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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 796
EAN num: 9781416552055
ISBN number: 1416552057
Label: Simon & Schuster
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 320
Printing Date: February 01, 2007
Publishing house: Simon & Schuster
Sale Popularity Level: 1381450
Studio: Simon & Schuster
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Product Description:
At its best, baseball calls on a wide array of subtle skills, rewarding the teams that know how to play the game better than their opponents over the long 162-game season. Whitey Herzog learned those skills under the tutelage of Cesey Stengel in the Yankees' training camps of the 1950s: how to take a lead; which side of the cutoff man to aim for; when to take an extra base depending on whether the outfielder throws left-handed or right-handed; the best ways to turn or prevent a double play. These little things might make a difference in two or three games over the course of a season, but two or three wins are often what separates a pennant winner from the pack. As Whitey would personally learn playing alongside greats like Roger Maris and Yogi Berra -- and managing players like George Brett, Darrell Porter, and Ozzie Smith -- baseball should reward such attention to detail. That inside knowledge can create the chance for a less physically awesome team to beat its imposing adversaries -- and what is more satisfying in sports than David toppling Goliath through skill and guile?
But in the modern game, Herzog argues, players don't learn these skills, and the game no longer rewards them if they do. Expanded playoffs mean that more teams reach the postseason, so excellence over 162 games is less important than ever before. Players know that their agents will negotiate salaries based on their home runs, batting averages, and RBI counts; why learn the parts of the game that don't show up in the box scores? The richest teams can bash their way into the playoffs by signing the players they need to play a power game at bat and on the mound. The free-agent draft deemphasizes good scouting, and the bonuses being paid to untested rookies further widen the gap between rich and poor. For the majority of teams, the season is over before it's begun; their economic circumstances won't let them play the only style you can win with today.
But it would be wrong to lump Herzog in with the crowd that says things can never be as good as they used to be. Outrageous, thought-provoking, candid, and laugh-out-loud funny, You're Missin' a Great Game celebrates the game of baseball as it was, and as it can be again. For all the fans revitalized by the excitement and glamour of the home-run chase and the barrier-breaking '98 season, Whitey Herzog shows how -- with some intelligent planning and attention to the virtues of the game -- baseball's best days can and should be still ahead of us.
Amazon.com:
Herzog didn't earn his nickname as baseball's White Rat simply because of his hair color. Former manager of the Royals, Angels, and Cards, Herzog is one of baseball's great tacticians and blue-collar philosophers. He's tenacious and volatile; when the game's on the line, he's never held back, all of which is good news for the reader. For the fan, the colour is less rosy. From Herzog's knowledgeable vantage point, baseball's integrity, despite a marvelous '98 season, is very much on the line these days, in danger of striking itself out as it loses touch with its fundamentals. Power is in, and subtlety's out. Singles hitters swing for the fences. Finesse, like bunting, is on the verge of extinction. Small-market teams can't compete. Free agency destroys loyalty. The wild-card, six divisions, and the extended playoffs undercut the pennant races. The game is in chaos.
Naturally, all of that--and more--has the Rat looking back at the good old days, gnawing over what worked; he's not afraid to show his teeth. His passionate screed raises questions, chews on problems, and spits out interesting solutions in a colloquial breeze that blows air more fresh than hot. Circling the bases of this personal-insider's journey, he examines why his baseball heroes--Casey Stengel, Ted Williams, Tom Seaver, and Ozzie Smith, for starters--are just that, and why the game needs more of them. 'Baseball itself is a little nearsighted right now,' he complains, 'and there ain't any harm in riding it some. Maybe we can be the bench jockeys.' Why not? Herzog's certainly shown a knack for bringing home winners from that position before, and the fun of Missin' is the ease with which it invites us all to join him for the ride. --Jeff Silverman
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Rated by buyers -
This treatise by Whitey Herzog is like the White Rat himself; straightforward, gruff, and thought-provoking. Herzog criticizes today's homer-centered, steroid-based play, recounts his years as manager and general manager, and analyzes many additional factors. A skilled handler of pitching staffs, Herzog describes his actions here in readable detail. He also offers views on many facets of baseball, including finances, labor relations, franchise competitiveness, trades, the designated hitter, player development, teams he managed in the playoffs (Kansas City) and World Series (St. Louis), etc. Herzog blames the Cardinal loss in the 1985 Series on that famous bad call, but this is only probable, as KC still had two good hitters due up in a one-run game. Herzog also suggests a host of changes for the game, many sensible, others debatable. Readers might not always agree with Herzog or his salty language, but his words should make them think as deeply about the game as he does.
