Baseball Books

This book covers pretty much all the stains you are likely to deal with at home.

I bought a copies for my daughters. One has a toddler and the other is expecting a baby soon. I told them they don't think they need this now, but wait.

Great shape and timely arrival.

I have found this book to be a great addition to my laundry room for quick reference. I have given several away as shower gifts, a high school graduation and birthdays. I like the size and the easy reference.

This seems like a great little book and should be very useful for many years. I trust it because it is published by Good Housekeeping whose test labs do a lot of testing and research.

I refer to this book on a nearly daily basis, and it is a must for any serious baseball fan. If you're in a fantasy, roto or sim league, you need to have this book.

Don't miss it.

When's the new one coming out?

John Sickels does a tremendous job. The book is well organized, well written, thorough, and doesn't cloud the joy and anticipation of baseball. The best of the STATS books, and always on my 'must-buy' list every year.

there is no better, more accurate source for minor league future stars and role players available at any price. John Sickels is the best!! He spends his winters watching baseball, and he spends his summers also watching baseball. he talks to coaches, managers, players and scouts. his seven skill approach is the most accurate forum for determining future success. I learned the importance of strike-zone judgement, and noone can convince me it's not the single most important factor in determining future success. My roti-team is stocked with Sickels reccommendations. Eric Chavez, Gabe Kapler, and Matt Clement for starters. it's easy to say now, what great players they will be, but John told me FIRST!!!

I'm writing this because Sickels deserves it. After years of roto info overload I now prepare for Draft Day with only three books: Sporting News Baseball Register (so i can see the statistical history of every player on the 40-man rosters), and the masterpieces from Benson and Sickels. The key in a competitive league is all timing, and Olkin gives you a better feel for WHEN a player will bloom than anyone else. John, thanks for helping me win 5 out of 6 league titles in the last two years. But I'm worried now that my competitors will start noticing your book at my side...

If you're a serious fan like me, especially if you do fantasy baseball, purchase this book. It is the most comprehensive text on the top prospects in baseball and a must have!

I constantly refer back to it throughout the baseball season.

This is a great story, wonderful for children and enjoyable for all ages. There is an awesome message and it really gets your emotions going! It's an instant classic!

My family thoughly enjoyed this book. Although it is listed as a childrens book, it is truly a book for all ages.

The story of Stitches is an amazing journey of the life of a baseball, but this isn't just an ordinary baseball. Stitches has a purspose and helps us realize we all have a purpose in life. If your a fan of baseball this will tug at your heart strings and even if your not Im sure you'll be fighting back the tears at the end. A job well done.

Great story by a wonderful author. Children of all ages will love this book and will find it a bedtime favorite. Buy one today and share it with a friend.

Stitches, the baseball, was not perfect but he had his own dreams. His journey to the realization of his dreams is one which will hold a child's attention. The journey is filled with setbacks and difficulties; but in the end it is worth the trip.

Kevin does not reveal the journey's end along the way. He keeps that secret and thereby keeps us reading.

There is a lesson to learn from Stitches, one that all of us need to learn in order to make the most of our lives: Dreams come true in ways we least expect.

This 32 page book is beautifully illustrated in full color and enhances the story.

The younger child will enjoy listening as the story is read to him/her and the older child will find the language easy to comprehend without being too simple. This will make a great gift that will be read over and over.

WILLIAM"CHIP"HILTON the high school sports all star has to try lto turn Nick Trullo's attitude around, let coach HENERY"ROCK"ROCKWELL deal with itor just stay away him while still traing Soapy Smith to be a catcher instead of a right fielder, and train himself to be a pitcher instead of a catcher with some tips from Del Bennett State baseball coach and friend of Coach Rockwell. From the beginning Chip, Soapy, Speed Morris, and Ted Williams were enimies sith Nick and Carl Carey. Chet Stewart the assistant coach ne at once that that Nick was trying to help Carl try to beat Chip out of the lead catcher job. During the games chip called the pitches and Nick didn't even shake them off he just pitched a different pitch. Chip, Taps Browning, Soapy and Speed all went to a Spring Festival at State where they went to see their future coaches. That's where he met Del Bennett and he asked him for some pitching lessons. He asked him not to tell the rock about it and because he wanted to tell him when he was ready. Chip built a strike zone on his fence but when he got his first chance with Soapy behind the plate and he didn't do well because his mound wasn't elevated. Then when Soapy claimed nick wasn't following the signs trullo was asked to turn in his uniform. after that They got to the championships. Will they win will will Nicks attitude change you have to read Strike 3.

