Why Is The Foul Pole Fair?: Answers to 101 of the Most Perplexing Baseball Questions

Average customer rating:

A book mostly about things you didn't know or care about

WHY IS THE FOUL POLE FAIR ?

Nicely Done

An afternoon chat with a good friend

Interesting Answers to Rarely Asked Questions

Why Is The Foul Pole Fair?: Answers to 101 of the Most Perplexing Baseball Questions
Vince Staten
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Essays & Writings | Baseball | Sports | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 074325791X

Book Description

Chicken soup for the baseball lover's soul -- the inimitable Vince Staten takes you out to the ol' ballgame and answers all the baseball questions your dad hoped you wouldn't ask.

Download Description

"You've visited the hardware store with him, stocked up at the drug store with him, bought your groceries with him, and plunked down your two bits for a shave and a haircut with him. And now the inimitable Vince Staten takes you out to the ol' ballgame, buys you some peanuts and Cracker Jack, and answers all the baseball questions your dad hoped you wouldn't ask. In Why Is the Foul Pole Fair?, Staten details the origins of everything baseball, including, for example, the average lifespan of the major-league ball (seven pitches; fewer if Mike Piazza is at the plate), the exacting standards of infield maintenance (chronicling the declaration of the ""end of bad hops in our lifetime""), and the succinct, efficient nomenclature of big-league bats (Rod Carew used a C271 Louisville Slugger, so named because he was the 271st player whose last name began with a C to commission his own bat model. Simple, right?). Blending dogged research, unaffected, self-deprecating humor, and a genuine love of everything baseball, Staten covers all the bases and explains why one of them is shaped differently than the rest while he's at it. And though Why Is the Foul Pole Fair? is, of course, about radar guns and box seats, it's also about how a middle-aged father and an eighteen-year-old son hell-bent for college spend an easy, quietly meaningful afternoon together. Enjoying a day at the ballpark with his son, who is soon departing for school, Staten fondly illuminates how baseball has been color and context in their relationship and, by extension, how it's been the same for everyone who thrills to the notion -- or memory -- of dads and kids having a twilit catch in the backyard. Part anecdotal history of the sport's tableau, part demystification of baseball's tools and storied playing grounds, and part valentine to fathers and sons, as well as to the game that welcomes them both, Why Is the Foul Pole Fair? is chicken soup for the baseball lover's soul. "

Customer Reviews:

A book mostly about things you didn't know or care about.......2005-06-09

Vince Staten professes to being an avid baseball fan. If so, there is no excuse for not knowing the correct name of the stadium where the minor league team in the area where he lives plays in. He refers to the Louisville Bats' home as "Slugger Park," when in fact it is "Louisville Slugger Field." This would be insignificant except for the fact that "Slugger Park" has an entirely different meaning-it was the name of the Hillerich & Bradsby Co's factory in Jeffersonville, Indiana, where the Louisville Slugger bats were manufactured from 1974 to 1995. The framework for this book is a trip to a Cincinnati Reds game that Staten made with his son, Will. No big deal there. How many millions of fathers take their sons to baseball games every year? The real purpose of the book is to explore the more mundate aspects of the game. Staten never does answer the question in the title of the book. Maybe there isn't an answer. It seems that Staten picked that question as the name of the book because it sounded good, not because it had anything to do with the content of the book. I give Staten credit for writing a different kind of baseball book. There has been far too many books written about baseball, with the biographies of most Hall of Famers told several times, and statistics dating to the 19th century analyzed over and over. However, perhaps the reason that few other people have written about Staten's subject matter is that no one really cares. Why would anyone other than a stadium architect care about how many restrooms or parking spaces to include in a ballpark? Everyone already knows the answer to that question: when the stadium is sold out, there are never enough parking spaces or restrooms. I did take some interest in the section about the width of seats. We have all been to a sporting event where we had the misfortune of sitting next to a fat person who took all of their own seat and half of ours. It doesn't really matter how wide they make the seats. Americans are getting fatter and fatter, and we will continue to sit in seats in ballparks and arenas and chow down on hot dogs and nachos washed down with beer. If they make the seats wider, we will just grow into them. I don't really care how the manufacturer of seats decides on the width of the seats. Staten, as he has in several of his other books, takes particular interest in the mundane aspects of life. He may find it fascinating, but with some exceptions, for the most part it makes for very dull reading.

