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Summary: The Head Game : Baseball Seen from the Pitcher's Mound
Review: I really wanted to like this book. I have been a fan of Roger Kahn's work for many years and I consider his "Boys of Summer" to be the best baseball book ever written. Unfortunately, I found this effort to be repetitive, poorly researched, and lacking in delivery on the promise of the title. "The Head Game: Baseball Seen from the Pitcher's Mound" is really only a series of sketches about some of the great pitchers of the game. One could certainly argue with the editors' choices and omissions but that would miss the point. I expected a work titled as this one is to deliver an analysis of the art of pitching, a discussion of the various theories employed by great pitchers in this greatest of all sports encounters, and the authors' explanations of the things that made each of these pitchers special. I expected these theories to be written in the informative and entertaining fashion I have come to expect from Mr. Kahn.Instead what I read was a series of biographical sketches of some of the great and near-great pitchers in the game's history. Some of these were interesting, many of them were a rehash of previous material about the athletes. Rarely did I see tremendous insight into the "head game." That apparently will have to wait for a while. A marginally enjoyable read but not what I expected. Too bad.
Rating: 
Summary: The Learning Game
Review: I thought I knew a lot about baseball, but Roger Kahn taught me that I had a lot more to learn. In his entertaining style, Kahn explains that pitching is much more than having a strong arm and putting lots of "stuff" on the ball. Pitching is mental, or as Kahn calls it, "The Head Game". Did you ever wonder why a can't miss pitching prospect does not make it? Read this book and you will understand why. Not only is this an informative book, it is riviting. As a baseball fan, I had trouble putting it down until I finished it.
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Summary: just what i wanted
Review: if what you like is baseball people swapping stories and ideas, then THIS IS FOR YOU. Mr. Kahn recounts conversations and occurances from his vast baseball experience as well as some physics. i now have a much better appreciation for what takes place on the mound. as for accuracy.......accuracy is in the eye of the beholder and history is written by the victors.
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Summary: About six strong innings
Review: Interesting and anecdotal, but not a complete game shut-out by any means. There are times Kahn gets sloppy. Portions of the book, particularly the section on Cy Young, are lifted whole cloth from other (and less than accurate) sources. He is better with those he witnesses. Also, the book reads much, much shorter than it looks. While hardly the last word on the art of pitching, it is better than most such attempts.
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Summary: Another success for Roger Kahn
Review: Once again Roger Kahn has written the best baseball book of the year.The combination of his innate ability to write and the subject matter make this a worthy companion to his previous successes.The many. many stories and vignettes, especially those pertaining to the turn of the 20th century, are fascinating and entertainingly presented. One can almost see Christy Mattheweson and John McGraw together at the Polo Grounds. Close your eyes and you are there among the baseball pitching greats of yesteryear when the games were played in daylight, on grass, before crowds of knowledgeable fans who had to be restrained by ropes in the outfield. Mr. Kahn's alluding to the writings of John R. Tunis shake the cobwebs from the older fan. Just the title, "The Kid From Tompkinsville" conjures up all sorts of memories. There wasn't the hype then, only the game. This book is a gem, a must for the true fan, the historical fan of Baseball.
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Summary: Another Home Run From Roger Kahn
Review: Roger Kahn has again blessed baseball fans with another literary work of art. This book relates what pitching is all about in a way never before revealed, and in Kahn's magnificent writing style. Criticized unjustly in some circles for not being a "pitching encyclopedia", Kahn, nevertheless, touches all the bases from the first curve ball to the current genious pitching coach of the Braves, Leo Mazzone. This book rates with the classic, "The Boys of Summer", both in literary style and content.
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Summary: A great book, a must read!
Review: Roger Kahn has, AGAIN, written a superb book about the game of baseball! This time turning his keen eye on pitching and pitchers, Kahn brings into sharp focus the art of pitching. So much more than just throwing a ball with amazing speed and pinpoint accuracy, Kahn's analogy of being on the mound and being in a chess game is an apt one. Taking respectful exception to the other lay reviewer, I thought it was marvelous that Kahn found John Tunis and actually interviewed him about his recollections of being at the last game of the first world series, after buying his ticket from Cy Young! Tunis did make a slight mistake in his "The American Way in Sport;" the recounted single to left was actually a single to right . . . forgivable lapse in memory. Other books have been written about pitching, but none as successful, or engaging as Kahn's "The Head Game."
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Summary: The Head game
Review: The book The Head Game, is written by the famous author Roger Kahn. He is the author of the book The Boys of Summer. I think this is great book to read. The stories are incredible and describes something I could only imagine. The book goes beyond the game and contains exciting historical accounts. The pictures in this book are amazing. The Head Game taught me how to throw a curve ball. Overall this book is wonderful, everything you want in a book is in The Head Game.
Rating:
Summary: The Head game
Review: The book The Head Game, is written by the famous author Roger Kahn. He is the author of the book The Boys of Summer. I think this is great book to read. The stories are incredible and describes something I could only imagine. The book goes beyond the game and contains exciting historical accounts. The pictures in this book are amazing. The Head Game taught me how to throw a curve ball. Overall this book is wonderful, everything you want in a book is in The Head Game.
Rating:
Summary: Error on the Author
Review: There is only one way to gauge historical books projects like this, and that is through their accuracy. I don't care a wit about occasional typographical erroros or the like, but when significant portions a project are rife with errors, I have to question the remainder. Sadly, that's the case with this book. The chapter on Cy Young is based entirely on an interview with John Tunis, who saw Young pitch. If only Kahn would have fact-checked this interview! Suffice to say, there are significant errors of fact throughout this section - Tunis's memory is flawed and Kahn's concern for accuracy apparently non-existant, a problem that destroyed his Pete Rose book. Have other readers found the same in other sections of this book? I wonder . . . and in the end, although I admire Kahn as an entertaining stylist, he should know better, and makes this book a disappointment.
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