WILLIAM"CHIP"HILTON the high school sports all star has to try lto turn Nick Trullo's attitude around, let coach HENERY"ROCK"ROCKWELL deal with itor just stay away him while still traing Soapy Smith to be a catcher instead of a right fielder, and train himself to be a pitcher instead of a catcher with some tips from Del Bennett State baseball coach and friend of Coach Rockwell. From the beginning Chip, Soapy, Speed Morris, and Ted Williams were enimies sith Nick and Carl Carey. Chet Stewart the assistant coach ne at once that that Nick was trying to help Carl try to beat Chip out of the lead catcher job. During the games chip called the pitches and Nick didn't even shake them off he just pitched a different pitch. Chip, Taps Browning, Soapy and Speed all went to a Spring Festival at State where they went to see their future coaches. That's where he met Del Bennett and he asked him for some pitching lessons. He asked him not to tell the rock about it and because he wanted to tell him when he was ready. Chip built a strike zone on his fence but when he got his first chance with Soapy

Strike Three! offers great baseball action but, more importantly, it's a story about friendship, courage, and learning to extend our hands to others. Chip bridges the gap between the South and the West sides of Valley Falls with courage, faith, and friendship.

Things don't change much in 50 years. This book still works with kids and adults. I like the new updates-just enough to make it contemporary. It would be a great gift for Little League friends and families.

Strike Three was not published in 1990--but nearly 50 years ago.

Great story of values and friendships.

Buy the real Chip Hilton books.

With the recent untimely passing of baseball hero Kirby Puckett, it's particularily worth noting that SWINGING FOR THE FENCES: BLACK BASEBALL IN MINNESOTA includes an oustanding chapter on the life of Puckett.

The chapter on Puckett's life was penned by sportswriter and author Jay Weiner, who was the Twins beat writer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune during the 1980s. Weiner does a brilliant job in telling the "rags-to-riches" story of the offspring of the Chicago housing projects who became the smiling face of the Minnesota Twins.

Weiner reveals the essence of Kirby Puckett, warts and all, and gives the reader a deeper sense of the tragic aura of Puck's career, injury, blindness, groping for posterity, and his induction into baseball's Hall of Fame.

Perspective is needed on Puckett and his place in the baseball record in Minnesota and author Weiner does this in SWINGING FOR THE FENCES: BLACK BASEBALL IN MINNESOTA. The book gives TWINS fans a new level of understanding of baseball in Minnesota, tying the past to the present, to see how it all fits together in a lively style, rich in storylines, filled with pathos of the intertwining of the themes of manhood, fatherhood, and brotherhood. A great read for fans of Puckett and of the Minnesota Twins.

Twenty-three articles by a variety of authors, mostly college professors and journalists, cover the different facets of black baseball in Minnesota from its first days in the latter 1800s down to contemporary times. The general theme running through all of the diversified articles is the "America Dream" and the "American Tragedy" reflected in the histories of the teams and the careers and lives of individual players. The American Dream part of the theme deals with how playing baseball allowed players to strive for high personal achievement as well as enjoy various levels of economic security and social recognition. The American Tragedy part takes in not only the racism and discrimination players faced, but also personal troubles and disappointments of some of them. Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson, and Willie Mays appear along with many relative unknowns. The exploits of teams named the Fergus Falls Musculars, the Quicksteps, and the Brown Stockings, among others, are related. The vibrant Minnesota black baseball scene going back well over a century is treated in a popular style profiling great and other notable players and following the courses, and occasional dramatic moments, of the teams.

