Sports / Recreation

For more than a decade, New York University President John Sexton has used baseball to illustrate the elements of a spiritual life in a wildly popular course at NYU. Using some of the great works of baseball fiction as well as the actual game's fantastic moments, its legendary characters, and its routine rituals from the long-sought triumph of the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers, to the heroic achievements of players like the saintly Christy Mathewson and the sinful Ty Cobb, to the loving intimacy of a game of catch between a father and son Sexton teaches that through the game we can touch the spiritual dimension of life.
"Baseball as a Road to God "is about the elements of our lives that lie beyond what can be captured in words alone ineffable truths that we know by experience rather than by logic or analysis. Applying tothe secular activity of baseball a form of inquiry usually reserved for the study of religion, Sexton reveals a surprising amount of common ground between the game and what we all recognize as religion: sacred places and time, faith and doubt, blessings and curses, and more.
In thought-provoking, beautifully rendered prose, this book elegantly demonstrates that baseball is more than a game, or even a national pastime: It can be a road to a deeper and more meaningful life."

Baseball continues to be a popular game both as a spectator sport and as a pastime. Since the publication of Baseball For Dummies, 3rd Edition, baseball teams have changed, new MLB stadiums have been built, and rules have been updated. This updated 4th Edition brings you the latest information on the players, the places, and above all, the game.

Baseball For Dummies is for baseball fans at all levels, from players and coaches to spectators who love the game. Baseball Hall of Fame player Joe Morgan explains baseball with remarkable insight, using down-to-earth language so everyone from the casual observer to the die-hard fan can gain a fuller appreciation of the sport.

Complete with Morgan's personal lists of top-ten toughest pitchers, smartest players, and most strategic managers, Baseball For Dummies gives you all the inside tips, facts, and stats so you can have Major League fun!

Would you love to know the incredible and exciting history of baseball?

Whether you want to (1) learn incredible and interesting facts about baseball history, (2) discover some of baseball's greatest events and stories, or (3) be thoroughly entertained as you learn how baseball has evolved over the years, this book will teach you everything you need to know.

See what happens inside the game.

This book is about what makes baseball the sport it is today. We'll take you inside a game to see what individual players are thinking. You will visit the early days of the sport to see some of the influences that have made the game what it is today. You will be inspired by the examples of real players who have pursued a dream, watched their dream crumble before their eyes, and then who persisted with dedication and hard work to attain success. If life is about winning and competition, then the game of baseball is rich soil in which to develop success.

Discover the greatest innovations to the game.

Because baseball relies equally upon chance and skill, you will discover some of the tactics players have used to try and improve their odds for success: changing the bat, scuffing the ball, bunting, stealing bases, and the use of any number of superstitions and good-luck charms, to name a few.

The Rich Culture of Baseball

Baseball is a sport rich in history, culture, and traditions. It doesn't matter if you have devoted your entire life to the game or whether you know little about baseball besides its name; this book is for you! You will find inside these pages both inspiration and a treasure of knowledge to flesh out the game for you. Beyond a play-by-play description of the game dynamics, you will be introduced to some of the strategies that have made baseball so unpredictably fascinating.

Trace the Development of the Sport.

You will also meet some of the interesting people who have contributed to the game and you will learn from the ongoing legacy of practical innovation that has shaped baseball over its one hundred-plus years of history. You will be introduced to innovators such as John Hillerich, Barry Bonds, Russ Ford, Harry Decker, Albert Spalding, and Alexander Cartwright. You will discover the connection between the sport of baseball and dodge ball, find out why there is a large bump in the middle of the playing field, and be transported to the ballpark for the first time "The Star Spangled Banner" was sung by the crowd. You will be inspired by the lives of athletes who pursued their dreams and continued to hope even when it appeared they would never play again. In addition, you will learn how fans have shown their support for their favorite teams and encouraged them, even in the darkest of days. Whatever your interest or level of knowledge, "The History of Baseball" will entertain, educate, and inspire you.

What Will You Discover About Baseball History?

You Will Also Learn:

Discover the incredibly entertaining history of baseball.

Get inside the game: Buy It Now!

The 2018 edition of The New York Times Bestselling Guide.

PLAY BALL! The 23rd edition of this industry-leading baseball annual contains all of the important statistics, player predictions and insider-level commentary that readers have come to expect, along with significant improvements to several statistics that were created by, and are exclusive to, Baseball Prospectus, and an expanded focus on international players and teams.

Baseball Prospectus 2018 provides fantasy players and insiders alike with prescient PECOTA projections, which The New York Times called "the überforecast of every player's performance."

With more than 50 Baseball Prospectus alumni currently working for major-league baseball teams, nearly every organization has sought the advice of current or former BP analysts, and readers of Baseball Prospectus 2018 will understand why!

Visit www.baseballprospectus.com for year-round baseball coverage

PLAY BALL! The 26th edition of this industry-leading baseball annualcontains all of the important statistics, player predictions and insider-levelcommentary that readers have come to expect, along with significant improvements to several statistics that were created by, and are exclusive to, Baseball Prospectus, and an expanded focus on international players and teams.

Baseball Prospectus 2021 provides fantasy players and insiders alike withprescient PECOTA projections, which TheNew York Times called "the überforecast of every player's performance."

With more than 50 Baseball Prospectus alumni currently working for major-league baseball teams, nearly every organization has sought the advice of current or former BP analysts, and readers of Baseball Prospectus 2021 will understand why!

America's favorite pastime has never been more popular and, for over a decade, "Baseball Prospectus" has been the ultimate guide to the game for fantasy players, professionals, and casual fans alike. "Baseball Prospectus 2007" continues that tradition, bringing together the top young baseball writers and analysts in the business to provide a definitive look at the season to come. Featuring humorous and incisive essays on all thirty teams and an in-depth look at every major league player and all the top prospects, "Baseball Prospectus 2007" offers the cutting-edge analysis that has inspired nearly every major league team to seek the advice of current or former "Prospectus" writers. Also included are projections of player stats for next year, as determined by the groundbreaking PECOTA system, which "Sports Illustrated" has called ?perhaps the game's most accurate projection model.? The most authoritative and entertaining book of its kind, "Baseball Prospectus 2007" is as essential to the baseball- watching experience as hot dogs and cold beer.

From the icons of the game to the players who got their big break but never quite broke through, The Baseball Talmud provides a wonderful historical narration of Major League Jewish Baseball in America. All the stats, the facts, the stories, and the (often unheralded) glory.

The Baseball Talmud reveals that there is far more to Jewish baseball than Hank Greenberg's powerful slugging and Sandy Koufax's masterful control. From Ausmus to Zinn, Berg to Kinsler, Holtzman to Yeager, and many others, Megdal draws upon the lore and the little-known details that increase our enjoyment of the game, including:

But this is more than just stories. Megdal, a stat geek himself, uses the wealth of modern sabermetrics to determine the greatest Jewish players at each position, the all-time Jewish All-Star Team, and how they would rate against the greatest teams in baseball history, from the 1906 Chicago Cubs to the 1998 New York Yankees.

The Baseball Talmud rewrites the history of Jewish baseball and is a book that every baseball fan should own.