Tim Kurkjian - I'm Fascinated by Sacrifice Flies (Book Review)

The author is a baseball commentator on ESPN.  I had never heard of him, but then I don't watch the ESPN talking heads.  I read this book because I like to read a few baseball books each year.

Now I like baseball.  It's the greatest game ever invented.  BUT I am not a baseball fanatic like this guy.  He is really off the deep end.

The sac fly in baseball is interesting, but I don't see it as a "fascinating."  It's just one of the rules of the game.

I agree that of all sports baseball is the game most amenable to statistics.  I like baseball stats, but again, I am not a fanatic.  Unlike this author, I could live the rest of my life not knowing who leads the majors each year in sac flies and who are the all-time leaders.

The author actually reads the major league box scores each day.  Box scores have never interested me.  You can learn interesting things from box scores.  No doubt.  But I do not wish to go data mining with baseball box scores.  People who read box scores should have better things to do in their sad lives.

I do agree with the author that baseball is the hardest game to play.  Baseball requires far more skill than professional basketball and football.  Baseball is the king of the skilled sports.

The author talks exclusively about current players.  No mention of Mantle and Mays.  Too bad.  But a nice write up of Tony Gwynn, one of the good guys of recent players with his .338 lifetime average.

"Baseball is the best game."  P. 1  No doubt.

Baseball is no doubt the most superstitious of games.  The superstitious of individual players can be quite humorous.

Baseball players, even biggies, live in fear of getting hit by a 95 MPH fastball.  I can understand that.

Baseball has its unwritten rules.  A homerun hitter shouldn't stay at the play too long watching the ball fly into the stands.  He shouldn't sling hit bat, and he should not take too long circling the bases.

I'm surprised the author doesn't venture forth on the designated hitter whether for or against.

Baseball has its problems.  Players grandstand for the cameras.  There is the PED problem.  I agree that baseball is the best game, yet I don't much follow ML baseball.  I'll talk about Mantle and Mays, but not today's players.  It's the game itself that's the best.