Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball
Encyclopedia
Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball is a New York Times best-selling 1990 book about baseball
. It was written by American Pulitzer Prize
-winning author George Will
, and published by Macmillan Publishers
. The book focuses on four successful Major League Baseball
figures, three of them players, representing different aspects of baseball: a manager, a pitcher, a hitter, and a fielder.
Tony Gwynn
of the San Diego Padres
, manager
Tony La Russa
of the Oakland Athletics
, shortstop
and third baseman
Cal Ripken, Jr.
of the Baltimore Orioles
, and pitcher
Orel Hershiser
of the Los Angeles Dodgers
. He discussed each person's approach to the game of baseball, choosing them because of their success in their roles and their strong work ethics. While researching for Men at Work over a period of three years, Will acquired 11 press passes that offer special locker-room privileges in Major League Baseball stadiums.
invented the curveball
pitch in 1867. There are also statistics mentioned, as well as anecdotes. Will also inserts personal opinion, such as when he discusses his belief that baseball needs to have more walks and fewer strikeout
s, that Baltimore
is the best baseball town.
in 1990, a few days following the 32-day long Major League Baseball lockout
. The book has been described as taking a more serious approach to baseball than other books on the same subject. Reviews have complimented Will's discussion on baseball strategy and his approach to current baseball debates. The book was number one on the list of New York Times Non-Fiction Best Sellers for at least nine consecutive weeks immediately after its publication, making it one of the best-selling baseball books since Major League Pitcher Jim Bouton
's Ball Four
(1970).
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. It was written by American Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning author George Will
George Will
George Frederick Will is an American newspaper columnist, journalist, and author. He is a Pulitzer Prize-winner best known for his conservative commentary on politics...
, and published by Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
. The book focuses on four successful Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
figures, three of them players, representing different aspects of baseball: a manager, a pitcher, a hitter, and a fielder.
Background
In preparation for Men at Work, Will spent hundreds of hours interviewing four Major League Baseball figures: right fielderRight fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
Tony Gwynn
Tony Gwynn
Anthony Keith "Tony" Gwynn, Sr. , nicknamed Mr. Padre and Captain Video, is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is statistically one of the best and most consistent hitters in baseball history. He played his entire 20-year baseball career for the San Diego Padres...
of the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
, manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
Tony La Russa
Tony La Russa
Anthony "Tony" La Russa, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball manager and infielder, best known for his tenures as manager of the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, and St. Louis Cardinals...
of the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
, shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
and third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
Cal Ripken, Jr.
Cal Ripken, Jr.
Calvin Edwin "Cal" Ripken, Jr. , nicknamed "Iron Man", is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and third baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Baltimore Orioles ....
of the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
, and pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Orel Hershiser
Orel Hershiser
Orel Leonard Hershiser IV is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is currently an analyst for Baseball Tonight and Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN and a professional poker player for...
of the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
. He discussed each person's approach to the game of baseball, choosing them because of their success in their roles and their strong work ethics. While researching for Men at Work over a period of three years, Will acquired 11 press passes that offer special locker-room privileges in Major League Baseball stadiums.
Synopsis
In the book, Will discusses how each of the four subjects highlighted play, or in the case of La Russa, manage the game of baseball. It also discusses the history of the game, such as how Candy CummingsCandy Cummings
William Arthur "Candy" Cummings was a professional baseball pitcher in the National Association and National League who was credited with inventing the curveball. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.-Career:...
invented the curveball
Curveball
The curveball is a type of pitch in baseball thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball causing it to dive in a downward path as it approaches the plate. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to...
pitch in 1867. There are also statistics mentioned, as well as anecdotes. Will also inserts personal opinion, such as when he discusses his belief that baseball needs to have more walks and fewer strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s, that Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
is the best baseball town.
Release
Men at Work was published by Macmillan PublishersMacmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
in 1990, a few days following the 32-day long Major League Baseball lockout
1990 Major League Baseball lockout
The 1990 Major League Baseball lockout was the seventh work stoppage in baseball since 1972. Beginning in February, it lasted 32 days and as a result, virtually wiped out all of spring training. Also because of the lockout, Opening Day was moved back a week to April 9...
. The book has been described as taking a more serious approach to baseball than other books on the same subject. Reviews have complimented Will's discussion on baseball strategy and his approach to current baseball debates. The book was number one on the list of New York Times Non-Fiction Best Sellers for at least nine consecutive weeks immediately after its publication, making it one of the best-selling baseball books since Major League Pitcher Jim Bouton
Jim Bouton
James Alan "Jim" Bouton is a former American Major League Baseball pitcher. He is also the author of the controversial baseball book Ball Four, which was a combination diary of his season and memoir of his years with the New York Yankees, Seattle Pilots, and Houston Astros.-Amateur and college...
's Ball Four
Ball Four
Ball Four is a book written by former Major League Baseball pitcher Jim Bouton in . The book is a diary of Bouton's 1969 season, spent with the Seattle Pilots and then the Houston Astros following a late-season trade. In it Bouton also recounts much of his baseball career, spent mainly with the...
(1970).