WHY IS THE FOUL POLE FAIR ?.......2005-06-06

I got an "advance uncorrected reader's proof copy from Simon & Schuster" a couple summers ago. I chuckled all the way through. My 13 year old is now chuckling as he reads each chapter. Also he gets extra credit in LA/Lit class for finding typos, etc.

We live reasonably close to Louisville , KY and try to see as many Bats' games as possible each summer. Even before Staten's chapter about how well Tom Nielsen keeps up the field,we were in love with Louisville Slugger Field. It's quaint ambiance is awesome.

As a baseball parent I'm not quite the baseball buff that many of the parents and coaches are here in Elizabethtown KY,but I do have bragging rights regarding much fun minutia about the game that they can't possibly know.

I've reread most chapters and will finish the others again this summer. Great primer !!!!!!!

Nicely Done.......2004-07-18

As the author watches a game with his son, some questions come to mind; he provides the reader answers to them in an entertaining way. I especially liked the true-to-life description of why catchers wear cups (chapter 13). It is a good, easy read for fans of all ages. You'll find answers to questions you weren't aware you didn't know the answer to.

An afternoon chat with a good friend.......2004-06-08

I was expecting an exhaustive encyclopedia of baseball trivia. This book is not that!

Instead, it's a meandering, enjoyable chat with a knowledgeable friend about baseball on a summer afternoon on the porch. Vince Staten frames his entire book around a big league game he attended with his grown son, but somehow every facet of that experience leads off on a tangent to a fascinating exploration of baseball stadium and game trivia from the ticket buying experience (which leads to essays on ticket printing and turnstiles), to telling his son about the time a shortstop lost a ball because it bounced off a pebble (which leads to an in-depth interview of a groundskeeper), to a certain snugness in the stadium seat (which leads to a well researched essay on studies through the decades of the width of the typical American backside).

These essays have certainly made my baseball game experiences more enjoyable and given me a store of trivia to trot out at parties!

Interesting Answers to Rarely Asked Questions.......2003-06-21

Vince Staten is a long time fan who has has written a baseball book almost entirely devoid of the common and usual ingredients found in most baseball books, such as statistics or rehashed history. Staten uses a baseball game attended by himself and his son to provide the reader with interesting information and anecdotes about non-playing aspects of the game and the sport. This book is not for fans into sabermetrics or player bios. This book is for fans who want to know more about topics peripheral to the actual game, such as how: stadiums are architected; playing fields are maintained; balls and bats are designed; ballpark food and souvenirs are selected and sold. We never really learn why foul poles and foul lines are fair in baseball, while their equivalents in other sports are not, but the the reader does enjoy learning more about the trivial details and background of baseball's infrastructure and history.

Book Description

Local capital market development responds to the need to reduce the risk of financial crises that result from an excessive reliance on external borrowing -- for example, to avoid foreign exchange risk, reduce contagion, and decrease short-term external borrowing. In fact, as financial crises dwarf the role of financial intermediation, the problems of asymmetric information become even more severe, leading to greater public mistrust of financial institutions.

The contributors in Focus on Capital tackle various aspects of developing Latin American capital markets. Macroeconomic and structural policies, accounting practices and standards, bond market development, market infrastructure, derivatives markets, corporate governance, ethics, human capital, and regional integration all play a role. One of the shortcomings of many strategies for capital market development -- more important than getting the sequencing wrong -- is failing to understand the links between the various components and the need for an overall strategy as well as plans for each component. Focus on Capital analyzes the status of the markets in Latin America and identifies the technical, political, and financial challenges to building vibrant capital markets and increasing the efficiency benefits of regional economic and financial integration.

Book Description

Does the journey toward finding a mate for life have to be filled with anxiety? desperation? fret? or regret? Not according to bestselling author Michelle McKinney Hammond who expertly navigates the choppy waters of singledom—for both men and women—and warmly encourages those stuck in the dead–end dating scene as well as those on an involuntary relationship fast that marriage could be on the horizon.

With her tell–it–like–it–is style using biblical examples, Michelle urges readers to place their need for love in perspective, take life off hold, live purposefully, and gain a basic understanding of successful relating with the opposite sex.

This unique format is presented for both sides of the single coin. Women will welcome Michelle’s sisterly advice and men will appreciate the insider information. Together, they comprise the ultimate guide to successfully finding (and keeping) the love of your life.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent book!.......2007-08-08

Quick read yet enlightening... It is an excellent book. Reinforced the importance of being still, waiting on God, and being prepared.

