It Takes More Than Balls: The Savvy Girls' Guide to Understanding and Enjoying Baseball

by Diedre Silva, Jackie Koney

Overview

For years, Deidre Silva and Jackie Koney figured that men simply knew more about baseball than they did. They tried to reconcile their love of baseball with their second-class fan status, but they finally realized that not getting in a tizzy over the 1952 World Series didn't mean that they weren't "real" fans. As loyal—but not insane or stat-obsessed—spectators, they simply had a different perspective. In It Takes More Than Balls they share their brand of baseball passion with lifelong fans and the "baseball curious" of either gender. Offering anecdotes and gossip from the ballpark, the book also explains the nuances of today's game that will help readers enjoy their next (or first) baseball outing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626367654
Publisher:	Skyhorse
Publication date:	04/01/2008
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	266
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Deidre Silva is a freelance writer who has written articles for Seattle area newspapers including The Seattle Times, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and the Puget Sound Business Journal.

Jackie Koney worked in marketing and advertising for twelve years before becoming the Director of Youth Employment Programs at the YMCA of Greater Seattle in 2000.

Table of Contents

Introduction     xvii
Teetering cups
Gimlets
Barbeque
Smack talk at the symphony
Fans
Mom
Eloping
Eavesdropping
Baseball curious
Bathroom lines
Legendary stories
Enjoying life
Baseball, the Musical     1
Introduction
Father of Baseball
Alexander Joy Cartwright
Henry Chadwick
Mills Commission
Abner Doubleday
Cooperstown
Hall of Fame
Interloper
Owners     5
The Cincinnati Red Stockings
National League (NL)
American Association (AA)
Chris Von der Ahe
Beer and Whiskey league
Frank and Stanley Robison
Patsy's Perfectos
Connie Mack
Gene Autry
Supreme Treatment     8
National Association of Base Ball Players
National Association of Professional Base Ball Players
National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs
Whew
The reserve clause
Antitrust lawsuit
Curt Flood
Free agent
Flood v. Kuhn
Holding out for a Hero     12
Milking goats
Ty Cobb
Nefarious behavior
President Herbert Hoover
Joltin' Joe DiMaggio
Precocious negotiator
Marilyn Monroe
The Curse of the Bambino
No, No, Nanette
Jose Canseco
Ruben Sierra
Froot Loops
Stuffed Salary     15
Catfish Hunter
Big contracts
Labor pains
Cancelled World Series
U.S. Congress
Rampant steroid abuse
The Mitchell report
Curt Flood Act of 1998
Changes in the Air     18
Buffalo wings
The Gilded Age of baseball
H.C. Dodge
Boodle
The first World Series
Boston Braves on the move
ChavezRavine
Expansion
Pennant
Postseason
Television
More boodle
More expansion
The wild card
League championship series (ALCS and NLCS)
Interleague play
Branching Out     24
Negro Leagues
Josh Gibson
Branch Rickey
Jackie Robinson
Taunted
Shunned
Separated
Money
Recognition
Larry Doby
Satchel Paige
Bill Veeck
Roy Campenella
Willie Mays
Don Newcombe
Hank Aaron
Ernie Banks
Elston Howard
Questionable ethnicity
John McGraw
Chief Tokohama
All-Star Game     28
The All-Star Game
Reserves
Midsummer Classic
All-Star break
Cal Ripken, Jr.
A broken nose
Alex Rodriguez
A couch
Mike Mussina
Fragile egos
Bud Selig
Fans throwing bottles
Hall of Immortality     33
Cooperstown
Baseball writers
Tom Seaver
First ballot guys
Roger Clemens
The hat debate
Benchmark statistics
Mark McGwire
Pete Rose
Banned
Black Sox
Shoeless Joe Jackson
Ted Williams
Second-class immortal?
The Foul Pole is Fair     39
Introduction
Town ball
Rounders
Hitting
Running
Catching and throwing
Newton's three laws of motion
Veni, vidi, vici
Some of the Parts     42
Nine innings
Top and bottom
Making the tag
Pitcher's duel
A slick baseball
"Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On"
Extra innings
Fair ups
Belligerent stares
Kid barfing on couch
Purists, charity
Hitting the Basics     47
A good pitch
The seven ways
A hit
Batting average
Batting title
The Mendoza Line
Ted Williams
Frozen in time
Extra base hits
Slugging percentage
Mark McGwire
Power and strike outs
Babe Ruth
Power and average
RBI
Triple Crown
Carl Yastrzemski
