
Fair Ball
A Fan's Case for Baseball
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Narrated by:
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Bob Costas
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By:
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Bob Costas
About this listen
From his perspective as a journalist and a true fan, Bob Costas, NBC's award-winning broadcaster, shares his views on the forces that are diminishing the appeal of Major League Baseball and proposes realistic changes that can be made to protect and promote the game's best interests.
In this cogent - and provocative - book, Costas examines the growing financial disparities that have resulted in nearly two-thirds of the teams in Major League Baseball having virtually no chance of contending for the World Series. He argues that those who run baseball have missed the crucial difference between mere change and real progress. And he presents a withering critique of the positions of both the owners and players while providing insights on the wild-card system, the designated-hitter rule, and interleague play. Costas answers each problem he cites with an achievable strategy for restoring genuine competition and rescuing fans from the forces that have diluted the sheer joy of the game.
Balanced by Costas's unbridled appreciation for what he calls the "moments of authenticity" that can still make baseball inspiring, Fair Ball offers a vision of our national pastime as it can be, a game that retains its traditional appeal while initiating meaningful changes that will allow it to thrive into the next century.
©2000 Bob Costas (P)2000 Random House, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Performance
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Performance
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Story
No one knew it when their experiment began, but without any particular genius or acumen, the motley cast of billionaires and hucksters behind the modern Premier League struck gold. Pretty soon, everyone wanted to try their luck, from Russian oligarchs to Emirati sheikhs, American tycoons, and Asian Tiger titans. Some succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Some lost everything. Today, players are sold for tens of millions, clubs are valued in the billions, and games are beamed out to nearly 200 countries, all while the league struggles to preserve its English soul.
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Read don't listen
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Most people who resist logical thought in baseball preach "tradition" and "respecting the game". But many of baseball's traditions go back to the 19th century, when the pitcher's job was to provide the batter with a ball he could hit and fielders played without gloves. Instead of fearing change, Brian Kenny wants fans to think critically, reject outmoded groupthink, and embrace the changes that have come with the "sabermetric era".
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Wonderful detail on baseballs past and future
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- Unabridged
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Drawing from Moskowitz's original research, as well as studies from fellow economists such as bestselling author Richard Thaler, the authors look at: the influence home-field advantage has on the outcomes of games in all sports and why it exists; the surprising truth about the universally accepted axiom that defense wins championships; the subtle biases that umpires exhibit in calling balls and strikes in key situations; the unintended consequences of referees' tendencies in every sport to "swallow the whistle," and more.
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Fascinating book!
- By Wayne on 10-22-16
By: L. Jon Wertheim, and others
What listeners say about Fair Ball
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- Travis
- 04-25-05
Good arguments...
Costas makes good arguments in favor of a salary cap (and floor) and against the DH. The salary cap takes up most of the book. He spends a little time talking about "radical realignment" which thankfully never occurred. He also gives interesting (though outdated by now) numbers related to revenue sharing among the teams. Overall a good book if you're interested in the financial structure and operations of baseball.
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- Tom
- 02-09-12
The Good and the Not Good
Bob Kostas is good. Bob Kostas is smart. Bob Kostas knows baseball.
This is a look at what MLB could do to get better. The owners are not good, they are not smart, so there is little chance baseball will improve.
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- Steven
- 05-06-15
Prime Bob Costas
Would you consider the audio edition of Fair Ball to be better than the print version?
Yes
What did you like best about this story?
This book shows the best of what was a great broadcaster who had his finger on the pulse of the sport. I do not agree with all of what he talks about, but there is no lack of passion and reason to his arguments. Today, I feel Costas has a bitter voice when it comes to sports, almost as if he is above it all. This was a great time to get a picture of what he felt when he was really into baseball.
Which scene was your favorite?
I like how he logically made predictions to things that happen over a decade later. I also like how he sums it up when you know your team doesn't have much of a chance because of "unfair" non-competitive reasons.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Do not make a movie based on this.
Any additional comments?
If you are a fan of baseball this is an interesting look back at how the sport has changed, why it changed, and someone's solutions to make it better. He does a great job of narrating the book also.
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- Brigham
- 03-07-19
Fascinating...even 20-years later!
This is an interesting listen for anyone who loves baseball. Unless you're on the fence, then don't dive in. He makes a liat of scathing comments that could easily poison the water of any fair-weather baseball fan.
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- Young
- 01-19-23
Bob killed it
Thanks to the Baseball 2gether Podcast I read this book. It was thrilling to say the least because we’re dealing with the aftermath of the opposite of the simple solutions Bob talked about during the reading. Any true baseball fan would love this book.
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Overall
- Dan
- 09-15-07
Aimless, outdated
An impressionistic indictment of way that MLB is run--an easy target--that is by now very much out of date.
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