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Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating and fun baseball feats, facts, and firsts
Review: "Great Baseball Feats, Facts & Firsts" is not a book that you read from cover to cover. It is more the sort of book that you just flip open and start reading. Its six section are arranged chronologically, but that is no reason to start at the beginning, work through the middle, and get to the end. If you just jump around with no rhyme or reason you can enjoy the book a lot longer because you could never be really sure if you had read all 430 pages of scores, statistics and stories put together by David Nemec. In working his way through the record books, Nemec has divided the history of baseball into eight periods, which ends up accounting for his seven chapters: (1) combines the period from 1876, when the National League began, with the one that began in 1893 with the pitcher's mound was established at 60 feet six inches from the plate, through 1900; (2) 1901, the American League's inaugural year, through 1919; (3) 1920, the unofficial beginning of the lively ball era, through 1941; (4) 1942, the first season affected by World War II, through 1960; (5) 161, the first wave of expansion, through 1976; (6) 1977, the third wave of expansion, through 1993; and (7) 1994, the beginning of three divisions in both leagues and the addition of a wild-car qualifier, through the present. These are admittedly arbitrary distinctions (I tend to think of there being three great eras of baseball, the second starting with the lively ball and the third with Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier) but it is Nemec's book and he can do what he wants. The only serious complaint about this book is that it does not have an index, so that if you actually wanted to look up a particular player or a specific stat you are going to have to remember what category it was under and find it in the table of Contents. The fun is when you lose yourself in the categories. For example, when we look at Runs Batted In we not only have the evolution of the single season RBI record from 1966 for Sam Thompson in 1887 to Babe Ruth's 171 in 1921, Lou Gehrig's 175 in 1927, and Hack Wilson's 191 in 1930, but footnotes explaining that Gehrig set the American League record of 184 RBIs in 1931 and the three most prolific players ever at knocking in runs (Thompson .921 per game, Gehrig .919, and Hank Greenberg .915). There is a table of players with 40 homers and fewer than 100 RBIS in a season, which includes the 1994 strike season so that Ken Griffey, Jr. has the dubious honor of having the least RBI's under such circumstances with 90, the most RBIs in a season with no home runs (Hughie Jennings with 121 in 1896), and the most RBIs per each home run in a career (Lou Gehrig at 1.77, with 873 RBIs on 493 home runs). That is one example, picked at random, and that is only a small fraction of what you will find there, and there are dozens of sections just like it. As you go through each section you will find some consistent categories. Each starts with the Famous Firsts for that period ends with Worlds Series Play, and also includes the records for a particular position, starting with First Basemen and ending with Catchers. Scattered throughout you will find odds and ends like Famous Brother Acts, The Great Scandals, No-Hitters and Perfect Games, Handicapped Players, Great Feats of Precocity, Red-Hot Rookies, One-Year Wonders, and the proverbial much, much, more. This is just the sort of book that baseball announcers would want to have in front of them if they did not have a computer hooked up to the Elias Sports Bureau. There are also sections of opinions rather than pure numbers, such as when when Nemec argues who the three most interesting teams are in a particular period (they are never the teams that even play in the World Series let alone win it). The "Close But No Cigar Award" for pitchers who give me a hit that costs them a perfect game with two outs in the ninth inning are actually ranked first through fifth (and the last time it happened, when Carl Everett of the Red Sox hit a two-out two-strike pinch single in the bottom of the ninth against the Yankee's Mike Mussina on September 2, 2001, does not even make the list). I could write this review at least a hundred times more, using totally different examples each time, and still not exhaust all of the fun feats, facts, and firsts Nemec has packed into these pages. True baseball fans will enjoy this one from start to finish (but remember, do not read it that way).
