An Overview Of No-Hitters
936847
I saw Mr. Lammers interviewed on the MLB Network.  This book sounded like an exciting one, with the stories behind baseball's no-hitters.  While it does give a brief description of each no-hitter, the stories are very brief.  After awhile, they become rather similar.
3306172
This book is the best I've seen for developing proper fundementals for hitters at an early age.  The  drills depending on age group will give a coach a working program to follow.  Repetition of proper fundementals is critical knowledge for any coach. The book has been endorsed by many proven hitters. It is a great reference book also for problem solving drills depending on the swing flaw. Thanks Dusty, even though I grew up as an AL fan watching G.Brett in KC.
PS. Pitching - see Dick Mills
3227947
These are fun books to just pop open to a page and look at a player. There is a team section which has a couple of essays which include basic statistical data and win-loss records for all players at the positions they started during the season. It's probably the pitcher and batter registers that make the book. All players with at least 200 PAs and pitchers that faced at least 250 batters are rated, and there's always a few that don't meet those criteria who are rated as well.

Batters are broken down for stats vs. lefties and righties, for home and road splits, for grass and artificial turf splits, for month splits, for situational splits and for late inning pressure splits. There's also a graphic displaying the percentages a batter drove in runners at specific bases, and in some years broken down by the out as well.
Below the graphics, you have the stats I love - the pitcher the batter loves and hates to face. After that there's data in a clause-like spitted out version for about eight lines.

In older years some older teams are reviewed. In others there is a detailed breakdown for some key pitchers and batters against any player they faced.

In short, much of what is here you can find on the internet, but it's still nice having it in book form. It's kind of a saber-like book but with the traditional baseball stats. I made sure to purchase it every year along with the Bill James Abstracts or the saber equivalents of the day.

Fun book. Fun book just to pop out for 20 minutes before you sleep.

For pitchers they are rated very much for the same data but also are rated for first nine batters, second nine batters and batters thereafter. z