Hoffbeck and his group of writers slice through baseball history in a unique way. Minnesota is not known for its baseball history or its African-American history, so at first glance it does not appear to be a very meaty topic. However, the writers have managed to cull together stories dating from the 1870s, covering the local town team right up to major-leaguers with the Twins. Some of the giants of the game stopped in Minnesota on their way to "the show" and therefore the book appeals to all baseball fans, not just Minnesotans.

"Swinging For The Fences," is a fascinating journey through Minnesota african american baseball history from the late 19th century to the present day. The book focuses on themes such as race, manhood, brotherhood, and fatherhood, and traces the struggles and triumphs of several black ball players who lived and played in Minnesota.Through the stories of remarkable athletes such as Bud Fowler, Satchel Paige, Willie Mays, Dave Winfield, and Kirby Puckett, the authors trace the vivid, if not well known,saga of black baseball in the upper midwest , from the town team days right up to the arrival of the Twins and beyond.Unlike many baseball histories, "Swinging For The Fences," doesn't overwhelm you with mind numbing facts and figures and a real love for the game shines through. The book also contains many never before published photos. Painstakingly researched and beautifully written, "Swinging For The Fences," is as exhilarating and fulfilling as a ninth inning rally !
-Todd Peterson, Member, The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR)

When one thinks of "black" baseball, an image of Jackie Robinson trying to break the Major League Baseball color barrier with the Dodgers comes to mind. About the last thing one would expect is to associate the lily-white state of Minnesota with black bseball, yet, in this intrigingly interesting book, Dr. Steve Hoffbeck shows how many other black baseball players suffered the same struggles as Jackie Robinson, their stories being told for the first time.

Dr. Hoffbeck has assembled a team of 11 writers to tell the detailed story of black baseball players in Minnesota that begins in the late 19th century and ends with sad story of the fallen hero Kirby Puckett. This is not a book that revels in baseball statistics; rather, the writers focus on the players themselves: who they were, where they came from, the color barrier conflicts each had to face, and what happened to them after baseball. It is this personalized approach that grabs the mind of the reader, and makes this book so interesting.

The book is divided into 24 concise chapters, each centered on a particular black baseball player or team. My favorite player chapters were as follows:

1. Earl Batty and his attempt to bring racial equality to the southern "plantation" owner of the Minnesota Twins, Calvin Griffith.
2. Satchel Paige's baseball barnstorming days in Minnesota. I am amazed with the pure pitching genius of 'Ol Satch, and how he was not allowed to compete against white major league baseball players until he was 42 years old in 1948. Even at that age (Paige being the oldest rookie to ever play major league baseball), Paige amazed the fans, his teammates, every batter he faced, and even the umpires with his amazing throwing skills. What a shame a man like Paige was denied his chance to excel at his first love while in his prime - just think of how the record books would look if Paige pitched 20-plus seasons in the major leagues!
3. Toni Stone, the first black woman (or any woman of any color for that matter) to attempt to pitch at the major league level.
4. The chapter on the tragic story of Kirby Puckett, the first black Minnesota baseball superstar, who had the fans of Minnesota in his back pocket, and then lost it all to allegations of spousal abuse and infidelity. Minnesota has never gotten over the fall of their hero Puckett and we lament to this day the sad ending to his stellar career.

The above chapters are only my personal highlights of what has come together as an excellent book on black baseball. Other chapters deal with lesser known black players in Minnesota, yet, the themes of persistence through intense racial persecution and taunting, the shared black brotherhood of baseball, and the sacrifices these men went through to pursue their love of the game shine through.

Hoffbeck and fellow writers have contributed a vital link to the previously untold "missing" history of black baseball.

