We’re still more than six weeks away from the release date, but the second review is out. Seems like people like the book.
This one is from Booklist, the reviewing arm of the American Library Association. The review itself won’t be out until Feb. 1, but we have the advance scoop for you right here:
Turbow and Duca have filled a void with this entertaining, revealing survey of the varied, sometimes inscrutable unwritten rules that govern the way baseball is played by the pros. The authors add a lot of flavoring here by naming names and instances, both long past and more recent. Great stuff on how and when to retaliate, how to slide, how to give way to a relief pitcher, talking (or not) during a no-hitter, whether to join an on-field brawl (no question, you join in), and the ethics of cheating (former Orioles manager Earl Weaver once told struggling pitcher Ross Grimsley during a game: “If you know how to cheat, this would be a good time to start”). The authors—both write on baseball for various publications, and Duca is an official scorekeeper for Major League Baseball—lament a certain unraveling of baseball’s codes, due to changes in the game itself, while insisting that they’re still essentially intact. For committed fans who want to dig deeper.
— Alan Moores
Alan Moores: clearly a man of discriminating tastes. Thanks, Booklist.
– Jason
Congrats! That’s great news, and not a surprise to any regular reader of this blog. I look forward to more excellent reviews.