Baseball Toaster: The Griddle : Book review: It Takes More Than Balls

Rank	Team	W	L	PCT	Division
1	Chicago Cubs	97	64	.602	C1
2	Philadelphia	92	70	.568	E1
3	Los Angeles Dodgers	84	78	.519	W1
4	Milwaukee	90	72	.556	C2
5	New York Mets	89	73	.549	E2
6	Houston	86	75	.534	C3
7	St. Louis	86	76	.531	C4
8	Florida	84	77	.522	E3
9	Arizona	82	80	.506	W2
10T	Colorado	74	88	.457	W3
10T	Cincinnati	74	88	.457	C5
12T	Atlanta	72	90	.444	E4
12T	San Francisco	72	90	.444	W4
14	Pittsburgh	67	95	.414	C6
15	San Diego	63	99	.389	W5
16	Washington	59	102	.366	E5

American League

Rank	Team	W	L	PCT	Division
1	Los Angeles Angels	100	62	.617	W1
2	Tampa Bay	97	65	.599	E1
3	Chicago White Sox	89	74	.546	C1
4	Boston	95	67	.586	E2
5	New York Yankees	89	73	.549	E3
6	Minnesota	88	75	.540	C2
7	Toronto	86	76	.531	E4
8	Cleveland	81	81	.500	C3
9	Texas	79	83	.488	W2
10	Oakland	75	86	.466	W3
11	Kansas City	75	87	.463	C4
12	Detroit	74	88	.457	C5
13	Baltimore	68	93	.422	E5
14	Seattle	61	101	.377	W4

Random Game Callbacks

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So where is that book?

Personal favorites that I wrote

The Metro Area Battles

New York

W L GB

Yankees 89 73

Mets 89 73

Baltimore/DC

W L GB

X - Orioles 68 93

Nationals 59 102 9

Chicago

W L GB

X - Cubs 97 64

White Sox 89 74 9

LA/Orange County

W L GB

X - Angels 100 62

Dodgers 84 78 16

SF/Oakland

W L GB

X - Athletics 76 85

Giants 72 90 4.5

X - Clinched

So long and thanks for playing this year

1. Washington (8/31)
2. Seattle (9/1)
3. Pittsburgh (9/6) *
3. San Diego (9/6) *
5. Baltimore (9/8)
6. Oakland (9/8)
7. Atlanta (9/9)
8. Kansas City (9/9)
9. Cincinnati (9/10)
10. Texas (9/13)
11. Detroit (9/15)
12. San Francisco (9/17)
13. Colorado (9/18)
14. Cleveland (9/19)
15. Toronto (9/21)
16. New York Yankees (9/23)
17. St. Louis (9/23)
18. Florida (9/23)
19. Arizona (9/25)
20. Houston (9/26)
21. New York Mets (9/28)
22. Minnesota (9/30)
23. Chicago Cubs (10/4)
24. Milwaukee (10/5)
25. Chicago White Sox (10/6)
26. Los Angeles Angels (10/6)
27. Los Angeles Dodgers (10/15)
28. Boston (10/19)
29. Tampa Bay (10/29)

* - Teams eliminated at same time

The last batter to reach on catcher's interference was ...

Seth McClung of Milwaukee by Koyie Hill of the Cubs on September 26, 2008.

FAQs

At least I think they should be.

Cycle alerts

Yellow alert - Player needs triple for cycle
Orange alert - Player needs double for cycle
Red alert - Player need single for cycle

If a player needs a home run for the cycle, the level of the alert varies depending upon the determination of the Cycle Detection Warning System, which is headquartered in Thief River Falls, Minnesota.

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For more information, please visit the Fairpole blog, or read the FAQ.

Book review: It Takes More Than Balls

2008-09-07 22:26

by Bob Timmermann

Deidre Silva and Jackie Koney, a pair of baseball fans from Seattle, decided that they wanted to put together a book about baseball that would be tailored for women. And the book got the somewhat inelegant title: It Takes More Than Balls: The Savvy Girls' Guide to Understanding and Enjoying Baseball.

I decided to give it a try, even though it appears to be marketed not unlike Secret deodorant. I needed to find out if the book was strong enough for me, yet written for a woman.

For the most part, I found the book to be, non-annoying. Silva and Koney definitely love and understand baseball. And they have written a very entertaining, well-written, and well-researched book that appeals to all types of fans.

I particularly liked the authors' introduction to the book where they state how you can be a baseball fan at any different level of intensity and none are "right." The game appeals to different people in different ways.

A good example of this is Silva and Koven's chapter on how to keep score. They mention the first rule of keeping score at a baseball game, which is, there is no one right way. They also don't feel that you have to keep score for the whole game. Other things might come up. You might get bored. You might have to leave. You might start talking to friends.

Remember, it's a baseball game, not a prison term.

But is the book an interesting read for the "savvy girl?" I can be savvy, but the last time I checked, I'm not a girl, so I asked someone who would pass for that, Mary, of This Book is For You, who reviews lots of books and plowed through this title in about a day. Mary grew up a Pirates fan and idolizes the skinny version of Barry Bonds, although her baseball heart really belongs to Andy Van Slyke.

Comments

2008-09-08 19:32:18

1. grandcosmo

"Grew up a Pirates fan", ok that explains a lot.

2008-09-09 13:17:02

2. sporky

I remember the BP podcast that featured Silva and Koney, and I'm relieved that this book isn't overly pink and fluffy.