This book should be in the collection of anyone who loves the game of baseball, for it documents the early pioneers of black baseball, and shows the heavy financial and emotional price the players had to pay to seek their places in the game of baseball. Modern-day black baseball players owe a debt of gratitude to these early pioneers, for it was their superior abilities, pride, and persistence that finally brought down the long-standing nearly impregnable racial barrier of American baseball. Cudos to Hoffbeck and Company for telling their compelling stories.

Jim Konedog Koenig

Not only fascinating are these stories, but what I find intriguing is a look into a segment of American History of which I know next to nothing.

The only fault of the book is that, at times, it dissipates into exaggeration. It still comes recommended.

This book has been a big hit with local old time baseball fans as I have loaned it many times.

Not only fascinating are these stories, but what I find intriguing is a look into a segment of American History of which I know next to nothing.

McNary weaves the lively narrative with Double Duty's spicy comments interspersed.

With help from this workout program I gained baserunning speed and an increase in bat head speed. This program is written very clearly and easy to follow.

This book has been absolutely wonderful for me, as well as the rest of my team. I'm hitting the ball further then I ever have before. The difference was evident in weeks. Truly the single best program out there.

I'm a multi sport athlete who trains all year round regardless of what sport I play. I bought a few of these Ultimate Guide to Weight Training books, and they definitely helped me train specifically for the different sports that I play. Then about a year later I received an email from amazon that there was a new edition out. These upgraded editions are even better than the originals, with more articles and a lot more sport-specific information. I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who plays a lot of sports or wants to specifically focus on training for one sport in particular.

I have to admit, I never thought something like this would work. But, I was proven wrong. I just thought I would give my recomendation for this book, and thanks to Robert Price for helping me with my game.

I am very pleased with my copy of this book. It has everything I was looking for with photos, tips, and detailed programs. It goes into depth about the specific muscles used throughout the swing and used when throwing. Possibly the most important thing I got from this book is improved speed and power in rotating my torso which helps with both swinging and throwing harder. My hips are also more powerful and balance has improved.

Doron Ben-Ami is the illustrator of this book.
He did an amazing job on each piece.

Randy Alcorn's Wait Until Then is both touching and wise. Any parent who wants to explain what happens to us when we die, how to deal with the death of a loved one, and how to cope with serious disappointment will want to read this book with their child.


The book introduces us to Nathan, a boy of about 9 or 10, and his grandfather. We learn that Nathan loves baseball, and that his grandfather once played in the major leagues. Nathan and Gramps share lots of good times playing catch, talking about baseball, and fishing, but Nathan has a great disappointment in his life. He's in a wheelchair. Too, Gramps is slowing down. He uses a walker, and he has cancer.

Yet when Nathan asks Gramps if he misses baseball, Gramps replies he'd rather play catch with Nathan than play next to some of the great major league players. "I'm grateful for my baseball years," Gramps says. "But they weren't as important as other things - like marrying your grandma and having children, including your mother."

Gramps tries to help Nathan cope with his negative feelings about being in a wheelchair. When Nathan bemoans the fact that he can't play ball, Gramps reminds him: "One day you will [run the bases]...God promises that one day we'll live on a New Earth. He'll fix everything. Nothing will be bad there. And we'll have better bodies than the greatest Olympic athletes." Gramps also tells Nathan that God had a special reason for putting Nathan in a wheelchair, whether or not they can see what it is just now. He also explains what Nathan needs to do to accept God's gift of salvation.


Then Gramps goes to the hospital. When Nathan visits, Gramps reminds him: "I want you to love Jesus and pray to him every day. It's fine to enjoy baseball. But remember, everything we love should cause us to love Jesus more, not less." Gramps dies, and Nathan recalls everything his grandfather taught him. He looks forward to the day he and Gramps can play baseball together.

The last two-page spread of the book shows Nathan running the bases on God's New Earth.

What I Like: This book could easily have been trite or preachy, but it's neither. The story brought tears to my eyes, and I believe it will touch you and your children, too. I also like that Alcorn has backed up his fictional story with plenty of Bible verses. And the illustrations, by Doron Ben-Ami, are amazing! They are rich and lifelike...so much so, many look like photographs, not drawings. I can't imagine better illustrations for this book.