Excellent.......2007-05-15

This is a great book because it helps you to focus on yourself in the things that you could be doing as a woman instead of sitting around waititng a man. I also like the fact that is very practical. I enjoyed reading it.

Great for whether you are in search of love or searching for yourself.......2006-05-03

I found this book to be very insightful. As a newly divorced mother of two. I wanted to make sure that I looked for the right things in a man and not just go for anything just to say I have one. It made me think about past relationships and not play the victim in what ocurred. To take a hard look at some of the signs telling me this person is not good for you, but did it anyway. Taught me about not investing my time nor my spirit in a person that is not fit for me. I must first Love myself. She writes as if she is sitting right there saying "Girl you better learn some sense." Execellent job!! I have recommened this book to several friends.

God's Word Stands True.......2006-04-30

I just borrowed this book from my sister a week ago and officially just finished it today. This is one of the best books I have read lately on the issue. Michelle was very real about the position single women are in. Usually we are awaiting the man of our dreams. I have learned that Jesus has to be the man of our dreams first before he can release us to another. Michelle used accurate scripture (the story of Boaz and Ruth--you can read it yourself in Bible) to relate God's plan to send us our husbands. The number one thing that I took away from this book is that we are single for a reason. It is usually because God is dealing with us as we are. He wants a deeper relationship with us before we have to share our love with him and someone else. "Ending the search for Mr. Right" will allow you to "Begin the search for true happiness!"

A Bunch of Bull.......2006-03-18

I don't even want to elaborate on the crap this woman has written. But readers should be aware. First of all, how can a person take advice from someone who is in her mid to late 40s and never married? What can she tell a sister about finding the "right" mate when she haven't even found him for herself? What a hypocrite! 'Do as I say, not as I do' syndrome.

It's a sin and a shame that people will cheaply cling their paws into lonely women and write anything to soothe their burning flesh just for the sake of fame and fortune. Ladies, I say, see what Jesus says about love and marriage and stay away from the predator writers who lean unto their own understanding.

Average customer rating:

Lighthearted fun
Hysterically funny!
Disgusting, anti-male garbage
Wonderful
Ugh

Looking For Mr. Right
Bradley Trevor Greive
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0740718371

Book Description

Every woman's been there and some have been there again and again! Best-selling author Bradley Trevor Greive (BTG) understands (really, he does) the very essence of woman's age-old quest for her soul mate, the endlessly frustrating search for "Mr.Right." Women from all walks of life ask, "Why is a good man so hard to find'" BTG has the raw objectivity, brutal honesty, and deep insight into the male psyche (after all, he is the enemy) to provide a credible answer: "Hey, maybe there aren't any!" Bradley Trevor Greive again has combined witty, original text with superb, side-splitting photographs (retro images of people this time) to perfectly illustrate a simple, but powerful message about how we choose to live our life and who we choose to share it with. Looking for Mr. Right is one of the most hilarious, uplifting books for women ever written and makes an absolutely ideal gift for all ages.

Customer Reviews:

Lighthearted fun.......2006-10-04

First of all, those who gave this book low ratings (such as the gentleman who called it male-trashing filth) must not "get it." This isn't supposed to be deep and heavy...so of course the text is simple and to the point (it's a picture book, for heaven's sake, people). This book is not meant to seriously bash males...it's more like a caricature portrayal. Men and women are different, and we should just laugh at it because that's not going to change anytime soon. Greive helps us to do just this. As a man, I'm sure he wouldn't go around bashing men in a serious way...how many times have female comedians stood onstage poking fun at the female stereotypes of being emotional, or catty, or in love with shoes?? Sure not every female is like that, but there are certain stereotypes in our world that make for great humor when it's done in fun. This book is both humorous and inspiring. I bought it when i was single, and I also gave it as gifts to friends -- single & looking, recently single, and even married. My boyfriend saw it on my coffee table this weekend and started looking through it...he thought it was hilarious! The vintage pictures are great, and although it pokes some light fun at the guys, by the end of the book the message is serious and poignant - don't try to be anything but who you are, and in doing so everything else will fall into place in its own way and time. This is a great gift for any girlfriend going through a breakup, as well as those who are single and feeling a little disenchanted. My only regret is that there are only 5 stars, because this book deserves many more!

Hysterically funny!.......2005-09-05

and unfortunately, soooo accurate! Any woman who has loved or tried to love a man will love this book. A side-splitter!

Disgusting, anti-male garbage.......2004-10-16

This piece of filth was written by a self-loathing male and is bought by misandric, self-centered imbeciles. It's nothing but a grocery list of men's faults and an insinuation that women, in contrast, are perfect. Even violence against men is joked about: suggestions of women shooting men and even severing their private parts.

If there were a similar book about WOMEN being awful, NOW would have sent death threats to the publishing house. Ridiculing men for about a hundred pages is no different.

This piece of sexist garbage is for the woman who says how much she hates men -- and then wonders aloud why no one will go out with her. Who in his right mind would?

Wonderful.......2003-12-31

I received this book as a gift. I LOVED it, the pictures and the one liners were funny, true and really made me think. I had to purchase this book for my sister. We all are looking for "that one" what this man said was "I am the one" be true to yourelf. then you will find truth, love and Mr Right. Thanks!

Ugh.......2003-04-07

Anyone with 5 spare minutes could have written the text for this book - I found it very cliche - I'll admit some of the photos are decent - but really why would you pay money for this? So-so" photos don't make a good book.

Tabloid Love: Looking for Mr. Right in All the Wrong Places

Average customer rating:

A pleasant surprise...
Poignant and funny!
AMAZiNGG
An Entertaining Read, At Least For A While
Bridget, you ignorant slut

Tabloid Love: Looking for Mr. Right in All the Wrong Places
Bridget Harrison
Manufacturer: Perseus Books Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: B000MGBPC4

Book Description

Dubbed one of the summer's hottest beach reads by People, Glamour, Cosmo, and the Weekend "Today" show, Tabloid Love introduces Bridget Harrison, an almost thirty-year-old Brit and rookie reporter for the New York Post. While her London friends begin to marry, Bridget chases her dream of becoming a hard-news journalist. But just as she perfects the art of interviewing strangers about ghoulish crimes, she discovers that finding a mate seems impossible in the ultimate singles city. Then Bridget lands her very own Post dating column, and half a million New Yorkers read about her weekly romantic disasters. Whether covering celebrity parties in the Hamptons or struggling to hide her inter-office crush, Bridget retains such humor and humility "you'll not only root for her, you'll wish she were your best friend." (Harper's Bazaar)

Customer Reviews:

A pleasant surprise..........2007-09-14

I had many reasons to feel wary of "Tabloid Love," not least of which that it is described as "Bridget Jones Meets 'Sex and the City.'" I mean, seriously? I know that's intended as an upsell, but it sounds like my idea of hell. But, since I knew this was a true story and I was in a exploratory mood, I bought a copy. Much to my surprise, I loved it. This is more than just an examination of dating in New York City. It's also a very entertaining look at the day-to-day life of a tabloid reporter and a rumination on the mysteries (and myths) of companionship. I enjoyed Bridget Harrison's escapades tremendously and appreciated her lack of egotism and smugness. She doesn't pretend to have all the answers like Amy Cohen (author of "The Late Bloomer's Revolution") and doesn't get bogged down in vanity like Jane Juska ("A Round Heeled Woman"). I wasn't hugely crazy about the last third of "Tabloid Love," which details a summer Harrison spends writing about the Hamptons, but overall this book was a delight. I will be recommending it to a lot of people.

Poignant and funny!.......2007-08-14

I hadn't been to New York in over 10 years until this summer when I was there on my book tour. While at Book Expo, I picked up Bridget Harrison's book, tucked it into my bag, and cracked it open on the airplane ride home. What a smart and funny read -- and a great way to recapture the New York I'd just visited! BH is a sharp and clever writer, and somehow manages to come off as resilient and fabulous in the midst of multiple dating disasters. What a pleasure to read!

AMAZiNGG.......2007-03-25

This book was amazingly funny. i absolutely loved it. i wish it was longer or she could make another one because this book is seriuosly the best ive read so far!U HAVE TO READ IT!!!!!

