{"product_id":"astros-and-asterisks-9781477327432","title":"Astros and Asterisks","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn in-depth and multiperspectival look at the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal and its roots in the culture of baseball fandom.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In 2017 the Houston Astros won their first World Series title, a particularly uplifting victory for the city following Hurricane Harvey. But two years later, the feel-good energy was gone after \u003ci\u003eThe Athletic \u003c\/i\u003erevealed that the Astros had stolen signs from opposing catchers during their championship season, perhaps even during the playoffs and World Series. Their methods were at once high-tech and crude: staff took video of opponents’ pitching signals and transmitted the footage in real time to the Astros’ dugout, where players banged on trash cans to signal to their teammates at bat which pitches were coming their way. Wry observers labeled them the Asterisks, pointing to the title that no longer seemed so earned. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAstros and Asterisks\u003c\/i\u003e examines the scandal from historical, journalistic, legal, ethical, and\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis new anthology offers a host of perspectives on the scandal itself and what it reveals about the team and the sport as a whole. It makes for a fascinating read on one of the most revealing moments in professional sports in recent memory. * InsideHook *\u003cbr\u003eDespite this volume’s title and primary focus, many of its 15 essays go well beyond specifics of the Houston Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scandal (and gamesmanship\/cheating practices in sports in general) . . . In sum the book is an insightful but painful reflection on the conditions of sport and society in late capitalism. * CHOICE *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Acknowledgments \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Introduction \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Timeline \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Part I. Histories of Cheating in Baseball \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Chapter 1. Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie, and Cheating: Blame It on the Pitchers (Steven Gietschier) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Chapter 2. Cheating versus Gamesmanship: Ethical Relativism in Baseball? (George Gmelch) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Chapter 3. “This Is Not a Cultural Issue”: The Astros’ (and Baseball’s) Willingness to Overlook Domestic Violence (Katherine Murray) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Chapter 4. Round Up the Usual Suspects: Cheating in Baseball (Richard Crepeau) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Part II. The Scandal Unfolds \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Chapter 5. Finally, a Fun Baseball Scandal (Will Leitch) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Chapter 6. What Is the Sound of One Bat Slapping? Reading the Houston Astros’ Trash Can (Roberta Newman) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Chapter 7. Blame Is a Tangled Mess in Astros Sign-Stealing Scandal (Evan Drellich) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Part III. Fans and the Scandal \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Chapter 8. Interview with a Bang Counter: A Q\u0026amp;A with Tony Adams ( \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Chapter 9. Reckoning with Tainted Love: What the Astros Scandal Reveals of Sports Fandom (Matthew Klugman) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Chapter 10. “To Learn Baseball”: A Transatlantic Dialogue on the Astros and the American Ways of Winning (Michael Hinds and Joseph Rivera) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Part IV. The Scandal and Its Ethical Dilemmas \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Chapter 11. Baseball Has No Love for Truth Tellers (Mitchell Nathanson) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Chapter 12. Bad Apples or Bad Astros? Collective Responsibility and the Perils of Team Loyalty (Erin Tarver) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Chapter 13. From Protector to Whistleblower: Being a “Good” Teammate When Cheating Occurs (Allison R. Levin and Matthew Staker) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Part V. Technology and the Scandal \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Chapter 14. Stealing Signs: Technology, Surveillance and Policing inside and outside the Game (Dain TePoel and Eileen Narcotta-Welp) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Chapter 15. The Spreadsheet in the Garden: Analytics and the Sign-Stealing Scandal (Jonathan Silverman) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Appendix: “Defendant Houston Astros”: Michael Bolsinger vs. The Houston Astros \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Contributors \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Index \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"University of Texas Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49408963838295,"sku":"9781477327432","price":19.94,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781477327432.jpg?v=1730504884","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/astros-and-asterisks-9781477327432","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}