Long Balls, No Strikes: What Baseball Must Do to Keep the Good Times Rolling

""Baseball is back, but it's not all the way back,"" writes Morgan. Having proved himself one of baseball's shrewdest television analysts for both ESPN and NBC, the Hall of Fame second-baseman brings his intelligence and knowledge to this savvy state-of-the-game evaluation of where baseball is and where it should go. With the help of Lally, Morgan convincingly argues that baseball's magical 1998 campaign was an aberration and that the game needs to revamp itself if it is to retain the popularity thrust upon it last year by Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and the remarkable success of the New York Yankees. Baseball junkies will appreciate his host of suggested improvements, ranging from raising the pitcher's mound (which was lowered after pitchers dominated the 1968 season) and standardizing the strike zone (which the league is trying to do this season) to a plea for more aggressive baserunning. They'll also find compelling his list of players who should be in the Hall of Fame (including two of his Big Red Machine teammates, Tony Perez and Davy Concepcion) and his criticisms of certain managerial chestnuts. Morgan intelligently discusses the game's labor issues, explaining the history that produced the players' union, while simultaneously arguing for a revenue-sharing plan that would give small-market teams a chance to compete. A provocative chapter notes the insidious ways in which race--and racism--still affect the game, both on and off the field. Tart and thoughtful, Morgan's opinions will be relished by anyone who knows and loves the game. Author tour. (Sept.)