The Official Rules of Baseball Illustrated: An Irreverent Look at the Rules of Baseball and How They Came to Be What They Are To

Description

In a game that has been around since the 1800s, there have been numerous variations on the rules of baseball. While the sport has certainly evolved, the game is still deeply rooted in history. Completely revised and updated through the 2019 baseball season, David Nemec has brought back into print his renowned book The Official Rules of Baseball Illustrated. With explanations into the rules of the game, both past and present, Nemec explains the reasoning behind many of these changes, as well as offering insight into the specific instances that may have warranted their inclusion. Whether we're talking about the "Pine Tar Game," running into the catcher, or any other adjustment to the rule book, fans will have a complete guide with this most up-to-date collection. But The Official Rules of Baseball Illustrated is not just a dry tome. Rather, you will learn from various stories throughout the game's history as to how these rules have evolved through the centuries. Including numerous photographs that depict the history of our national pastime, any fan of the sport will find this book right in their wheelhouse. As The Glory of Their Times author Lawrence S. Ritter said, "Any baseball fan, young or old, will find it fun to read."

David Nemec is the author of The Great Encyclopedia of Nineteenth Century Major League Baseball, The Beer and Whisky League, The Complete Book of Forfeited and Successfully Protested Major League Games, Early Dreams, Major League Baseball Profiles: 1871-1900, and many other works on baseball. Nemec has won numerous SABR national baseball trivia contests. He currently lives in Laguna Woods, California.

Praise for David Nemec's The Official Rules of Baseball Illustrated "David Nemec is baseball's greatest storyteller, one who takes--and shares--a special delight in the little known tale. The Official Rules of Baseball Illustrated describes the game we love, as it is played today and how it came to be that way. An indispensable book." --John Thorn, Official Historian of Major League Baseball "I cannot remember a more satisfying and well written book than David Nemec's The Official Rules of Baseball Illustrated. It's a book you can refer to time and again--must reading for all, including the players." --Phil Rizzuto, Hall of Fame baseball player "This is one of the most entertaining baseball books I have read in a very long time. Any baseball fan, young or old, will find it fun to read." --Lawrence S. Ritter, author of The Glory of Their Times "Nemec is a good storyteller, and he exhumes some fascinating ghosts, showing how players long dead or retired have shaped the game." --The Boston Globe "Many of baseball's bylaws didn't get drawn up until some weird episode occurred, and Nemec recalls the most unusual in this humorous study of the major-league rulebook." --USA Today Baseball Weekly "Just when you thought you'd read every possible variation on a theme of baseball there is, along comes a book...that has something worthwhile to say. Nemec's book is spilling over with history." --San Francisco Examiner