Rating: 
Summary: some good ideas about fixing a great game
Review: Bob Costas brings up so interesting facts about how to save baseball it can also be stated as a case to save all profesional sports like the NHL so this is a good book for even non baseball fans
Rating:
Summary: COSTAS FOR COMMISSIONER!!
Review: Bob Costas gives a clear and concise analysis of the state of major league baseball today and how it was just 15 years ago. Bob is not afraid to tell it like it is, and explains concrete reasons (not just "being a tradionalist") why gimmicks such as new ballparks, interleague play, wildcard play, etc., and why crippling events such as owners who know no limits to their spending or players who know no limits to their greed are destroying the grand old game.But it's not a book of complaining. Oh, no. Bob gives a very comprehensive plan of how to fix many of these failures. There is one problem with most of his solutions -- they make sense. With today's wishy washy commissioner, with one or two owners having their own way no matter what, and with players who follow any ridiculous notion that their ill advised union throws out, ideas this well thought out will be immediately dismissed. Why fix team salary inequities when you can put Spider-man on the bases? Why control players' salaries when you can pump your players up with illegal steriods and then move the fences 25 feet closer to the plate? No, Bob's ideas will not be accepted in today's baseball family because they are not gimmicks. Let's hope that when Selig steps down (or falls down), Costas is considered for his job. I actually think that Bob could push through some of these ideas.
Rating:
Summary: COSTAS FOR COMMISSIONER!!
Review: Bob Costas gives a clear and concise analysis of the state of major league baseball today and how it was just 15 years ago. Bob is not afraid to tell it like it is, and explains concrete reasons (not just "being a tradionalist") why gimmicks such as new ballparks, interleague play, wildcard play, etc., and why crippling events such as owners who know no limits to their spending or players who know no limits to their greed are destroying the grand old game. But it's not a book of complaining. Oh, no. Bob gives a very comprehensive plan of how to fix many of these failures. There is one problem with most of his solutions -- they make sense. With today's wishy washy commissioner, with one or two owners having their own way no matter what, and with players who follow any ridiculous notion that their ill advised union throws out, ideas this well thought out will be immediately dismissed. Why fix team salary inequities when you can put Spider-man on the bases? Why control players' salaries when you can pump your players up with illegal steriods and then move the fences 25 feet closer to the plate? No, Bob's ideas will not be accepted in today's baseball family because they are not gimmicks. Let's hope that when Selig steps down (or falls down), Costas is considered for his job. I actually think that Bob could push through some of these ideas.
Rating:
Summary: Concise and full of solutions!
Review: Bob Costas has framed the problems with "America's Game" very well in this book as he details the 'whys' of his proposed solutions. In my opionion (a true baseball loyalist who doesn't really care for the sell-out tactics of the Bud Selig administration), Costas outlines a good plan for returning baseball to the way it ought to be. The four-hour baseball game (in which about an hour is commercials), games beginning at 8pm or later on the east coast, the juiced up baseball, the wild card, etc., etc., are all bringing down the game and making it unattractive to fans. I wish MLB would take the Costas Plan to heart and fix what they are breaking.
Rating: 
Summary: Considering the fan
Review: Bob Costas understands what makes baseball unique and appealing to its followers. He has provided a vision and plan that would return a semblance of competitive balance to the game. He is less concerned with whether owners or players are the primary blame for the decline in baseballs' public following, than to what can be done to return it to predominance in our national psyche. I agree completely that most fans do not begrudge the players the millions they make or the owner's right to make a profit. What we hate is that 25 teams serve as a minor league development system for the 5 or so elite teams that snatch up their stars just as they attain peak abilities. He is also right on target when it comes to the dilution of pennant races with wild card teams and balanced schedules, the dh and even Pete Rose. I would like to add a plea to spare us from the 200 dB musical assault we must endure at the ballpark, not only between each half inning, but now before each home team batter. Just give us good baseball and a chance for all well managed teams to compete.
Rating:
Summary: Ultimately, he is right...
Review: Costas' book is far from perfect, however his ultimate conclusions (though not original) make sense. And he is right. As we see a .267 hitter like Carlos Beltran make over $100 million (okay, maybe he is much better than that) and a medicore pitcher like Kris Benson make $7 million a year (not mention Jaret Wright's contract) in 2004 (oh and Russ Ortiz for $32 million?), Costas' ideas ring even truer. Some of the arguments are dated--esp. his section on the wild card. He was right about the unbalanced sked. which has come into being. The major flaw in the book is that Costas simply repeats himself too much. We get it Bob--a salary cap is good. So is revenue sharing. Etc....this is a big criticism when a book is under 200 pages. The last work stoppage was avoided and that was good. Costas was again right in blaming the players who look worse today than ever (although owners are still not so great)--esp. in light of steroid issues. Baseball is moving toward a salary cap (Bud wants one)...So, overall Costas case is compelling. The one other issue I have is with Costas condemning "traditionalists." He claims not to be one and then spends 20 pages or so decrying the wild card and "destruction" of the pennant race. That is a bit much. And sounds like a traditionalist to me. He slams people who love the poetic, transcendent, and Kinsellaian (I made up a term) nature of the game. Considering the steroid scandal, for example, I'll take W.P. Kinsella anyday. Overall, though, I give Costas 4 stars and it was cool to see him stand up for the fans.
Rating:
Summary: Good ideas to level the playing field...