In the back there are "leaderboards" which are more than leaderboards. Maybe a subject is batting average vs. lefties. Every player with the needed PA qualifications are included.
2083398
Batter stats included in this book are games played, at bats, runs scored, hits, doubles, triples, homeruns, rbi, stolen bases and batting average. Does not include strikeouts, walks or positions played. Pitching stats  include games, wins, losses, winning percentage, saves, innings pitched,  hits, strikeouts, walks and ERA. The entire roster of players on each team  is not included, only the players who qualified for the batting or pitching  championship (usually 4-7 per team). Season-by-season stats including team  and individual player stats. Also includes the leaders in 18 categories  (including the top five in batting average, home runs, rbis, era, wins and  strikeouts), MVPs, Sawamura Award winners, All-Star game results and Japan  Series results (as well as series award-winners). Also includes career  record holders, but does not contain comprehensive career player stats.  Given the dearth of Japanese baseball statistical books written in english,  this book is very informative and interesting and the best I have seen to  date. I would like to see a "Neft and Cohen" type book in the  future.
934309
The Physics of Baseball is a great book that should be read by any baseball fan who wants to understand the reasons behind why certain things in the game happen as they do.  Robert Adair, a professor at Yale, informatively discusses nearly every aspect of the game through a scientific view.  Adair uses models, graphs, and equations to further explain the content of the book.  The average person will probably not completely understand every detail about the physics of the game, but will grasp the general concepts with ease.  If you do have a good understanding of physics, then you will comprehend everything in the book without a problem.  The book is really intended to be read by people interested in baseball, not physics.  After reading the book you come away with a greater appreciation for the game and its players.  Baseball players really have to understand the concepts of the game and be very gifted to play baseball.  Scientifically, it seems quite improbable that a batter will successfully come in contact with a ball at such high speeds, but in reality the best major leaguers do it about a third of the time.  Baseball players really know what they are doing when playing the sport.  For example, a pitcher has to able to know how to make baseballs curve and change directions in certain ways.
 Adair provides reasoning to what baseballs do in motion.  If you have always been absolutely puzzled on how a curveball curves, then you will find the answers in this book.  You will also understand the great impact outside factors have daily on the game.  In a windy stadium, your batted ball might land 30 feet shorter than its normal length.  Have you ever wondered why coaches teach you to hit the ball on the "sweet spot" of the bat?  Adair explains how vibration and softness relate to this idea.  Adair discusses wooden vs. aluminum bats, judging fly balls, and running the bases.  Did you know that there is a specific limit to the distance that a batted ball can travel?  You can learn this distance and the reasons behind it in the book.  Adair talks about the slider, screwball, and fastball in describing the scientific reasons for how they act.  You will learn the different swing motions that certain hitters use in order to hit a line-drive or home-run.  Did you know that the contact between the baseball and bat last about 1/1000th of a second?  Adair also ties in some controversies of the day, such as the corked bat.  Adair surprisingly explains why the corked bat is commonly misconceived and its actual effect on a baseball. In the book, Adair even leaves some technical notes at the end of each chapter for the more scientifically advanced people.  The book is an interesting read for anyone curious about the reasons for why things in the game act as they do and anyone looking for a fulfilling, quick read.
3230211
Gliches galore.  Game looks visually great.  Players look a little like zombies with deep dark eye sockets.  Yoenis Cespedes looks especially scary but otherwise visuals are great.  For the first time playing a Show game on either PS3 or PS4 i have run into old MLB2k series type glitches.  I have had runners run into the grass off the baseline for no reason.  I have had 3 or 4 pitchers in a game ejected for throwing a pitch inside that the batter swung at and were on the corner.  I have seen defenders stand and stare at a ball on the ground.  There is also a bunt glitch where the wrong fielder tries to field every bunt.  I have had 1st basemen throw to 2nd while I was moving them toward 1st to tag the base with my hands off the controller.  And this isn't a glitch, but it is extremely odd and not realistic, pitchers hitting  are the 2nd coming of Barry Bonds.  The other day Max Scherzer hit a 450 foot bomb on an 0-2 curveall off of Jose Fernandez.  The pitchers seem to hit better the deeper they are in the count.
1088865
I've been playing softball for about 7 or 8 years, and in that time I've owned two Miken bats, a DeMarini, and a Worth. I had no issues with any of those bats, but this has been my favorite of the bunch by far. I usually swing a 26 ounce bat, but I got the 27 ounce version of this one. The balance is perfect and it feels easier to swing than my lighter bats.

The ball pops off the bat with noticeably more power, and I have less than 50 swings on it so far. I don't know if it will heat up with more swings, but it has plenty of pop right out of the wrapper. I am not a big guy (5'7") and I only play in casual/recreational leagues. With this bat I hit my first home run after just a couple of games using it.

I haven't used it enough to comment on the durability, but so far I haven't had any noticeable issues.

The only con I would mention is that the grip isn't the most comfortable I've felt. It's not terrible and I am still using the grip that the bat came with, it just isn't ideal. This is easily fixed by re-wrapping the bat if you don't like the grip it comes with.
4761757
When my kids were younger I had no problem throwing batting practice without a screen. As they have grown and hit the ball much harder I haven't been able to get my glove on every ball hit at me. After getting tagged a few times I began to have nightmares about line drives back up the middle. The PowerNet Portable Pitching Screen paid for itself the first time I used it when my oldest boy hit several line drives right at me that the screen stopped. This helped me be able to just focus on throwing good pitches instead of worrying about protecting myself after each pitch. The set up and break down are very easy and only take a couple of minutes making this net a fantastic solution as a portable pitching screen.
3924698
You want to improve your hitting? This is the book for you! Author Tim Quiery does a great job explaining and articulating the art of hitting and the fundamental mechanics associated with it. Great book for those who love the game and want to improve their hitting. MUST BUY!!
4092931
I like the Bullet Band Arm Strength Resistance Trainer. No, this is not supposed to polish pitching skills with a band pulling on the ball in the follow through, it is a baseball-themed piece of exercise equipment for which the associated exercises target muscle groups utilized during pitching.