This slightly-dated (1999) book remains a valuable and fast-paced read, but with enough factual errors (Lou Brock stole 118 bases not 114, Bud Grant lost four Super Bowls not three, Marvin Miller became union head in 1966 not the 1970's) that one wonders why publishers seldom assign to their baseball books editors versed in sports trivia. Still, despite minor flaws, this is a thoughtful look by a man who'se love for baseball comes through loud and clear.
Rated by buyers 
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great baseball book without any fluff.
Deals with a number of issues about salary. Gives a good discusion about the "bonus
baby" rule (if a prospect is signed above a certain salary, he has to stay on the big league club for 2 years -- Sandy Koufax was one) -- it turns out, it gives competitive balance since clubs can't throw money at prospects.
Unfortunately he's enamored with Mark McGuire....(but the book was written in 1999, I'd be interested to see Whitey's take on the last decade).
Rated by buyers -
It's not a coincidence that the KC Royals, St Louis Cards, and the Anaheim Angels all got into the world series pretty much after Whitey got involved. If you know baseball and what really matters, you know Whitey's ideas will work. It's a shame the Royals owner Ewing Kauffman (and mainly Muriel K) couldn't accept baseball greatness over pride and prestige. For the reviewer who thinks there are sour grapes....what are you talkin about? You must not be from KC. The guy wins head over shoulders more than any manager in KC and then when Whitey suggests how to improve a division winner even better, the owner and Joe Burke refuse to help him and make Whitey manage with one arm tied behind his back and then come in second place by 3 games, then fire him!?! Ewing and his old lady didn't really know what they had. They wanted some shoe kissing choir boy and you see what that got them. They got the profits from a team that Whitey built and nurtured. I'm glad history shows the truth on this. This is a great book by a true baseball intellect. Whitey cuts through the BS and brings it home right down the middle with his takes on the money game, rules changes, owner idiocy, smart owners, player agents, player critiq and even fishing. I heard it best from a Frank White interview, when he said Whitey was a player's manager and didn't get in the way of players but let them do their stuff, which contributed to winning more than anything else. This book tells how the key is scouting and once that's done, they do the rest if they have the fundamentals down. Whitey was a master at not only finding talent but bringing out the best in it all the time. That's kinda like a gardner taking care of his garden and nurturing it. Get the book. You won't find too many with so much straight talk about the truth of baseball. Baseball needs a Whitey Herzog type. It makes sense why he's so smart now that I know from this book that he was one of Casey Stengel's pupils. No wonder he made the rest of the managers look like kiddies. He is the White Stuff.
Rated by buyers -
Look, this book is for serious baseball people, not just the occasional fan who thinks Ken Burn's is real history. Sure Whitey can irritate, he's supposed to. I know it's a strange concept yesterday to talk about such things as accountability, a work ethic and responsibility to your employer, but he does. He also tells the absolute truth about the problems in the only great game we have, problems that are killing it. The history is excellent, his knowledge superior, and the book great. As I said, a lot of people won't get it, but that's their problem. For the person who wrote the scathing and adolescent review and said Whitey was a conservative manager, he must not have ever seen those Cardinal teams. That was real baseball, not the silly, amusement park, homerun hitting, steroid nonsense of today. Buy the book and read it once a year to remind you of how good the game once was and can be again.
Rated by buyers -
Whitey Herzog's book absolutely savaged contemporary baseball. His roadmap for constructing the 1982 Cardinals was a path all too forgotten. Just ask whoever signs Texas Ranger Alex Rodriguez's $250.0 million paycheck.
Whitey's essential theme is that wining baseball begins with complementary chemistry, good defense and the ability to move over and ultimately drive home a run in a close game. All feed into the basic premise that a good quality pitching staff, managed well ensures pennants will fly.
Some of the stories are priceless. Trading Ted Simmons; dealing with Gary Templeton; and, understanding Joaquin Andujar are "geez, I can't put this down" stories. Don't read too fast -- the "Pete Rose moment" in this book is priceless.
The most compelling read, however, is how Whitey destroys the concept of statistics for statistical purposes. Winning baseball and certain good statistical performance from key players, notably home runs, do not always correlate -- a theme that runs through this book over and over again.
While this book should be the bible for gerenal managers and others constructing baseball teams, it gets occasionally carried away in excessive collequialisms. Whitey at times forgets substance is more important than style.
But the style excesses are far overwhelmed by the substance that Whitey offers into the business of baseball. It's a must read, especially if you're a Cub fan trying to understand why your team hasn't won a World Series in nearly a century.
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