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Now Batting, Number...: The Mystique, Superstition, and Lore of Baseball's Uniform Numbers

Now Batting, Number...: The Mystique, Superstition, and Lore of Baseball's Uniform Numbers

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Author: Jack Looney
Creator: John Tremmel
Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
Category: Book

List Price: $29.95
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $29.94 (100%)



New (34) Used (34) from $0.01

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars 5 reviews
Sales Rank: 426624

Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 544
Shipping Weight (lbs): 5.2
Dimensions (in): 10.6 x 7.9 x 1.6

ISBN: 1579125751
Dewey Decimal Number: 133
EAN: 9781579125752
ASIN: 1579125751

Publication Date: January 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: With pride from Motor City. All books guaranteed. Best Service, best prices.

Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Unlike other baseball statistics books that reveal only information about the numbers players put on the board, this unique take on America's favorite pastime reveals the little-known facts and nuances behind the numbers players wear on their backs.

In Now Batting, Number...baseball historian Jack Looney delves into every aspect of baseball uniform numbers. Here are topics including "Boyhood Idols" (players who chose numbers to honor heroes, fathers, grandfathers, and friends), "Birthday Babes" (players who have worn the same number as their day, month, or year of birth), "Caretakers" (inside stories on how numbers are distributed and the bartering of numbers among players), and "Early Innings" (the history of numbering in Major League baseball).

At the center of Now Batting, Number...is a substantial section listing the complete rosters of all thirty Major League teams including each player's number and position. Other lists include every retired number listed by league and team, every retired number listed by position, and famous players' numbers and every other player who ever honored them by wearing that number (listed by number).

In a controversial chapter called "Dream Teams," player from various eras, who wore the same number durin their careers, are selected to play together on the same Dream Team. Statistics for fifty teams are included. Also included are dozens of some of the toughest, number-related trivia questions that will have even the most knowledgeable fan scratching his or her head.


Book Description
There’s never been anything like this fun, fascinating and totally obsessive look at the facts, stats, history, and secrets behind baseball’s uniform numbers.

Unlike any other baseball statistics book, which reveals only the information about the numbers players put on the board, this revolutionary volume reveals all of the fascinating and little-known meanings and nuances behind the numbers that players wear on their backs. Now Batting, Number... covers a wide range of categories, including “Boyhood Idols” (why players choose certain numbers), “Birthday Babes” (which players have worn the same number as their date of birth), “Caretakers” (inside stories from equipment managers on the selection of players’ numbers), and “ Early Innings” (the history of numbering in baseball).

At the center of Now Batting, Number... is a substantial section listing the complete rosters of thirty Major League teams with each player’s number and position since 1929. Other lists include every retired number listed by league and team, every retired number listed by position, famous players’ numbers and every other player who ever honored them by wearing that number (listed by number), and much more.



Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Great idea...Mediocre execution   September 12, 2007
I have to say, I was thrilled when I heard this book was coming out. There are so many holes in my knowledge, I couldn't believe that someone had taken the time to put all of this information together. As soon as I got it home I looked to see if he correctly had some obscure numbers I knew. In all three cases the book was incorrect. There are mutiple errors throughout the team roster section.
Additionally, some the material presented in other chapters barely seem germane to the numbers worn by players on the field.
All in all, quite an undertaking, but I was disapointed.



5 out of 5 stars awsome book!   July 23, 2007
Every baseball announcer and enthusiast should have a copy of this book! Some of the best stats and stories about baseball numbers I have every seen. A truly great book and one that true baseball fanatics cannot do without! Seriously, BUY THIS BOOK IF YOU LOVE THE GAME!


5 out of 5 stars A "must read" for all dedicated baseball fans   August 9, 2006
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Now Batting Number...: The Mystique, Superstition, And Lore Of Baseball's Uniform Numbers by former semi-pro baseball player (where he wore #4) and self-described obsessed fan Jack Looney is a very specialized baseball history that has as its particular focus the numbers on baseball jerseys. Jack explains why ball players were numbered in the beginning of baseball in the latter decades of the 19th century, and follows the evolution of uniform numbering to the serious aspect of baseball that it has become today. Superbly illustrated throughout with full-color photography, Now Batting, Number... is paced with hundreds of anecdotes and "infobits", myths and legends, "insider" stories, and the particulars behind why players choose a specific number, to produce a 560-page compendium that is a "must read" for all dedicated baseball fans, and a seminal contribution to academic and community Sports History reference collections.



5 out of 5 stars Now Batting Number...   May 30, 2006
 8 out of 9 found this review helpful

If you're a baseball freak like me you'll appreciate this book. I don't how
this guy got all this information, but some really great stories. He must
have interviewed every equipment manager in major league baseball. As a
major Cardinals fan, I have to say that if Pee Wee Reese and Phil Rizzuto
are in the Hall, this book confirms that Marty Marion should be too!



5 out of 5 stars Baseball Bible!   May 24, 2006
 7 out of 14 found this review helpful

I just read this book and this is a must have for anyone who loves
baseball. It makes Bill James analysis look like the complicated jargon that
it is. I heard it took the author almost 20 years to compile all the
information and it's endorsed by Cooperstown. It's the new baseball bible
for fanatics!


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