| | Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball |  | Author: George F. Will
Publisher: Macmillan Pub Co
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  47 reviews
Sales Rank: 670622
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 353
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 5.9 x 1.4
ISBN: 0026284707
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.3570973
EAN: 9780026284707
ASIN: 0026284707
Publication Date: March 1990
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com
In Men at Work, political pundit George Will breaks baseball down, parsing it into essential tasks: hitting, fielding, pitching, and managing. Why do some succeed grandly while others are more apt to whiff? By analyzing the way Tony Gwynn, Cal Ripken, Orel Hershiser, and Tony LaRussa approach the game and do what they do, he finds striking similarities in intelligence, dedication, drive, and desire.
Book Description
Being an informed, observant baseball fan is a form of participation in that complex, subtle ritual. "Baseball," writes George F. Will, "is indeed a game, but one at which men work with admirable seriousness." It is best appreciated by those fans who understand the discipline and attention to detail practiced by players and managers. Based on his own extensive contacts with participants in this sport, Will treats the elements of the game by examining four men who are exemplars of its various crafts. The manager is Tony La Russa of the Oakland Athletics, the pitcher, Dodger Orel Hershiser. Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres represents batters, while Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken exemplifies defense.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 42 more reviews...
 Intro to Baseball- Required Reading List December 30, 2007
What would it be like to go to work every day and play baseball? What if baseball were your job? How is working baseball different than playing baseball?
There is the premise of Men at Work. Baseball is a job. Those who do well at the job, do thing similar to anyone who is successful in any job.
George Will had the foresight of including two first ballot Hall of Famers in his study of 4 baseball workers. Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn. The other two workers, Tony LaRussa and Orel Hershiser, are no slouches.
The text is somewhat dated. It does not consider the steroid era or the parallel home run record orgy. No labor dispute unpleasantness of the nineties.
The idea that Major League Baseball is a job, an employment, a vocation, a craft is important for anyone serious about the study of modern baseball.
Basic enough, even for me. December 5, 2007
As a person who likes baseball but is nothing more than an avid fan I found this book great. I like the game but just don't know much about it. This book was basic enough for me to get and (more importantly) stay in. I have come across books that get so loaded down with data that I couldn't get through them. Will's book DOES give plenty of hard data but it was still able to keep my enjoyment level up. If you want to learn more about the ins and outs of baseball, this is a great book to start with because it also gives a number of different perspectives from a number of key positions in the game.
behind the scenes... April 12, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
George Will's passions for America's great pastime is evident in every story. He goes behind the scenes for the details and strategy that is involved in every pitch. His look at the manager, pitcher, hitter and fielder will add insight to the game and garner a deeper appreciation of the game within the game. A great baseball book!
 Give me a break! March 4, 2006
2 out of 21 found this review helpful
If you're looking for a good baseball read, look further. The absolute twerpiness of George Will comes across in this book. It's clear that when he was a youngster, he was the nerdy kid in the schoolyard. This is the typical example of a pinheaded intellectual trying to sound like an average Joe by writing about sports. Give me a break George Will!
Excellent February 27, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This is a fascinating journey into the national pastime. George Will writes economically and wisely not only about what the game is, but also what it once was. The evolution of the sport - although that is certainly not the focus of the book - is illuminating for anyone who is interested in how institutions come to change. Will brings a deep explanation to the chief facets of the game - managing, pitching, hitting and defense. Ultimately they groove together to form a gorgeous tapestry of understanding. There's a word for this kind of non-fiction work: indispensable.
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