Legal Bases: Baseball and the Law

This is a good introduction to current baseball law. There are many areas covered and some that this baseball fan and law fan (by no means am I an attorney, though) that interested me. If you have wondered what goes on behind the scenes, give this book a read. It is easy to read and not at a "high-falutin'" level.

Anyone who enjoys the game of baseball can appreciate this book. We all hear about the current state of the industry, but few really understand how or why the status quo evolved. This book does a good job of providing a history of the antitrust exemption, free agency, and many other topics which still play a major role in the game today.

Mr. Abrams' book is an easy to read journey through the history of legal proceedings in baseball. His knowledge about the law gave this book the potential to be hard to understand, but he clearly explains the law in terms that any non-lawyer can understand. This is not necessarily the book for the casual fan, but if someone is really interested in the law within the baseball framework, this is a great starting place. The anti-trust exemption, reserve clause, free agency, and collective bargaining are among the topics covered by Abrams.Abrams has worked as an arbitrator for major league baseball, so he is not afraid to give his opinions to the major cases that have affected baseball throughout the years. He does an excellent job of penetrating to the core of the complex decisions and explaining them in clear terms.This book clearly covers the objectives it sets out to cover. This book should be on the shelf of any serious fan that wants to know more about the legal side of the game.