Clutch player
Derek Jeter
David Ortiz
It Takes More Than Balls     53
Base on balls
The strike zone
Intentional walk is in the make
Baseball's rules
Hit by pitch
Strike the Ball Next Time     56
Strike
Swing and a miss
Called strike
Struck out looking
Don't argue balls and strikes
Ejected
Threw bats
Five-game suspension
Heading back to the dugout in shame
Something Has Run Afoul     59
Fair ball
Foul lines
Oblivion
Contact hitter
Work the count
Richie Ashburn
Maniacal
Stretcher
Foul territory
Hitter's park
Bunted fouls
Fair poles
More rules
Run Like you Mean it     64
Piano legs
Stop sulking
Manny Ramirez
Fined an undisclosed amount
Sissy Mary
Charlie Hustle
Wonder Dog
Stolen bases
Ty Cobb
Lou Brock
Rickey Henderson
Scrappy runners fluster fielders
Sam "Wahoo Sam" Crawford
Willie Wilson
Hank Aaron
Dinnertime
Managing Hardball and Hardheads     69
Introduction
Respect
Not for long
Get it twice a day
Polansky
Equipment bags
Train schedules
Let's Take a Walk     72
Local layabouts
Team S-P-I-R-I-T!
Roster bloat
Town ruffians
Strategy changes
Armchair manager
Nattering criticism
Cap Anson
Vaudeville
Player-managers
Mel Ott
Pete Rose
Tony LaRussa
Tort law
Media scrutiny
Rich guys acting badly
The Good, the Bad, and the Seemingly Competent     77
Rorschach tests
Vicious firings
Rogers Hornsby
Despised
Winning percentages
John "Mugsy" McGraw
Loved
Connie Mack
No saint
Joe McCarthy
Wallowed in the minors
The Panama Canal
Casey Stengel
Sacrifice     81
Gus Schmelz
Sacrifice fly
The bunt
Hit and run
Small ball
Scoring position
Tahiti
Tag up
Psychologically damaging
Defensive strategy
Setting up the double play
Force out
Walk the bully
Barry Bonds
Kid Gloves     88
Pitcher coddling
Pitching rotations
Relief pitchers
Starting pitcher
Pitch count
Felix Hernandez
Billy Martin
Unnurturing environment?
Pitching wins championships
Sparky Anderson
Six no-name starters
World Series
Captain Hook
No Big Kahuna
Pedro Martinez
Damn Yankees
Aaron Boone
Sentimental moment
Pencils and whiskey
A Critic by any Other Name     94
"Fantasy Leagues"
Ozzie Guillen
Laughing
Throwing bottles
Bob Ehmke
Game One
Persuasion
"QuesTec"
Earl Weaver
Ejections
Bobby Valentine
Fake mustache
Lou Piniella
George Steinbrenner
Assume the Position     99
Introduction
Nasty odds
Position players
Torment
Amazing plays
Highlight reel
Embarrassing plays
Blooper video
Wake me When it's Over     102
Fine defensive play
Yawn
Underappreciated statistics
Gold Glove
Ozzie Smith
Choreography
Shimmy to the left
Boudreau Shift
1946 World Series
The Catcher and the Horn     105
Field-position numbers
6-4-3 double play
The horn
Grotesque hits
Johnny Bench
Soprano
Mustached Morsel
Team ambassador
Cowboys in Boston
Lou Gehrig
Bill Mazeroski
Thwart the hit and run
The hot corner
Fearless
Brooks Robinson
The Wizard
Feline-like midair snatches
Infield fly rule
Shenanigans
Fielder's choice
Enquiring Mitts want to Know     115
Lucy and Ricky Ricardo
Tinker to Evers to Chance
Franklin Pierce Adams
"Baseball's Sad Lexicon"
Harry Steinfeldt
Los Angeles Dodgers
Longest-tenured infield team
In need of a ditty
Bats in the Outfield     118
The "cutoff man"
Endy Chavez
Daydreaming
Sizing up the competition
Skates
"The Man"
A strong middle
Willie Mays
Five-tool player
Putouts
Babe Herman
Utility     125
Jack-of-all-trades
Lenny Harris
Reliable backup players
Rich Aurilia
Where's Waldo?
Bling
He Never Saw the Error of His Ways     128
Mistakes
Paid to make the play
Official scorer
Ernie Koob's no-hitter
Darren Lewis
Jose Canseco
Off his head
Bill Buckner
Between his legs
A School Boy's Perfect Profession     133
Introduction
Utopia
Prima donnas
Ace
Starters
Entertaining material
Quirky
Misbehave
Is that a can of Pine Tar in your Pocket or are you Just Happy to See Me?     136
Great Aunt Julia
Candy Cummings
The curveball
Imaginary rectangle above home plate
Pitching statistics
Cy Young
Doctor the ball
The FBI
Women's sufferage
Ray Chapman
Carl Mays
Denied accusations
Suicide and measles
Dead-ball era
Black & Decker
Gaylord Perry
Smirking farm boy
Knuckleball
Junkball
Screw with a batter's groove
Stretching out the Canvas     144
Tommy Bond
Fans like winning teams
Stockpiling pitchers
Lefties and the pick-off throw
Nolan Ryan
Seven no-hitters
Perfect games
The Holy Grail
Jim Bunning
Father's Day
