Baseball has no other book like this.
In The Joy of Keeping Score, Paul Dickson celebrates one of the most unusual traditions in all of sports―the baseball scorecard.
To Dickson and to fans everywhere, baseball without a scorecard or box score is unthinkable. And within the history of the scorecard are some of baseball's greatest moments. From the first scorecard introduced in 1845, to the scoring system devised by direct-marketing genius L. L. Bean; from presidential scoring habits to batting titles decided by official scorers to Phil Rizzuto's inspired scoring symbol "WW,* Dickson delights in his subject. Henry Chadwick (the inventor of the scorecard), Ty Cobb, Mel Allen and Red Barber, FDR and Ike, concessionaire Harry M. Stevens, California Angels' official scorer, Ed Munson, and many others all play their parts in this history.
Among this book's many illustrations is a gallery of historic scorecards, some of them from baseball's most memorable contests, including Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series, Babe Ruth's "called" home run, and Cal Ripken's record-breaking 2,131st consecutive game. In addition, Dickson provides basic and advanced scoring techniques for fans who record the games they see, a year-by-year timeline of rule changes, a guide to baseball's quirkiest statutes, stories of famous scoring blunders, and many more unexpected rewards.
For those who keep or have kept score, this book will be an elixir. For those who haven't, it will be a revelation. For baseball fans everywhere, it will be a treasure.
" A celebration of one of baseball's most divine and unique pleasures, the art of painting a picture of an entire game using only a No. 2 pencil and a blank program lineup sheet." -- "USA"" Today Baseball Weekly"
" If you are scoring at home, mark this book down as an extra-base hit. Dickson has done it again." -- "Sporting News"""
" The definitive book on the subject." -- Jon Miller, ESPN announcer
" No other American sport has anything that genuinely approximates the scorecard." -- Thomas Boswell
"A celebration of one of baseball's most divine and unique pleasures, the art of painting a picture of an entire game using only a No. 2 pencil and a blank program lineup sheet."--"USA"" Today Baseball Weekly"
"If you are scoring at home, mark this book down as an extra-base hit. Dickson has done it again."--"Sporting News"""
"The definitive book on the subject."--Jon Miller, ESPN announcer
"No other American sport has anything that genuinely approximates the scorecard."--Thomas Boswell
A celebration of one of baseball's most divine and unique pleasures, the art of painting a picture of an entire game using only a No. 2 pencil and a blank program lineup sheet. "USA Today Baseball Weekly"
If you are scoring at home, mark this book down as an extra-base hit. Dickson has done it again. "Sporting News"
The definitive book on the subject. "Jon Miller, ESPN announcer"
No other American sport has anything that genuinely approximates the scorecard. "Thomas Boswell""
A celebration of one of baseball's most divine and unique pleasures, the art of painting a picture of an entire game using only a No. 2 pencil and a blank program lineup sheet. USA Today Baseball Weekly
If you are scoring at home, mark this book down as an extra-base hit. Dickson has done it again. Sporting News
The definitive book on the subject. Jon Miller, ESPN announcer
No other American sport has anything that genuinely approximates the scorecard. Thomas Boswell
"
"A celebration of one of baseball's most divine and unique pleasures, the art of painting a picture of an entire game using only a No. 2 pencil and a blank program lineup sheet." --USA Today Baseball Weekly
"If you are scoring at home, mark this book down as an extra-base hit. Dickson has done it again." --Sporting News
"The definitive book on the subject." --Jon Miller, ESPN announcer
"No other American sport has anything that genuinely approximates the scorecard." --Thomas Boswell