About this item
Whether you’re a major league couch potato, life-long season ticket-holder, or teaching game to a beginner, Watching Baseball Smarter leaves no territory uncovered. In this smart and funny fan’s guide Hample explains the ins and outs of pitching, hitting, running, and fielding, while offering insider trivia and anecdotes that will surprise even the most informed viewers of our national pastime.What is the difference between a slider and a curveball?At which stadium did “The Wave” first make an appearance? How do some hitters use iPods to improve their skills?Which positions are never played by lefties?Why do some players urinate on their hands?Combining the narrative voice and attitude of Michael Lewis with the compulsive brilliance of Schott’s Miscellany, Watching Baseball Smarter will increase your understanding and enjoyment of the sport–no matter what your level of expertise.
About the Author
Zack Hample, a baseball superfan and popular YouTuber, has been to 54 different major league stadiums and snagged more than 10,000 balls in the stands, including Mike Trout's 1st career home run and Alex Rodriguez's 3,000th career hit. A former guest on "The Tonight Show" with both Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien, Hample has written three baseball books -- How to Snag Major League Baseballs (Simon & Schuster, 1999) , Watching Baseball Smarter (Random House, 2007) , and The Baseball (Random House, 2011) . In 2013 he set a world record by catching a baseball dropped from the greatest height -- 1,050 feet from a helicopter at a minor league stadium in Massachusetts. Hample also holds six world records on classic video games and appeared briefly in the documentary "King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters." Hample's mother, Naomi, is part-owner of Argosy Books, the oldest independent bookstore in New York City; his father, Stuart, was a children's book author, illustrator, and humorist.
