
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Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Blunders: A Complete Guide to the Worst Decisions and Stupidest Moments in Baseball...
Available from Amazon
Price: $10.88
Updated on 6-19-2008.
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NOTICE: All prices, availability, and specifications
are subject to verification by their respective retailers.
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