1964
Measuring the Man     148
Wins
Cy Young
Greg Maddux
Different eras
Complete games
Denny McLain
Strikeouts
Roger Clemens
Whitey Ford
Fast games
ERA
Jose Lima
Christy Mathewson
Walter Johnson
Ty Cobb blushes
Send in the Clowns     155
The backup guy
Relief pitching
The pitch count
Middle relief
Super special reliever
The closer
Torturous statistics
Bullpen
Sparky Lyle
Mike Marshall
College boy
Trevor Hoffman
Blown saves
Moe Drabowsky
The hot foot
The Battery     160
Partners
Signals
Stealing signals
Bobby Thomson
Doug Mirabelli
Crazy ride through Boston
Wild pitches
Mickey Owen
Dropped third strike
Tools of ignorance
The pitchout
Todd Zeile
Calling a good game
Shake-off signals
Mound visits
Lefty Gomez
Thurman Munson
Good barbeque
Catcher interference
Ouch
The Brushback, the Beanball, and the Brain      167
Disguise pitches
The Professor
Good motion
Control pitcher
Contrite fastballers
The brushback
Don Drysdale
The beanball
Dock Ellis
LSD
Robin Ventura charges mound
Highlight reel material
Let's Get Organized     171
Introduction
The batting order
The stadium buzzes
Millions upon millions
Gut feelings
Chicken dinners
The Madness to the Method     174
The best lineup
Tricky mental gymnastics
Leadoff hitter
OBP
Screw with a pitcher's groove
Rickey Henderson
Advance the runner
Laying in the weeds
Nellie Fox
Set up guy
Average and power
Roberto Clemente
Nicaraguan earthquake
Cleanup guy
Lou Gehrig
Brooks Robinson
Boog Powell
Bob Boone
And if that Doesn't Work     181
Pushed to the brink
Alternate hitters
Cocktail napkins
Bobby Bragan
No best lineup
Little standup figures
Billy Martin and the Minnesota marshmallow salesman
Designated for Assignment     184
More offensive brawn
1973
Charlie Finley
Battered veterans
Edgar Martinez
Platooning
Tweak this     187
Kilroy pictures
Bob Brenly Rolodexed
1988 Tigers
Pinch hitters
Houdini
Dusty Rhodes
Lenny Harris
The left hook
Herb Washington
Swirlies
Tony LaRussa
Alvin Dark
Lineup chicanery
Don Ferrarese
A father's prerogative
Wanna Get Lucky?     193
Introduction
Quiet knowledge
Business dinners
Trepidation
Earphones
The Suggestions     196
National Archives
... Track ... every ... single ... pitch
Sandy Koufax
Whitey Ford
Triple Crown
Memorabilia
Phil Rizzuto
Wasn't Watching
Little Suzy
Hank Aaron
Polansky
Commitment
Alternating with your kids
Soak up sunshine
New shoes
Give Yourself a Fighting Chance     199
Get a pencil
Sharpen it on the concrete
Game-day essentials
EnormoTele
Quick refresher course
Other symbols
Identify plays
K
6-3
F8
SF-9
The runner advances
Coloring
Fielder's choice
Spare the other runner
Generic markings
Hash mark
Dots
Go hog wild
Don't get picky
Let's Give it a Go     205
New Mexico biker bar
Wade Boggs
National Public Radio
Annoying commentators
Fine autumn day in 1995
Replacements
Messy managerial decisions
Runners left on base
Clutch player
Tricky situations
Cone's collapse
Pitching woes
"Donnie Baseball"
Young A-Rod
Batting around the order
Will he make it?!?
Cynical minds
Mike Hargrove
Epilogue     215
Poison apple story
Carpool schedule
Jack Norworth
Baseball fables
Polo Grounds
Katie Casey
Had the fever
Harry Caray's throaty rendition
Flatline
State your mind and run
Dicey situations
Sources     221
Acknowledgments     225

Editorial Reviews

Freelance writer Silva, and Koney, who directs youth programs for Seattle's YMCA, teamed up to write a book about baseball, which they both love, even though they've "never played the game." Before they even describe the basic mechanics of the game, they launch into a chatty chapter on baseball history. They follow this with a digression on the role of managers before arriving at the heart of their book, a discussion of various game positions and how they're played. They continue with chapters on pitchers, theories of the lineup and instructions on how to score a game, all interspersed with sidebars from females, identified by first name and age, making enthusiastic comments about what a great game baseball is. Surprisingly, basic information-how the diamond is organized, the responsibilities of each position, game mechanics-is never laid out consistently. In the end, apart from the subtitle and the sidebars, there's little here for "savvy girls." (Apr.)

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