Pure Baseball

I bought this book because I'm a Keith Hernandez fan, both for his playing days and for his superstar performance as a New York Mets broadcaster. I really didn't know what to expect when I bought the book, although I was intrigued by the description of the book that Amazon provides. Anyway, I should say that I only wish I had read this book as a younger man, when I was still playing. This book is a must read for any young player who loves to play this game but who has no clue about how to improve his or her batting and who can also benefit from a professional's instruction for situations in the field. It's also a very enjoyable read for those of us who now just like to watch.... Reading Keith's play by play is riveting and will make that watching much more informed and full. I've even bought a second copy and gifted it to a young teen I know who plays the game. It's a great game. Keith's book makes it even better.

I heard about this book a long time ago and read it back in 2005. Just doing a review now as it came up again in conversation. I'm a fairly knowledgable baseball fan. Played little league but nothing really beyond that. Still love to watch the game, minors or majors.What amazed me was how little I actually knew about the game itself. Hernandez does an amazing job of taking the reader play by play through 2 games and goes into excruciatingly wonderful detail about what is going on and why. He breaks it down into terms anyone can understand and does not talk down to the reader. It really opened my eyes about the game and what is going on not only during play, but in between plays. Why batters, pitchers, fielders and runners all do certain things that I just thought were random.Really great book if you want to improve your baseball knowledge.

As previously mentioned, the "Pitch by Pitch" in the subtitle of this book is no lie. Hernandez dissects entire at-bats (not every at-bat, thankfully) and other parts of two regular season games from 1993 involving the Phillies and Braves and the Tigers and Yankees. His preference for National League baseball is evident. Still, he doesn't let this deter him from enjoying the AL game.The good part about this book: It's very descriptive. The bad part about this book: It's very descriptive. Keith's insights are great and I did learn a fair amount from reading this book. That said, he spends too much time breaking down certain plays. Seven pages on the hit-and-run? Four pages on the pickoff? Way too long. Even I don't love baseball that much. Also, he goes way overboard with his use of exclamation points. It seemed like there was five or six in every paragraph.Overall, I mildly recommend this book. I wouldn't pay full price for it, but it's worth a read.

I'm a huge baseball fanatic and I *love* reading detailed analysis of baseball strategy and tactics. But even this book was too tedious for me. And I've almost never read a baseball book that I found too tedious. Hernandez, although very knowledgeable, dwells too much on each pitch. The reader might think the title is a metaphor for detailed analysis (pitch by pitch). No, it means *exactly* what it says. Hernandez discusses EACH pitch. At first the analysis is interesting. Then you realize you're a third of the way through the book and he's *still* talking about whether the next pitch will be a curve or a slider, or whether this particular left-handed hitter should be thrown a change-up, or whether the pitcher should challenge the batter with his superior fastball, or whether the pitch should be low, or high, or out of the strikezone. Enough already! As far as baseball strategy goes, this book is 90% about pitch selection and batter analysis. There is not too much discussion of the other elements of baseball. Tim McCarver's book, "Baseball For Brain Surgeons" is much better. So, if you're looking for a wider variety of baseball discussion, I'd recommend you look elsewhere. But if you're mostly interested in the cat-and-mouse game between the pitcher and batter, this is the book for you - because that's what 90% if this book is about.

If ever there was a necessary baseball book, this is it!! I reread it every season (as does at least one other reviewer) and always learn something more from doing so.I have taken Mr. Hernandez' advice and always turn off the sound when watching a game on TV. I find it to be a major improvement and I'm no longer distracted by the content-free, pointless remarks made by most announcers.Frankly, judging from the mental errors common to the game today, it should be required reading for each and every player from the rookie leagues to the bigs.If you're not a serious student of the game, then maybe you should pass on this one!!

This is the best baseball book that I have ever read! It sounds like it would be plodding but the first part of the book is a pitch by pitch account of a game and and all of the strategy that goes along with it. Great insight into what makes baseball entertaining if you know what to look for.

Great book for Father / Son and daughter bonding. Keith breaks baseball down, play by play so easily that for the young one that they can understand that thinking ahead becomes very important and then knowing what to do correctly is already running through your brain.

If you like baseball...this is a must. I have given this book to 10 people. It's a special learning experience.

on time. as advertised. very good

Great book. Enjoyed it.