In the Ballpark: The Working Lives of Baseball People

I have been a baseball fan for over 40 years, and after reading this fascinating book I will never look at a baseball game, a ballpark or baseball in general the same way ever again. I could not put this book down. It's like a full body CAT scan of something most of us have never seen beneath the skin, or, if we are baseball readers, perhaps at best a few x-rays. Thank you Gmelch and Weiner for writing it. I have been recommending this book to every serious baseball fan I know and I am adding it to my gifts list.

Beneath all the publicity, the stories of superstars signing for mega-bucks and of those who blow it all, this book gives us a look at the people who try to make a career in baseball just because they love the game. Some of them succeed, others fail. But they all seem to have an undying love for the game and what it means to the American way of life.This book was certainly well worth the time. I recommend it to any baseball fan.

The fact that the subject is baseball is beside the point. The authors have shown skill, humour, and insight in their ability to identify and highlight all the areas that go into making the game what it is. Some of the people are likable, some you even feel sorry for, but the tact, taste, and even the occasional lack of objectivity serve to make this an enjoyable read. (Coming from a family with many anthropoligists, I can say I've never read anything as fun to read as this.)

I would of given it a twelve but that rating was not allowed. By far the best and funniest book on baseball I have read in a long time. A refreshing departure from the usual baseball book. I can't believe two guys from Schenactady, NY were able to put this together. Maybe that Weiner kid really did get something out of Union.

If you're a baseball fan, then this book is a sure hit. Very interesting interviews with characters from every aspect of the game, including the beer vendor and the wife of Bernie Williams. I love baseball, and I couldn't put the book down...