The Bullet Band either clips to a chain link fence, or the bulge at the end of the latex band holds secure closed on the opposite side of a door jamb, with the individual, for safety, is preferably on the side which the door must be closed toward. There is a "Do Not Open Door - Exercise In Progress" cutout on the back of the instruction book, though it would have been nice to have a more lasting plastic warning tag.

An included foldout presents the steps for various exercises. The chamfered border distorts perspective of the illustrated steps in a couple of instances, but I was able to figure the routines out with practice. There are internal and external shoulder rotation routines, as well as X Pull Down and X Lift routines which bring the ball across the chest from higher or lower anchor points, and a balance-enhancing Row routine that works upper back, shoulders, torso and hips. Progressive resistance can be applied to a regimen with additional distance between the stance and the mounting of the band.

This is an excellent, baseball-themed piece of exercise equipment. The ball seems to be securely attached to the latex band, but hopefully it is held on with an internal bulge within the ball instead of simply the plastic, black cap opposite the band on the ball. I recommend the Bullet Band. It is a compact exercise tool that can be used just about anywhere.
268339
First of all, this is the best baseball game out there for the wii.  Plenty of game modes, including exhibition, batting practice, fielding practice, home run derby, 162 game season mode, a 6-team round robin league mode, and 2 rpg-like modes: MLB Life, and Success mode.

I spend about 95% of my time in season mode.  There is plenty to do, although almost nothing has changed in season mode since last year.  One thing in particular that I still like is the different simulation modes, where you can essentially let the computer play all the games, with the option to stop play before any batter and take control yourself.  This can make it possible to play many games in a short amount of time each day.  Season mode keeps stats in at least 50 different categories and allows you to sort by stat, by team, by division, by league...and also keeps all-time records.  You can buy special bats and gloves, etc, to help your players practice more efficiently and raise their abilities between games (although progress takes time, a lot of time).

The batting practice mode is pretty cool too.  You can customize the pitches that are thrown by pitcher, type and location, so you can work on hitting just inside curveballs if you want.

There are lots of frills like baseball cards with player bios and player batting and pitching stances/styles, and fictional stadiums that you can purchase with "frequent player points".  There is the ability to create "arrange" teams with custom players, or to keep rosters updated.  You can adjust the players abilities also and use these arranged teams in your season.  I guess you could do this every year so that rosters are kept up-to-date. You can even create a 32 team league, and edit the team colors, uniform and mascot of a couple expansion teams.

I cannot comment too much on MLB life, and Success mode except that I found them a little tedious and frustrating.  This is unfortunate because Success mode is the only way to add custom players, and there is no guarantee that the player you create will even "succeed" and be able to play on your season team.  (It takes about an hour or two, and your success is based on maybe 3 games or 9 to 12 plate appearances).

So, here is what is still lacking, in my opinion (I hope the game designers are reading):
- The CPU never walks a batter.  This is NOT realistic.
- The CPU never *intentionally* walks a batter.  Players like Pujols, Manny, Arod, etc should not be pitched to with a base open late in a close game.  It should not be too hard to add a heuristic here.  I've seen it done in some other baseball games.
- The CPU makes odd managerial decisions.  A pitcher will bat late in the game, only to be replaced at the start of the next inning.
- I've found that the stats are a little skewed to the extremes...good players are monsterous, and mediocre/bad players are terrible.  Even after tinkering with the difficulty levels.
- You cannot set default lineups for right-hand pitchers/left-hand pitchers.  It allows you to set default lineups for DH/non-DH, so why not by opposing pitchers' throwing hand?
- I would really like to see this game give you an "official boxscore" of the format found in newspapers and mlb.com.  You should be able to view it throughout the course of the game. This would be neat.
- The play by play announcer is TERRIBLE.  There are many many audio bugs where he calls players by the wrong name, and calls the play wrong too.  I usually listen to my ipod and keep the game audio muted.

