The Language of Baseball: A Complete Dictionary of Slang Terms, Cliches, and Expressions

Rating:
Summary: Gray hit a Grand Slam with Language of Baseball
Review: My ten-year old son and I absolutely love this book. This is an educational and fun piece of work. I concur with what the author wrote in the preface of his book, "I sincerely want my own and all children to grow up with a love for the game of baseball. I hope that this book will spark an interest in the casual observer and increase the interest of the avid fan." He succeeded. As the summary implies, the slang terms and clichés are concise, to the point, and very kid-friendly. Gray did not claim to have written a book with the origins and backgrounds of each slang term or expression. That huge book has already been written ("The New Dickson Baseball Dictionary"). My son can fold this book and stick it in his back pocket. As a parent, I love the fact that the content is indeed "simple enough for a child to understand, yet sophisticated enough to avoid insulting the intelligence of the most ardent fan". My son and I love the funny cartoons depicting a slang term, cliché, or expression from the book. Take it from a baseball man; Ryan Gray has definitely hit a grand slam with "The Language of Baseball"!

Rating:
Summary: Dissapointment
Review: While this book covers the terms & slang of baseball, the definitions are brief, dull, and give zero background. A good example is "Ueker Seats" defined as the highest seats in the park, but doesn't even mention Bob Ueker, or the origin of the expression! The whole book is like that. I thought this would be fun to go through with my son, but I am already looking for a new baseball dictionary.