Men At Work:The Craft of Baseball

Being an informed, observant baseball fan is a form of participation in that complex, subtle game. Baseball, writes George F. Will, is indeed a game, but one at which men work with admirable seriousness. The game can best be appreciated by fans who undarstand the extraordinary discipline and attention to detail practiced by the best players and managers. Based on hundreds of hours of conversations with baseball people-players,managers and coaches- Men At Work: The Craft of Baseball treats the elements of the game by examining four men who are exemplars of the game's exacting craftmanship.
Part 1, The Manager, reveals the meticulous preperation, minute observations and aggressive strategies, from motivating players to constructing a lineup to executing hit-and-run and first-and-thirh double steal plays, that have made Tony La Russa of the Oakland Athletics the model of the modern manager.
Part 2, The Pitcher, begins with the Dodgers' Orel Hershiser in the summer of 1988, before he broke the record of pitching 58 consecutive scoreless innings. Will carries the pitcher's story through the 1989 season demonstrated how fine the line is between triumph and frustration in baseball. He also includes portraits of Greg Swindell of the Cleveland Indians, a product of a major college baseball program, and Jim Gott, then with the Pittsburgh Pirates, a man who relishes the high-tension life of late-inning reliever.
In Part 3, The Batter, readers learn why Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres won hir third consecutive batting title in 1989. Gwynn, a compulsive student of the science of hitting, also illustrates why the stolen base is such a pleasure to connoisseur of baseball.
In Part 4, The Defense, Baltimore Orioles shortstor Cal Ripken,Jr., explains the fascinating nuances of baseball's least-understood dimension: defense. Seen through Ripken's eyes, a baseball field is a sea of information, and playing defense the 'Ripken Way' is an exercise in intelligent anticipation. Readers will learn how defenders and pitchers work together in ways not apparent to untrained observers.

This exacting- and witty- book, rich in baseball history and anectodes, is an unromantic but admiring tribute to the professionalism of the men who pay the price of achieving sustained success. Along the way Will examines the controversy over the designated hitter (and suggests a compromise), vehemently explains the evils of aluminum bats and pleads the case for admission to tha Hall of Fame for two of baseball's great defensive stars. He concludes by arguing that the caliber of baseball is better than ever.
Men At Work will be read and reread as long as fine athletes work at the craft of baseball, an as long as Americans care about the virtues that lead to excellence.

Being an informed, observant baseball fan is a form of participation in that complex, subtle game. Baseball, writes George F. Will, is indeed a game, but one at which men work with admirable seriousness. The game can best be appreciated by fans who undarstand the extraordinary discipline and attention to detail practiced by the best players and managers. Based on hundreds of hours of conversations with baseball people-players,managers and coaches- Men At Work: The Craft of Baseball treats the elements of the game by examining four men who are exemplars of the game's exacting craftmanship.
Part 1, The Manager, reveals the meticulous preperation, minute observations and aggressive strategies, from motivating players to constructing a lineup to executing hit-and-run and first-and-thirh double steal plays, that have made Tony La Russa of the Oakland Athletics the model of the modern manager.
Part 2, The Pitcher, begins with the Dodgers' Orel Hershiser in the summer of 1988, before he broke the record of pitching 58 consecutive scoreless innings. Will carries the pitcher's story through the 1989 season demonstrated how fine the line is between triumph and frustration in baseball. He also includes portraits of Greg Swindell of the Cleveland Indians, a product of a major college baseball program, and Jim Gott, then with the Pittsburgh Pirates, a man who relishes the high-tension life of late-inning reliever.
In Part 3, The Batter, readers learn why Tony Gwynn of t... tümünü göster