The Big Book of Baseball Brainteasers

"The Big Book of Baseball Brainteasers" is a good addition to any baseball junkie's library. However, I do not think that I would necessarily recommend it to casual fans of the game. I will discuss the layout of the book and the information provided in hopes to educate potential buyers as to whether or not this book would make a good addition to their libraries. This book is divided into different chapters that each focuses on various parts of the game: the infield, the outfield, the umps, the dugout, base runners, and others. Each section starts with some interesting stories and trivia about historical eras and historical players. There is even information about current (at the time of print) players and teams. After these "fun facts" comes the "brainteasers." There are many situations in this book that will more often than not be overlooked or missed by the casual fan; but, for the baseball junkies, these situations are what they yearn for while watching games. It is these classic crazy aspects of the game of baseball that make it enjoyable and great conversations, even years after the play in question (as discussed in the book about some of record disputes from Babe Ruth's era). These brainteasers are fun to read but not necessarily to "solve." The book poses a question about rule interpretations and then immediately gives the answer. My problem with this book is that many times it seems like the answers needed more information other than what the others provided. Many times a rule from the official MLB rulebook is listed, but not explained in enough detail to fully grasp the reasoning behind the final decision. Other times there is a great description followed by the rule that would back up the decision if the reader were interested in looking up the specific rule. Of course I understand that it would get repetitive to list each and every rule that is involved in every play throughout the book (like a base runner missing a bag while running - which already happens quite frequently in the first chapter alone) but it would be nice for some greater clarification. For these reasons I would recommend this book to die-hard baseball fans. It could potentially provide some great discussions and intellectual stimulation for an individual or a group of people. However, I see the greatest benefit for those who know the MLB official rules from top-to-bottom or for a person who has a copy of the MLB official rules and doesn't mind referencing it frequently. Of course, this book is also fun and interesting to just read through, no matter how much knowledge the reader has (or does not have) about the game of baseball.