Bunts: Curt Flood, Camden Yards, Pete Rose, and Other Reflections on Baseball

My grandfather taught me never to trust a man who wears a bow-tie, but I have to give George Will credit for his deep knowledge of the sport (which never bogs down into pedantry) and - a far rarer commodity in baseball writing - his sterling prose. You don't have to agree with his sour political conservatism (which, in an impressive display of self-knowledge, he attributes to being a Cubs fan) to find this a cracking good read.

George Will's ability to weave the fabric of Baseball into everyday life is incredible. I found myself wondering, after finishing this wonderful book, had read a book about Baseball or Mr. Will's philosophy of life? Bunts is a copulation of magazine and newpaper articles written by Mr. Will over the last three decades. His strings them together so that there is never an obvious seam and it flows as if it were written at one time. I found myself laughing constantly at the humor that is ever present in the game and magnified my Mr. Will's writing. If you are a fan of the "worlds most wonderful game" and if in addition you are a fan of Mark Twain's you will love this book. Thank you George Will.

Is there a better sport than baseball? I submit not. It is a sport that is as old as America (as the reader learns on page 272 of "Bunts"), and as much a part of the American experience as anything. "Bunts", a collection of George F. Will's columns about baseball over the last thirty years, is a marvelous look at baseball from the eyes of the die-hard Chicago Cubs fan. Though I care not for Will's conservative mindset, I appreciate his prose and enjoy some of his takes on baseball. Some of Will's contentions are controversial (the game is better today than ever before), some well-reasoned (the glories of 1950s baseball were not so glorious) and some out-dated (one column mocking the Braves and Yankees, baseball's worst teams according to Will, looks hopelessly out-dated since these two behemoths have won four of the last five World Series). But Will puts himself out in front and you must give him credit for speaking his mind. Incidentally, the reviewer's particular favorite column is Will's 1991 look at baseball in the Windy City- "Chicago Baseball- 'Never A Lovely So Real'" (pages 171-180)Baseball fans will enjoy.

George Will writes about baseball the way I would like to be able to(and he gets paid to do it.) He is a fan, a baseball fan, and he knows the stats that are important to baseball fans. The pace and meter of this book related well to the subject. This is a must have for anyone who loves the game.

The bunt is the quintessential unspectacular stroke of beauty in all sports. Unlike the slam dunk or home run, it lacks the self-aggrandizing adreneline essential to most other athletic feats. Appropriately, then, George Will has titled his book, a collection of stories about the unspectacular and the beautiful in baseball, after this most awesome of offensive maneuvers.Whether he is decrying the DH or lamenting the democratizion of sports, in "Bunts" George Will brings an intelligent and unique perspective to the national pastime. It is a must for all fans who find sports pages, sports magazines, and sports radio lacking. Passionate and intelligent, "Bunts" scores!