What I Dislike: If you're not a baseball fan, there might be a a couple of moments where you find yourself wondering what the characters are talking about. However, the moments pass quickly, and do not detract from the overall beauty of the book.



Overall Rating: Excellent.

Kristina Seleshanko
Editor of Christian Children's Book Review

Do you remember being a kid and loving the smell of the freshly printed pages of a new book?! I do! I know - I'm a 'book-a-holic'! Seriously though, this book is one of those wonderful books that has the ability to take you back to being a child. It has that nostalgic smell to the pages...but it is beautifully written and put together - the most important part. The theme message (regarding loss of a dear one) is well written for kids and even adults. I recently lost my dear Dad and this book has been wonderful for my four children. I had to read it to myself a few times to get through the tears so I could read it to them without being so choked up. The pictures draw you in, it is incredibly graphic. This book is a treasure to my family.

I read Wait Until Then to my 8 year old son last night. He followed the story and liked it a lot. I thought it was great and the illustrations are just incredible--some of them look like photographs!

Wait Until Then by Randy Alcorn is a beautiful story about a wheelchair-bound young boy and his grandfather who is dying of cancer. They share a great love for baseball.

Nathan wants more than anything to be able to run and walk like other kids so he can really play baseball. His grandfather knows this and tries to show him that there are other things far more important.

They have many good talks as they fish, play catch, and just spend time together. As Grandpa explains why we have suffering and bad things, he also talks about a time when all will be made new and Nathan will be able to run and jump just like other boys on the New Earth. Grandpa also tells Nathan and his brother and sister about Heaven and how Jesus is building a special place there for each person.

Alcorn designed this book to be used to open dialogue with children about Heaven--what it is like and how to get there. The plan of salvation is presented within the story. Every page is a full-color illustration of the story. It is recommended for the ages of six through ten and will be a great book to be handed down from generation to generation. - Linda Demorest, Christian Book Previews.com

Stars, everyday players, and scrubs share their memories of major league baseball from 1946 to 1964. This is a book that I've had for I don't know how long now and when a copy falls apart, I get a new one - this hardcover version for $15.00 is a bargain but shhhhh, don't tell Amazon. Stars like Brooks Robinson and everyday players like Gene Woodling and unknowns like Eddie Joost and one season players like Ed Bouchee and scrubs like Johnny Berardino discuss opponents and also their own experiences in the major leagues. Every true baseball fan should have this easy-to-read book in their library and those who don't really aren't true baseball fans.

I have spent a lifetime reading about baseball and this tops my list.It covers both leagues and gives a rare insight into the stars and the non-stars and how they played and lived.It makes you feel as though you lived through it as well !!!

THIS IS A BOOK COVERING BASEBALL FROM 1947 THRU 1964. THE AUTHOR HAS A FEW PLAYERS FROM EACH TEAM TELL IN THEIR OWN WORDS WHAT WAS GOING ON DURING THIS SEASON. SOME OF THE PEOPLE INTERVIEWED INCLUDE BROOKS ROBINSON, HARMON KILLEBREW, JIM GRANT, RYNE DUREN AND MANY OTHERS. THE BOOK HAS OVER 600 PAGES OF CONTENTS. FOR THE MONEY THIS IS GREAT BUY. THE DETAILED INTERVIEWS ARE SOMETHING SPECIAL AND I RECOMMEND THIS FOR FANS WHO FOLLOWED THE GAME IN THE 1950'S AND 60'S. AN OUTSTANDING READ.

.... then you will love this book. It's an oral history of the game as told by the non-superstars. Unlike similar books, this one is huge, and the stories are long, fun and will make you nostalgic for your youth. You'll see stories by guys like Ed Bouchee, Billy DeWitt, Don Mossi.... names you'll recognize from the days when baseball cards cost a nickel a pack, provided you with a thin slice of bubble gum, and a bunch of cards to trade with your friends or stick in the spokes of your bike wheels.