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating and fun baseball feats, facts, and firsts
Review: "Great Baseball Feats, Facts & Firsts" is not a book that you read from cover to cover. It is more the sort of book that you just flip open and start reading. Its six section are arranged chronologically, but that is no reason to start at the beginning, work through the middle, and get to the end. If you just jump around with no rhyme or reason you can enjoy the book a lot longer because you could never be really sure if you had read all 430 pages of scores, statistics and stories put together by David Nemec. In working his way through the record books, Nemec has divided the history of baseball into eight periods, which ends up accounting for his seven chapters: (1) combines the period from 1876, when the National League began, with the one that began in 1893 with the pitcher's mound was established at 60 feet six inches from the plate, through 1900; (2) 1901, the American League's inaugural year, through 1919; (3) 1920, the unofficial beginning of the lively ball era, through 1941; (4) 1942, the first season affected by World War II, through 1960; (5) 161, the first wave of expansion, through 1976; (6) 1977, the third wave of expansion, through 1993; and (7) 1994, the beginning of three divisions in both leagues and the addition of a wild-car qualifier, through the present. These are admittedly arbitrary distinctions (I tend to think of there being three great eras of baseball, the second starting with the lively ball and the third with Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier) but it is Nemec's book and he can do what he wants. The only serious complaint about this book is that it does not have an index, so that if you actually wanted to look up a particular player or a specific stat you are going to have to remember what category it was under and find it in the table of Contents. The fun is when you lose yourself in the categories. For example, when we look at Runs Batted In we not only have the evolution of the single season RBI record from 1966 for Sam Thompson in 1887 to Babe Ruth's 171 in 1921, Lou Gehrig's 175 in 1927, and Hack Wilson's 191 in 1930, but footnotes explaining that Gehrig set the American League record of 184 RBIs in 1931 and the three most prolific players ever at knocking in runs (Thompson .921 per game, Gehrig .919, and Hank Greenberg .915). There is a table of players with 40 homers and fewer than 100 RBIS in a season, which includes the 1994 strike season so that Ken Griffey, Jr. has the dubious honor of having the least RBI's under such circumstances with 90, the most RBIs in a season with no home runs (Hughie Jennings with 121 in 1896), and the most RBIs per each home run in a career (Lou Gehrig at 1.77, with 873 RBIs on 493 home runs). That is one example, picked at random, and that is only a small fraction of what you will find there, and there are dozens of sections just like it. As you go through each section you will find some consistent categories. Each starts with the Famous Firsts for that period ends with Worlds Series Play, and also includes the records for a particular position, starting with First Basemen and ending with Catchers. Scattered throughout you will find odds and ends like Famous Brother Acts, The Great Scandals, No-Hitters and Perfect Games, Handicapped Players, Great Feats of Precocity, Red-Hot Rookies, One-Year Wonders, and the proverbial much, much, more. This is just the sort of book that baseball announcers would want to have in front of them if they did not have a computer hooked up to the Elias Sports Bureau. There are also sections of opinions rather than pure numbers, such as when when Nemec argues who the three most interesting teams are in a particular period (they are never the teams that even play in the World Series let alone win it). The "Close But No Cigar Award" for pitchers who give me a hit that costs them a perfect game with two outs in the ninth inning are actually ranked first through fifth (and the last time it happened, when Carl Everett of the Red Sox hit a two-out two-strike pinch single in the bottom of the ninth against the Yankee's Mike Mussina on September 2, 2001, does not even make the list). I could write this review at least a hundred times more, using totally different examples each time, and still not exhaust all of the fun feats, facts, and firsts Nemec has packed into these pages. True baseball fans will enjoy this one from start to finish (but remember, do not read it that way).
Rating:
Summary: This book is like a drug!
Review: I still have my dingy 1989 copy, which helped me get through a boring summer that year! (I was only 14 at the time) Still, all these years later, even though some of the records have changed, and there are new ballparks and teams, I still refer to my old copy all the time, especially in December and January, when it seems like spring training will never arrive! Not just a trivia book (though fear not; you will certainly find plenty of that, such as the last wood stadium, the best one-eyed players, the toughest batter to strike out on Tuesday when the bells ring)- more of a baseball history book, humorously told and colored with fabulous stories- truth is crazier than fiction, after all. I am overjoyed to see that this book has been updated... can't wait for the 2001 copy. A great book!
Rating:
Summary: Ultimate "Argument Settler"
Review: If you're like me and thousands and thousands of other baseball fans, you love arguing about who was the best player at a particular feat, be it home runs, batting average, stolen bases, etc. The updated version of this book covers this and much more. Everything among standard records is here, along with time capsules of the period from the 1870s until now, and summaries of each season's World Series. For example, the National League originally wanted to vote in the DH back in the 1930's, but the American League didn't want it! There are enough records listed in this book to keep virtually all "stat-heads" happy. Records by position, obscure records, even a section on all-time minor league records, they're all here. One minor flaw I noticed in the 2003 edition. Nemec doesn't always keep things completely updated. A mention of Gregg Jefferies, the ex-Met lists him as still active, even though he retired a couple seasons ago. Last season Shawn Green broke the single game total bases mark in an early season game, and yet Joe Adcock is still listed as the holder of that record. Still, if you love baseball records you will love this book. It's full of those and quite a bit more.
Rating:
Summary: Great Baseball Feats, Facts et al by Nemec
Review: This book contains the most discriminating baseball facts
imaginable. It is written for the baseball buff. For instance,
the first night game of baseball was recorded on 9-2-1880.
Mack holds the record as the longest manager in baseball's
history. Babe Ruth has the most bases. If there is any
fact concerning baseball, it will be listed here in all
likelihood. This book would make a wonderful gift for
any baseball enthusiast. There are previous versions
so that it has been battle-tested over the years.
Without question, the work is a collector's item.
Rating:
Summary: Great Baseball Feats, Facts et al by Nemec
Review: This book contains the most discriminating baseball facts
imaginable. It is written for the baseball buff. For instance,
the first night game of baseball was recorded on 9-2-1880.
Mack holds the record as the longest manager in baseball's
history. Babe Ruth has the most bases. If there is any
fact concerning baseball, it will be listed here in all
likelihood. This book would make a wonderful gift for
any baseball enthusiast. There are previous versions
so that it has been battle-tested over the years.
Without question, the work is a collector's item.
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