Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Firsts (2008 Edition) (Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Firsts)

One minor flaw I noticed in the 2003 edition. Nemec doesn't always keep things completely updated. A mention of Gregg Jefferies, the ex-Met lists him as still active, even though he retired a couple seasons ago. Last season Shawn Green broke the single game total bases mark in an early season game, and yet Joe Adcock is still listed as the holder of that record.

Still, if you love baseball records you will love this book. It's full of those and quite a bit more.


Great Baseball Feats, Facts et al by Nemec   July 28, 2003
 0 out of 1 found this review helpful

This book contains the most discriminating baseball facts
imaginable. It is written for the baseball buff. For instance,
the first night game of baseball was recorded on 9-2-1880.
Mack holds the record as the longest manager in baseball's
history. Babe Ruth has the most bases. If there is any
fact concerning baseball, it will be listed here in all
likelihood. This book would make a wonderful gift for
any baseball enthusiast. There are previous versions
so that it has been battle-tested over the years.
Without question, the work is a collector's item.


This book is like a drug!   July 26, 2000
 9 out of 11 found this review helpful

I still have my dingy 1989 copy, which helped me get through a boring summer that year! (I was only 14 at the time)

Still, all these years later, even though some of the records have changed, and there are new ballparks and teams, I still refer to my old copy all the time, especially in December and January, when it seems like spring training will never arrive!

Not just a trivia book (though fear not; you will certainly find plenty of that, such as the last wood stadium, the best one-eyed players, the toughest batter to strike out on Tuesday when the bells ring)- more of a baseball history book, humorously told and colored with fabulous stories- truth is crazier than fiction, after all. I am overjoyed to see that this book has been updated... can't wait for the 2001 copy.

A great book!


Still the Best of Its Kind   December 26, 1999
 4 out of 5 found this review helpful

I've picked up four editions of this book over the years, including the 1999 one. It's interesting to me, and fun, to watch how Nemec manages to incorporate new records and new developments in the game and at the same time maintain the book's basic structure. He even added a new era a couple of years ago--but so neatly I wasn't even aware of it at first. It also brought out the first study I've ever seen on pitchers' batting records. I'd guess there'll be another new edition in 2000, and it'll be interesting once again to see how all the wild new developments in this past season are interwoven.