An Entertaining Read, At Least For A While.......2007-02-14

I enjoyed the first half of this book. It is an entertaining look at the New York dating scene. But as I progressed in Ms. Harrison's narrations of her dating successes and failures, I found myself less and less impressed with her. She is certainly not as shallow as some of the over the top characters she describes, but she is nonetheless more shallow than I had initially hoped. Her countless descriptions of her name brand outfits and how sexy she can be (the bathroom transformation on the airplane is particularly tiresome) made her unsympathetic in the end. While I recognize that this was part of the story - her failed and contrived attempts to play the New York game - it nonetheless did not make for a satisfying book. It was hard to continue reading a book about a woman in search of love who, in the end, I didn't really think had the raw material to sustain a healthy relationship. At the end of the day, we want our heroines to be sympathetic, and this one didn't deliver.

Bridget, you ignorant slut.......2007-01-21

OK, I admit this book was entertaining. However, Bridget needs to learn not to give it up quite so easily! My goodness. She should be ashamed of herself. Having said that, the book is a bit of a guilty pleasure.

I'm looking for Mr. Right, but I'll settle for Mr. Right Away : AIDS, true love, the perils of safe sex, and other spiritual concerns of the gay male

Average customer rating:

Inspiring
The perfect guide for all stages of a gay man's relationship

I'm looking for Mr. Right, but I'll settle for Mr. Right Away : AIDS, true love, the perils of safe sex, and other spiritual concerns of the gay male
Gregory Flood
Manufacturer: Brob House Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Civil Rights | Nonfiction | Gay & Lesbian | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0938407023

Customer Reviews:

Inspiring.......2005-02-22

As a gay man, this is the most inspiring book I have ever read.
I keep it at my bedside and have bought tens of copies for all my friends.
It is the only book I know of that can lift me out of my doldrums and set me back on the road to optimism.
Difficult, challenging, very funny and truly fabulous.

The perfect guide for all stages of a gay man's relationship.......2000-06-14

This is a MUST for every gay man's library, despite their religious background. It covers how to meet guys, what types to avoid, how couple dynamics work, when to end a bad relationship, and how to deal with the loss of a beau.

All of this is done with wit and humor that makes you laugh out loud on one level while identifying with it on another.

Average customer rating:
Looking for Mr. Right UK
Bradley Trevor Greive
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0740747517

Average customer rating:

Great resource

Looking for Mr. Goodvendor: Finding the right vendors and making them work for you
Laura Leff, PMP
Manufacturer: BookSurge Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0965189333
Release Date: 2005-09-12

Book Description

Have you ever had a vendor who made you want to tear your hair out and yell "Why did we choose this awful company!?!?!" Read this book to save your hair. . .and your sanity. Looking for Mr. Goodvendor deals with all aspects of the vendor association, from finding the right vendor to deploying their products and rehabilitating vendors gone bad. It's tough to find a marriage counselor for two companies with a relationship on the rocks. Goodvendor will help you find, reclaim, and sustain what you're looking for in a good long-term business relationship.

Customer Reviews:

Great resource.......2006-10-06

The only book completely devoted to vendor management. Every company needs it.

Dates, Fruits, and Assorted Nuts: Trials and tribulations of looking for Mr. Right

Average customer rating:

Dates, Fruits, and Assorted Nuts: Trials and tribulations of looking for Mr. Right
Liza Raye
Manufacturer: BookSurge Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1419602349
Release Date: 2005-02-08

Book Description

This book details the most interesting dating experiences of a group of girlfriends in their search of Mr. Right. It represents the not-so-good, the bad, and the ugly.

Average customer rating:

Looking For Mr. Right
Bradley Trevor Greive
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K0EV5A

Average customer rating:

Looking for Mr. Right

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1740510631

Average customer rating:

Laughing at Mr. Right
HE SAY'S, SHE SAY'S!
Great one-liners!

Looking for Mr. Right
Heather Down
Manufacturer: Great Quotations
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1562453017

Customer Reviews:

Laughing at Mr. Right.......2000-03-05

Is there anything funny about the world of dating? No. Not after you've been dating for a while. THE PERFECT MAN by Heather Down is a fun and funny read. It could be more fun than your date. Certainly, at 0.49" x 6.04" x 4.50," it's easier to handle.

HE SAY'S, SHE SAY'S!.......2000-02-24

"He think's and she know's", that this humour book is a fun filled poke at that long suffering opposite sex... males that is:) A great time.

Great one-liners!.......2000-02-23

A very funny book! Some of the one-liners in this book cracked me up -- they all made me smile. A truly funny collection of relationship quips!

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