Arguing about the merits of players is the baseball fan's second favorite pastime and every year the Hall of Fame elections spark heated controversy. In a book that's sure to thrill--and infuriate--countless fans, Bill James takes a hard look at the Hall, probing its history, its politics and, most of all, its decisions.

A handy reference covering nearly 800 of baseball's most important yarns, stats. and stories--everything a fan needs to know.

There is no question that football is indeed America's most popular sport, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 50th Anniversary book totally captures our passion for the game. Having opened its doors in Canton, Ohio on September 7, 1963, the Hall will be celebrating its 50th anniversary year from 2012 to 2013, commencing with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival, a ten-day period in early August which culminates in the annual Hall of Fame Game. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival draws close to a million fans each year. The book has been crafted by Joe Horrigan, the Hall's VP of Communications/Exhibits, along with John Thorn, creator of Total Football, and the end result is a beautifully bound keepsake for any serious football fan. The 50th Anniversary Book features essays by football writers, broadcasters, and celebrated players. Every living Hall of Famer will contribute a commentary on some aspect of the game and its history; each deceased member will be represented in a sidebar or pullout quote. In addition, the book features rarely seen photos and artifacts of some of the Hall's greatest treasures.

Is it bedtime for America's pastime? In recent years, action on and off the diamond has left some fans predicting baseball's imminent death--or claiming to have already attended the funeral. This book refutes those claims with an in-depth look at baseball then and now. Comparing the baseball of the 1950s to the game of today, this author examines the widespread dissatisfaction with major league baseball, considers how modern teams differ from those of the past, and reflects on whether professional baseball remains a truly competitive sport. Excessive salaries, player movement and the evolution of the draft are all up for discussion, as is the Wild Card playoff format and how it has affected the overall competition. Tables show statistics on salaries, league attendance and the correlation between winning percentages and payroll. Appendices offer details on market size and attendance regressions. The facts and figures add up to a win for the long-lasting appeal of baseball.

The basic elements of baseball remain essentially the same as they were when the first professional game was played in the 1870s. Changes in this sport--when they come--come slowly. In 1973, one of baseball's most drastic changes was legislated: American League owners voted to add one player to the traditional nine-man line-up, creating a "10-man game" in which a designated hitter (or DH) had a regular spot in the batting order, and he or a replacement for him batted for his club's pitcher(s) throughout the game. This change to baseball rules was approved in the hopes that DH's would provide a spark for the AL's sagging offenses; an explosion in hits, homers and runs would draw more people to their ballparks and enable their clubs to surpass the National League in the annual attendance race. This work offers a fascinating exploration of the history and place of the designated hitter in the major leagues.

Widely regarded as the best manager of his time, Bill McKechnie built winners at every stop, took four teams to the World Series and became the only man to do it in three different cities. He tamed roughneck players with a fatherly approach to leadership and a scholarly approach to strategy. This biography covers the life of McKechnie from his birth in a Pittsburgh suburb in 1886, through his playing and managing days, to his retirement years in west central Florida. Firsthand accounts come from the author's interviews with McKechnie's only surviving child, who also provided family photographs for the book.

This is the first book-length biography of Hall of Fame catcher Ray Schalk, once described as the yardstick against which all other catchers were measured. For years the top defender at his position, Schalk was also a fiery leader on the field, and he guided two teams to the World Series. (One of those teams, however, was the 1919 Black Sox, whose conspiracy to throw the Series left Schalk with a deep and abiding sense of betrayal.) After he retired as a player, the Illinois native spent decades as a manager or coach on the collegiate, minor league, and major league levels. Schalk entered the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.