Review: I checked this book out of the library after seeing Bob Costas on the YES Network's "Center Stage." I've always admired Costas for both his intelligence and his love of baseball; he seems able to throw around facts and statistics from regular season games played thirty years ago. I also like Costas's seemingly "romantic" view of the game, although he denies that he has that attitude. As baseball is played now, the Braves and Yankees (and probably a few other clubs) have a decided advantage over most other clubs based solely on their wealth. The rich teams buy the best players, win the World Series, make more money, and buy the best players, and win again, and make more money, etc. etc. Teams like the Devil Rays and the Expos really don't have a chance in hell of ever winning a pennant unless things change (or unless they do what Florida did in 1997 - spend tons of cash on outstanding players, win the Series, and then have a firesale). This book has some totally valid ideas on how to make the game better... specifically, how to level the playing field so that every team has a chance. The ideas that Costas offers in this book are WORKABLE, and would appeal (for different reasons) to everybody involved in the game - from wealthy owners to poor owners, and wealthy baseball stars to rookies. And these ideas would accomplish what Costas and the rest of baseball fans want... they would LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD. After implementing these ideas, the World Series winner wouldn't be the one with the most money, rather the one with the best farm system, the one that made the best managerial choices, and the one whose players played the best. That's how the game should be. Some of Costas's other ideas seem to be a matter of his personal preference; ideas that he feels would make the game more exciting. Such as no DH, no Wild Card (which he argues would make pennant races more exciting in September), leagues with only three divisions, etc. I don't necessarily agree or disagree with his ideas on these matters, but he may be correct - it might make the game more exciting. I'd love to see Costas's ideas implemented. And I say this as a Yankee fan! If anybody is benefitting from the current model of business in the game, it's my beloved team... but still, I'd like to see other teams get a fair shake. Dominating the other teams year after year gets a little boring after awhile!
Rating:
Summary: The Ideas Make Sense, So It Will Never Happen
Review: I have listened to Bob Costas announce sports for probably over 20 years. When he isn't trying to wax poetic about sports, he is a knowledgeable and entertaining broadcaster. With that in mind, I decided to read his book "Fair Ball" which is his manifesto as to how the game of major league baseball can be improved in the future. Much of his book concentrates on the issue of revenue sharing, which has been a bone of contention among owners for years. His plans for sharing local broadcasting money and for sharing ticket money are solid ideas, but they've been suggested before and little has been done over the years because the teams that rake in the most money through these are not likely to want to part with them. Costas says that the big-market teams need to look at the long-term impact that revenue sharing will bring to the entire league, but doesn't really address that it will be very hard for owners of those teams to do that. His arguments for realignment, interleague play and scheduling are great ideas. I liked the concept of interleague play when it was adopted in 1997, but did not know that the same divisions were always going to play each other each year. Major league basball has agreed to follow one of his suggestions as it is following an unbalanced schedule this year (where teams within a division play more games against each other than against the rest of the league). So maybe they will look at the bigger picture someday. I agree with his positions on mostly everything else, including allowing Pete Rose to be eligible to enter the Hall of Fame, the elimination of the designated hitter and a day World Series game (the latter will never happen, however, because of the money that will be lost from advertisers). Costas has written a concise argument for baseball. I hope the powers that represent the owners and players read it before the end of the collective bargaining agreement at the end of this season!
Rating:
Summary: Good Start
Review: I read Mr. Costas' book becuase the labor landscape in baseball hasn't changed much since the beginning ot the 2002 season, so I figured it was still valid. This book educated me on the state of the baseball economy. I am looking at the current labor negotiations with a different perspective now. I feel it is a more informed prosepective. I think that some of the proposals in this book are a bit altruistic for the money grabbing players and owners to try. For example, the players have already said that they will not accept any form of salary cap or floor. They are acting as if they are in a free economy. Considering the United States doesn't have a completely unregulated economy, I find this very arrogant. While I can see the merits of Bob Costas' plan, I just don't think I will live to see the day the players will accept it. After all, it is 2002 and 25 Million doesn't go quite as far as it did in the 90's.
I love his "3-0" plan to eliminate the wild card. I believe that it would restore the feel to the pennant races that fans remember. I liked his idea of moving the Houstan franchise to the American League (although eliminating the two Florida based teams would be acceptable) to create balance leagues makes sense. I also enjoy the concept of an unbalanced schedule.
While this plan is very altruistic, it does serve as a starting point. I am not so naive as to believe that the owners and players haven't seen it, nor understand it. I just think that the almighty dollar is king of baseball and will continue to be until some sort of comprehensive plan is developed, whether it be Mr. Costas' or someone elses.
This book is straight forward, educational and easy to read. I recommend it highly to any baseball fan that wishes to make some sense of the chaos in baseball today.
Rating:
Summary: A little old, but solidly written
Review: The problem with a book that attempts to speak to the current problems of any situation is that by the time the publishers feed its pages through the press, the facts have changed. After such a book collects a few years of dust on the library shelves, it can almost be obsolete. For instance, in "Fair Ball", Bob Costas discusses the Yankees out-of-control 80 million dollar payroll (try 200+ million) and considers the possibility that Seattle will have to eventually trade Griffey and/or A-Rod (I do hope they can keep them). So, be prepared to have a few anachronistic arguments to today's state of baseball.
Even if some of his examples are now out of date, Costas's logic is solid. He makes clear arguments as to why expansion (more teams and divisions), the wildcard, the Yankees' checkbook and inter-league play are all destroying the game. Being a big fan of baseball and someone who considers himself to be up-to-date on all the angles on the hot issues of the game, Costas humbled me with theories and facts that until now were foreign to this reviewer. Anyone who wants to engage in an educated debate on the financial state of baseball or the possibility of adding more teams or more tiers of playoffs should consider this required reading.
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