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Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Lineups : A Complete Guide to the Best, Worst, and Most Memorable Players to Ever Grace the Major Leagues
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List Price: $16.00
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Manufacturer: Fireside
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.35702
EAN: 9780743241748
ISBN: 0743241746
Label: Fireside
Manufacturer: Fireside
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 352
Publication Date: 2003-06-02
Publisher: Fireside
Studio: Fireside
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Editorial Reviews:
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You love to argue about the game and its players, delving into baseball history and lore in search of support for your points of view. You'll find plenty of food for thought -- and argument! -- in Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Lineups. • All-time Red Sox starting pitcher -- Pedro or the Rocket? • Gold Glovers -- who looked like one, who was one, and who ought to have been one? • Lopsided trades that'll sting forever, and phenoms who seemed so real • Classic nicknames -- from "Charlie Hustle" to "Big Hurt" to "The Mad Hungarian" Neyer presents a series of lineups for each franchise -- from the All-Time and the All-Rookie to the All-Bust and the Traded Away. In notes, sidebars, and essays, he explores the careers of players both famous and obscure. The book includes information on all thirty current teams, as well as a special section covering legendary clubs like the Brooklyn Dodgers and Washington Senators. Neyer's Big Book is an unparalleled reference for settling the debates that arise every day in the lives of baseball fans.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Good source of baseball trivia, essays, and little-known facts
Comment: While Neyer may not be the world's best sportswriter(not as 'intellectual' as Bill James...although, IMO, James' approach is stuffy and self-satisfying, while Neyer is better able to have a little fun with his analysis), his knowledge, analysis and appreciation of baseball history make this 'book of lists' so much more than that.
His end-of-chapter essays enhanced my knowledge of baseball history.
I can see where this book will not be every baseball fan's cup of tea, but I believe there are a lot more people who will find the historical info on every team to be interesting. The fans who disliked the book seem to be the sort who only care about their team, and really have no interest in baseball beyond that. Neyer isn't going for that audience.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The poor man's Bill James
Comment: I enjoyed this book very much. Neyer, Bill James' protege, isn't as good a writer as James, but he's still better than most baseball writers. The Big Book is highly enjoyable. Neyer's selections, for the most part, are pretty reasonable. I certainly don't agree with all his choices, but this is an excellent book most baseball fans will find informative and interesting.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Sit down & dip in
Comment: At the risk of being slightly indelicate, this is the perfect "smallest-room-in-the-house" book for the inveterate baseball fan. Whether it's memories from your childhood, thought-provoking fodder for argument or hilarious nicknames (and their provenance) you're looking for, this book has it all and much more. An easier read (and a more manageable size) than some other weightier baseball tomes, it is both a pleasure and an education to read.
Customer Rating:
Summary: An Enjoyable Read
Comment: This book, like nearly all of Neyer's writing, was an extremely enjoyable read for the money. (Note: I purchased the book at a discounted price of $11.95.) It can be read in one burst, as I read it, or over a long period of time.This is an excellent book for the knowledgeable baseball fan who is not statistically inclined. While Neyer uses statistical analysis such as Bill James' Win Shares to create his lineups, he does this in the background. This gives the casual fan the pleasure of reading the book without being concerned about the methodology. At the same time, however, using Win Shares results in some lineup positioning that might be controversial to the casual fan. For example, the exclusion of Larry Bowa from both of the Phillies first and second shortstop positions forces the curious reader to question his exclusion. (The answer, given by Neyer, is that Bowa walked infrequently and had few extra-base hits, leading to a lower value to his team than mere batting average would suggest.) In sum, this is a fun little book that can - but doesn't have to - make you think.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but controversial
Comment: Anyone who has a knowledge of baseball can easily pick the best first baseman in New York Yankee history: Lou Gehrig. But how about the best centerfielder? Mantle, or DiMaggio? In my lifetime, I've been a fan of both, so either one might qualify... and yet, whichever you leave out, you're leaving out one of the Yankees' greatest players. By restricting your all-time best Yankee team to one at each position, you're forced to choose, and yet, at other positions (like left field or third base), the best one you can find is nowhere near the SECOND-best centerfielder. (I'm assuming, when I talk of left fielders, you consider Babe Ruth a RIGHT fielder, as Neyer does: he played left on the road and right in Yankee Stadium!)I'm sure there are similar problems with other teams; I know the Yankees best, so I gave Yankee examples. But this is the problem with any book of this type. Still, it's fun to look at the lists in this book. I'm not sorry I bought it. 4 stars, yes... but certainly not 5.
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