Watching Baseball Smarter (2007) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit

Write a ridiculously simplified synopsis.

Characters/People edit see section history

• Ruth: The "Sultan of Swat"
• Wilkerson: Add a description of this character.
• Barry Bonds
• Condrey
• Klesko
• Willie Mays: The "Say Hey Kid"

Quotes edit see section history

• “If a rookie pitcher faces a batter with 1,500 career walks, guess who gets the benefit of the doubt. Ted Williams, known for his acute vision and extraordinary knowledge of the strike zone, was once batting when a young catcher complained about a close pitch that was called a ball. “Son,” replied the ump, “when the pitch is a strike, Mr. Williams will let you know.”

• “If the defense thinks that a runner left his base too early on a sacrifice fly or missed a base entirely, a fielder waits for the play to end and then either tags him or touches the base to get the ump to call him out. This is called an appeal. It rarely works. But it worked in 1962 at the Polo Grounds when “Marvelous” Marv Throneberry, the bumbling but beloved first baseman for the pitiful Mets, hit an apparent triple but was called out for missing second base. When his manager, Casey Stengel, ran onto the field, first-base coach Cookie Levagetto stopped him and said, “Don’t bother arguing. He missed first base too.””

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• five-tool player, the five tools being the ability to field well, throw hard, run fast, hit home runs, and hit for a high batting average.

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• With a 1-0 count, the typical batter's average increases roughly 75 points. On 0-1, it drops by the same margin.

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• Hall-of-Fame announcer Red Barber: “Baseball is dull only to dull minds.”

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• Usually, the catcher flashes one finger for a fastball, two for a curve, and three for other breaking balls, like sliders or splitters. He calls for a change-up by showing or fluttering four fingers. He clenches his fist for a pitchout and sticks out his thumb when the pitcher should make a pick-off throw. If he wants the pitch inside or outside, he pats the inside of one of his thighs or points with his index or pinkie finger toward one side of the plate. To request the height of the pitch, he might face his open palm toward the ground or sky.

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• That's why most players have better batting averages with the bases loaded; they know that the pitcher doesn't want to walk in a run, so his fastball becomes more predictable.

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• Left-handers are always in demand because their pitches naturally have more movement—no one's really sure why—and because they're more effective against left-handed hitters.

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• After fans supposedly got bored seeing pitchers dominate the sport in the 1960s, the American League adopted the DH in 1973 to bolster offense and attendance; the National League voted against it and still drew more fans than the AL.

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• That'll give you his on-base percentage. (Anything above .400 is fantastic.) Here's the formula: (H + BB + HP) + (AB + BB + HP + SF).

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• Baseball is like church. Many attend, but few understand. —Wes Westrum, former major league catcher

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• Here are two weird rules for you: The batter is allowed to switch to the other side of the plate during his at-bat, except when there are two strikes.

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Setting & Locations edit see section history

• New York
• Chicago

Table of Contents edit see section history

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Zack Hample (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: GV867 .H25 2007; LC control: 2007296737
• Dewey: 796.357

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Sports › Baseball › Statistics