I'm only part way through and I love this book!

This is the perfect baseball book for all seasons, but especially now with the World Series over, and spring training still months away. It also seems appropriate to me that this book is set during one of the "Golden Ages" of baseball between 1947 and 1964, a time when the only stats that mattered reflected exploits on the field, rather than tallies of bank accounts off the diamond, as we have heard so much about in the past few seasons.

So sit back, curl up in front of the fire, and dip in and out of this massive volume, which is edited and organized in a way that allows just such delights. Packed with stories about the game's greats, and not-so-greats, it offers wonderful insights into how the men who delighted in playing a boy's game actually felt, thought and acted, as told in their own words. There are baseball heroics here aplenty, but also some bitter truths and some all-too human behavior that just serves to make these men all the more real, and fascinating.

Editor and author Danny Peary obviously loves the game, and isn't tainted with the sort of "celebrity awe" that characterizes so much of today's sports' coverage, and its cynical flip-side. Of course, he does pay homage to the greats of this era, but he also rekindles a thousand memories for those of us old enough to remember some of the less celebrated, but nonetheless extraordinary characters who once inhabited the game. Hopefully, younger readers will also delight in meeting these men as well, who had wondrous names such as Vic Power, Minnie Minoso and Pumpsie Green. Need I say more?

I began this book with some trepidation as Yogi has always been looked upon as somewhat of a clown. Someone to be enjoyed, yet not one to be taken too seriously. This book proved my expectations to be far from the truth. Although he is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and utilizes the sport as a metaphor to represent life, it goes into various aspects of Sports and shows how they are applicable in daily life. He writes about issues such as ones attitude, charisma as well as the ability to work together as a team. Much of what is written in this little "gem" of a book is applicable to the business setting and appears to come out of Business 101. When he writes about the effect of Parents upon Children, this hits Home and this is a superbly done book.

This little book is a great read and full of down to earth ideas that will be usefulto the readers in their everyday lives.We have all heard of the one-liners attributed to Yogi.Even if you are still up in the air whether he actually said all these things;you'll really see the thoughts behind these statements.
It's hard to believe that there was ever any other Baseball player who had more love for the game,and that was from the days when he and Joe Garagolia played pick-up ball as kids in St.Louis,all the way through the major leagues,and now in his retirement years.Not only that,you'll see from this book that nobody appreciated more the privilege he had to make a wonderful life and living "playing a kids game".
Yogi tells us the things that helped him through life and he explains the principles as well as any professionally trained person could do.
Most of all,he doesn't preach. he just tells us what has worked for him and should work for anyone ,through his years of observing life.In his own words,he sums it all up with:
"You can observe a lot by watching."
Thanks,Yogi,for all the enjoyment and fun you have given so many of over the years;and also for putting your thoughts in this terrific little book.

I still dont know what inspired me to buy this book, but after every page, I was glad I did. This book was a very unique combination of philosophy, self-help, humor, historical sports and general good writing. I had never been familiar with Yogi Berra other than some of his more famous quote but I understand his way of thinking now and I believe some of the secrets to life lie between the covers of this book.

The book never gets dry, points arent beaten to death and he doesn't try to cram his personal way of thinking down your throat. I like that and really was able to take more out of this book because it approaches everything in a very level-headed and laid back way. There were a lot of interesting stories that presented a nice way to explain a situation. I also appreciated the fact that there were references to very recent happenings as of 2002. There were also some comical and cartoonish illustrations that started off or ended each chapter and the chapter names were "Yogi-isms" which was also a nice touch.

The only problem I had with this book was that I ended up reading it too fast because I couldn't put the thing down. I was very impressed with Yogi Berra, he is truly the man, the myth, the legend that people have made him out to be and I believe that meeting him one day has just been put on my to-do list. As far as the book goes, I highly recommend it. It is a smooth reading book that you will enjoy and recall upon in the future. As I stated, I only like books I'm going to like, and this was one of them.

