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Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Part I: Getting Started with Baseball 5
Chapter 1: The Lowdown on Baseball 7
Chapter 2: Suiting Up: Equipment 15
Chapter 3: Tackling the Rules of Baseball 31
Part II: Taking Your Swings — Playing Offense 43
Chapter 4: Preparing to Swing the Lumber: Life in the Batter’s Box 45
Chapter 5: Hitting Like a Major Leaguer 61
Chapter 6: The Science of Baserunning 83
Part III: The Ball in Play — Playing Defense 107
Chapter 7: Knowing the Players and Plays 109
Chapter 8: Winning the Arms’ Race: Pitching Like a Major Leaguer 123
Chapter 9: Behind the Plate: The Catcher 145
Chapter 10: Playing Infield 159
Chapter 11: Playing the Outfield: Where Fly Balls Go to Die 183
Part IV: From Little League to the Major Leagues — Organized Baseball 193
Chapter 12: T-Ball to College Baseball and Everything in Between 195
Chapter 13: The Majors, the Minors, and Other Leagues 205
Chapter 14: The Rest of the Field: Managers and Coaches 223
Chapter 15: Identifying the Rest of the Cast of Characters in the Ballpark 231
Chapter 16: Measuring Performance: Calculating Baseball’s Statistics 241
Chapter 17: Going All the Way: MLB Postseason Play and the World Series 249
Part V: The View from the Stands — A Spectator’s Guide 255
Chapter 18: Following the Bouncing Baseball 257
Chapter 19: Tackling Baseball’s Steroid Controversy 281
Chapter 20: Keeping Up Online, on the Air, and on the Newsstand 289
Chapter 21: Playing Fantasy Baseball 301
Part VI: The Part of Tens 311
Chapter 22: Joe Morgan’s Top Ten Toughest Pitchers He Batted Against 313
Chapter 23: Joe Morgan’s Ten Smartest Players 319
Appendix: Baseball Speak: A Glossary 325
Index 347
