From Publishers Weekly
The teamwork of a well-turned double play; the long arc of a deep fly ball; the sheer power, speed and grace of the all-star center fielder: these are a few of our favorite things about baseball. But as any genuine fan knows, there's more to America's Pastime than what happens on the field. Exploring the world of baseball on all its levels, Staten (whose last volume of amusing Americana was Do Bald Men Get Half-Price Haircuts?) steeps his pages in history, trivia, tradition and, of course, statistics-and not just earned run averages and slugging percentages, but hardcore baseball-geek stuff, from how many bats a player goes through in a season, to how many rest rooms a stadium needs, to how many hot dogs are consumed at the average major league game. When he's not talking numbers, Staten holds forth on such topics as the evolution of the uniform, the upkeep of outfield grass, the waning popularity of Cracker Jack and the derivation of "bleachers" and other terms, while also lobbing a few mild digs at ballparks named for corporations, long ticket lines and artificial turf. They're not all equally compelling subjects, but thanks to Staten's witty and appealingly conversational style, even the drier dissertations-like his short history of turnstiles-become interesting reading. Such facts, figures and anecdotes will sail right over non-fans' heads like a high, hard Roger Clemens fastball, of course, but true fans will hang on every word. Illustrations throughout. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


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. "


About the Author
Vince Staten is the author of ten previous books, including Do Bald Men Get Half-Price Haircuts? and Do Pharmacists Sell Farms? His articles have appeared in the Saturday Review, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Kentucky Monthly, Bon Appetit, and others. He teaches feature writing at the University of Louisville and lives in Prospect, Kentucky, with his wife, Judy (their son, Will, is a sophomore in college), and a cat, Lassie.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

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.

FROM THE CRITICS

The New York Times

This is an odd book -- a baseball trivia book that is only tangentially about baseball or baseball players as such. Instead we learn a great deal about the accouterments of baseball: turnstiles; team nicknames; baseball equipment (bats, gloves, balls, caps, catchers' regalia); stadium lights; stadium bathrooms; baseball cards; radar guns; the press box; Cracker Jack; exploding scoreboards; jock straps and so on. — Vince Staten

Publishers Weekly

The teamwork of a well-turned double play; the long arc of a deep fly ball; the sheer power, speed and grace of the all-star center fielder: these are a few of our favorite things about baseball. But as any genuine fan knows, there's more to America's Pastime than what happens on the field. Exploring the world of baseball on all its levels, Staten (whose last volume of amusing Americana was Do Bald Men Get Half-Price Haircuts?) steeps his pages in history, trivia, tradition and, of course, statistics-and not just earned run averages and slugging percentages, but hardcore baseball-geek stuff, from how many bats a player goes through in a season, to how many rest rooms a stadium needs, to how many hot dogs are consumed at the average major league game. When he's not talking numbers, Staten holds forth on such topics as the evolution of the uniform, the upkeep of outfield grass, the waning popularity of Cracker Jack and the derivation of "bleachers" and other terms, while also lobbing a few mild digs at ballparks named for corporations, long ticket lines and artificial turf. They're not all equally compelling subjects, but thanks to Staten's witty and appealingly conversational style, even the drier dissertations-like his short history of turnstiles-become interesting reading. Such facts, figures and anecdotes will sail right over non-fans' heads like a high, hard Roger Clemens fastball, of course, but true fans will hang on every word. Illustrations throughout. (Apr.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal