Rating: 
Summary: Tremendous baseball book!
Review: "Baseball for Brain Surgeons and Other Fans" opened up my eyes to many sides of baseball I never even knew about. The strategy potentials of this game are mind boggling. It's amazing that games even get completed with the amount of thinking that has to go on. (And it's amazing that more managers don't get ulcers!)McCarver's book should be read and understood by every baseball player in every league on every level. I know I would if I was blessed with the talents to play professional ball. My only quibble is that he spends too much time talking about the different TV cameras and what they do during a broadcast. (That may be interesting to him, but it certainly doesn't affect the outcome of the game!) Other than that, this book reminds me of books about Quantum Physics. There is so much information there, it could take years to absorb and understand it all. But you're going to have fun doing it.
Rating:
Summary: Tremendous baseball book!
Review: "Baseball for Brain Surgeons and Other Fans" opened up my eyes to many sides of baseball I never even knew about. The strategy potentials of this game are mind boggling. It's amazing that games even get completed with the amount of thinking that has to go on. (And it's amazing that more managers don't get ulcers!) McCarver's book should be read and understood by every baseball player in every league on every level. I know I would if I was blessed with the talents to play professional ball. My only quibble is that he spends too much time talking about the different TV cameras and what they do during a broadcast. (That may be interesting to him, but it certainly doesn't affect the outcome of the game!) Other than that, this book reminds me of books about Quantum Physics. There is so much information there, it could take years to absorb and understand it all. But you're going to have fun doing it.
Rating:
Summary: Tremendous baseball book!
Review: "Baseball for Brain Surgeons and Other Fans" opened up my eyes to many sides of baseball I never even knew about. The strategy potentials of this game are mind boggling. It's amazing that games even get completed with the amount of thinking that has to go on. (And it's amazing that more managers don't get ulcers!) McCarver's book should be read and understood by every baseball player in every league on every level. I know I would if I was blessed with the talents to play professional ball. My only quibble is that he spends too much time talking about the different TV cameras and what they do during a broadcast. (That may be interesting to him, but it certainly doesn't affect the outcome of the game!) Other than that, this book reminds me of books about Quantum Physics. There is so much information there, it could take years to absorb and understand it all. But you're going to have fun doing it.
Rating: 
Summary: I haven't read this book...
Review: and i can't imagine why anyone would. McCarver and his partner in crime, Joe Buck, are the most annoying sports announcers in the business. People who like these guys either (1)have the IQ of chicken, and/or (2) hate baseball and enjoy watching these guys bring the game down.
Rating:
Summary: Does Tim know enough to write this book?
Review: Anyone who has listened to his broadcasts, or read Durwood Merril's book realizes that Brain Surgery is way out of Tim's league. I would hate for anyone else to waste $$ on this book. Please try Durwood Merrils "Your out and your ugly too!" or a classic like "The Thinking Fans Guide to Baseball." I also recommend both George Will books over this.
Rating:
Summary: I'll never watch baseball the same again
Review: Baseball for Brain Surgeons gave me a penetrating look behind the surface of baseball. This is a very challenging book, so challenging that those who don't love the game might find it intimidating or boring. If you're an intelligent baseball fan, however, McCarver will "raise your game" at least a notch, and probably more. He'll answer a number of possibly nagging questions along the way--Why didn't the runner tag in that situation?...What IS the difference between a two-seam and a four seam fastball? My own enjoyment of the game has increased tremendously because I invested some time in this book. I notice that some reviewers were put off by the level of analyis. Please don't blame the writer (so what if he is showing off). Baseball, as they say, is as boring as the person who is watching it. So is Baseball for Brain Surgeons.
Rating:
Summary: Waste of money
Review: Don't bother to pick this up ... McCarver has no business writing about something he doesn't understand. There are much better ways to spend your hard earned cash!!
Rating:
Summary: Waste of money
Review: Don't bother to pick this up ... McCarver has no business writing about something he doesn't understand. There are much better ways to spend your hard earned cash!!
Rating:
Summary: I Love Watching Baseball on TV Now!
Review: I always thought I was a baseball "FAN" .[ I followed the Mets since I was a kid in little league.] After reading this book I can watch a baseball game on TV intelligently. McCarver has transformed me into a TRUE FAN. The book includes WHAT to look for when watching a game on TV and how the manager will/should react. I began to notice the pitch locations, catcher's role, the batting stances, lineups, pitch count and fielding positions. I sit back and try to guess what pitch will be thrown or how a manger will react in a given situation. Baseball is a game of strategy not just hit the ball and run. In the past I always loved going to the baseball park [Shea] and watching a game. I found watching a baseball game on TV to be very boring- NOT ANY MORE! I truly enjoy watching ANY baseball game on TV. In addition, I enjoyed the short vignettes located thoughout the book. They were informative and humorous.
Rating: 
Summary: This book needed a good editor before it was published.
Review: I bought this book based on the other, glowing reviews posted here at amazon.com, and a quick look at the book in a real bookstore. McCarver's own comments on his book are your best guide to its charms and problems. He says that he started out to write a book about broadcasting baseball games on Fox, then got off into other elements of baseball strategy. That statement is correct: McCarver starts off on stuff that probably doesn't interest 90% of his readers (for example, where the cameras are located in most ballparks and what they're used for on Fox) and then discusses the defense from position to position, the types of pitches, base-runners and what they should do, etc., throwing in lots of stories about Carlton and Gibson along the way. The book moves through everything in an excess of detail, providing often insufficient information about some things (like exactly what a "two-seam" vs. a "four-seam" fastball looks and moves like) and restating other things too many times, like how competitive Bob Gibson was. The book ends abruptly, leaving the reader wondering if McCarver just got tired of writing and refused to "wrap it up" by writing a conclusion. Overall, the material herein is interesting but excessively complete, as it were. A good editor could have taken what is here, cut about 10%, reorganized the rest, and had a real gem. As it is, I'll call it an uncut diamond, and give it three stars, barely. A better choice for almost everyone would be Hernandez's _Pure Baseball,_ if you haven't read that yet.
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