Baseball by the Rules: An Anecdotal Guide to America's Oldest and Most Complex Sport

Following the chapter order of the official baseball rule book, this title delves deeply: it explains the rules and offers details about the development of the game. There is a history of the uniform, an explanation of how to make an illegal bat, an examination of changes in the strike zone and a rehash of the heavy-or-light bat argument. The authors also provide wonderful anecdotes that date back to the 19th century, such as Joe ""King'' Kelly substituting himself as catcher in the middle of a play so he could catch a pop foul near the dugout; Dan O'Leary running the wrong way around the base paths; Jay Kirke hitting a home run on a ball thrown from the outfield to tag out a runner at home plate. The authors include a section on how to keep score, which is helpful for old fans as well as new. Photos not seen by PW. (April)