Read and enjoyed Yogi Berra's WHAT TIME IS IT? YOU MEAN
NOW? . . . the book, written with Dave Kaplan, is subtitled
ADVICE FOR LIFE FROM THE ZENNEST MASTER OF THEM
ALL . . . it contains 26 chapters, one for each letter from A
to Z, that has me believing that Berra was not only a great
baseball player--he's also quite a guy.

Although I have my doubts as to what he wrote vs. what
Kaplan did, I nevertheless enjoyed the thoughts on such
varied topics as family, competition and living in New York City.

Naturally, I also chuckled at a bunch of quotes that have
been attributed to Berra--although he admits that he did not
say them all . . . among them:
Little League is good because it keeps parents off the
streets and the kids out of the house.

It's so crowded nobody goes there.

If you ask me questions I don't know, I'm not going to answer.

You saw DR. ZHIVARGO? Why? Aren't you feeling well?

There were several other parts of the book that I liked; most notably:

I'm Lucky that Carm is a very upbeat, positive person and doesn't dwell on this stuff either. One time, though she did ask me where I should be buried. Our families are from St. Louis, where I grew up; my career was in New York; we live in New Jersey. I told Carm, "I don't know, just surprise me."

If I'm buying a car, I'll leave my wallet home the first time and just ask questions. What are the payments? What kind of warranty? What's the downside of the car? The right questions can help you make the right decisions.

It's no big secret-winning makes you feel better about everything, and losing doesn't. Everybody wants to win, who doesn't? Winning is important, that's why you keep score, but I think maybe overall it's gotten too much so, especially in kids' sports where there's too much stress on winning and not enough fun. I guess that's what's happened as sports have gotten so big in our country. Instead of asking their kids after a soccer or a Little League game, "Did you win?"
maybe the parents should ask, "Did you give it your best?" or
"Did you have fun?"

When it comes to the wit and wisdom of Yogi Berra you have to realize that are two types of Berraisms that you have to keep separate. First there are his classic examples of logic, where they sound wrong but they make sense, such as "Ninety percent of this game is mental and the other half is physical" and "It ain't over `till its over." For example, the latter works because "over" has two different meanings in that sentence, which reflects the fact that baseball does not have a clock. Second there are those that are simply the man misspeaking, such as "I want to thank everybody for making this night necessary" and "You saw Dr. Zhivago? Why? Aren't you feeling well?" Do not mistake the two forms because there is a major difference. The first category is the important one because it proves that while he was uneducated Lawrence Peter Berra was one of the smartest people to ever walk on a baseball diamond. You be sure to distinguish between the two types of sayings that serve as the basis for this book "What Time Is it? You Mean Now?: Advice for Life from the Zennest Master of Them All." (The title would fall in the second category for my money.)

All of this, of course, assumes that Yogi actually did say any particular comment in the first place (we give the man the benefit of the doubt although he admits he did not say everything he has said). There are twenty-six of these sayings, arranged in alphabetical order using the most liberal of standards¸ each with a black and white illustration by Alan Dingman. We are then provided with several pages of reflections and commentary by Yogi, which work in stories from his family life and baseball career. I wonder whether Yogi was actually given these sayings and then proceeded to hold forth on this thoughts or whether Dave Kaplan interviewed the Hall of Fame catcher and then cut and pasted them into this volume. Not that it makes much of a difference, but I am curious. The main thing here is not the recycled sayings, most of which I have heard before in my consumption of all things Yogi (in the fourth grade there were three of us with the same name and I had a catcher's mitt so I was actually called "Yogi" for a year), but to hear what he has to say about the mysteries of time, the meaning of community, and the omnipresence of hope in the direst circumstances (and you thought this would just be light reading). Smart move of Yao Ming in one of his first commercial to team up with Yogi, the most loved and loveable sports figure in the United States today.