The Short Season

Spring training, a practice which began 100 years ago, is as integral a part of the national pastime as the World Series, although different ballclubs attach varying degrees of importance to it. Looking at one training seasonthe spring of 1985Falkner concentrates on the teams in the American League East, in his view the nation's toughest division, although there are also observations about the Phillies, the Reds, etc. Perhaps as a result of his earlier book, Sadaharu Oh: A Zen Way of Baseball, Falkner at first interprets his subject in the light of Eastern philosophies, an approach that readers not similarly inclined may find boring. But once he gets down to baseball on its own terms the book becomes more interesting, with portraits of the teams, accounts of some significant games, profiles of his favorite stars and a beautifully written epilogue. (March 20)