Baseball For Dummies

Baseball is another solid hit in the popular Dummies series. With its chatty style, snappy graphics, and enjoyably informative top-10 lists, the book sticks to the Dummies format better than most pitchers follow their catchers' signs, a plus to be sure. The real plus, though, resides in the deftness of Joe Morgan's voice. The former Hall of Fame second baseman-turned television analyst has proven himself a natural communicator in the booth; he comes across just as comfortable, informative, and thorough in print. His enthusiasm spills over, but not at the expense of his broad knowledge. Morgan, naturally, covers the bases--hitting, pitching, fielding, running, coaching--with plenty of whys teamed up with the requisite how-tos. For added expertise he calls on fellow pros such as Hall of Famer Bob Gibson and MVP third-baseman Ken Caminiti. Deceptively sophisticated, Baseball for Dummies is a marvelously good-natured introduction to the game, but it also hurls enough insight to hook baseball's more advanced students.