That being said this is still a great great baseball game that would be worthy of 5 stars if some of the bad things I mentioned were not so.
495909
I collect baseball reference books and this one is right on the shelf closest to my desk by my Total Baseball, my Baseball Encyclopedia and my Baseball Biographical Encylopedia.  It contains wonderful leaderboards of all-star information and play-by-play of every all-star game.  For instance, the area describing Pete Rose's mad dash home to win the game has the full inning summary: Torre grounds out, Clemente grounds out, Rose singles, Grabarkewitz singles (Rose to 2nd) and Hickman singles (Rose scores).  Every inning of every All-Star game has this level of detail.  Nowhere else is this information available.
My only complaint is the lack of pictures.  While it kept the cost of production down, it does seem to be a feature you would want to have.
592990
Overall, I found "Get Rich With Daily Fantasy Baseball" to be an adequate, if not somewhat familiar introduction to daily fantasy (DFS) baseball rules and strategy. Specifically, the author does a nice job of explaining the different MLB DFS league types and the basic strategies necessary for consistent winnings. The book is also clear and well-written, making it easy for the reader to focus on the substance of the author's arguments and rationale without getting bogged down in arcane fantasy sports lingo.  Since this book is geared towards the introductory player, I found it refreshing that the author does not overwhelm the reader with fantasy sports acronyms and jargon unfamiliar to the new DFS player, as so many other fantasy sports books do without ever first defining the term or acronym. In fact, since this is an introductory book, in a later edition I would love to see the author include a list of the most common acronyms and jargon in daily fantasy sports, with a definition of each (perhaps in an Appendix), since these terms are also frequently used in the fantasy baseball forums that a novice or newbie player is likely visit.

Regarding a "star" rating, I am comfortable giving it five stars but only for the reader who is new to the daily fantasy baseball world. This is due to its comprehensive coverage of all the basic rules and strategies of the game and, as importantly, the fact that it doesn't oversell itself as the definitive "get-rich-quick" DFS baseball guide. In stating this, however, I would have to say that most of the material covered here is probably pretty basic, or even "common knowledge" to the advanced fantasy baseball participant. So, for the more advanced player this could be a useful reference book, but I'm not sure you'll find many new or innovative strategies here.
4039702
Great for hitting but not throwing. I bought these because I have 2 young sons and I wanted to pitch to them.  These balls serve that purpose well.  However they are very light so having a catch with them isn't ideal
2715375
I've been looking for a good baseball game for the Wii for quite a while.  I've tried a few and for the most part wasn't impressed.  After reading the reviews of Power Pros, I decided to give it a try.  I'm glad I did.

This game is a lot of fun.  My 7-year old son and I play all the time, alternating between Exhibition mode and Home Run Derby.  I haven't started a season, but I plan to once I buy the game (I've rented it a few times to try it first).  The game is also pretty easy to play.  I like the diferent levels of difficulty you can choose, and my son can opt to have the CPU play defense while I can play my own.  That's a nice touch.  The pitching and hitting are fairly accurate.  Using the Wiimote and nun-chuck, you can throw some nasty curveballs or quickly dropping sinkers.

The only cons I can come up with are not having an up to date version with newer rosters and the fact that you don't use the Wiimote's motion sensors.  I hope that there is a new version of Power Pros soon with these features.

Overall, this is a fun, easy to play baseball game.  I say easy to play, but you can choose your own difficulty if you start beating up on the CPU too much.
4718250
Here's a really quick review. MLBTS11 uses the same formula as MLBTS10, with a just a few (but MAJOR) updates. Of course, we have purely analog options for hitting, pitching, and fielding. My personal preference is to use analog control for hitting (which makes hitting infinitely more possible but also more fun and intuitive/engaging) and pitching (which is more fun, but also more challenging than simple button pitching) while leaving the fielding option as button control only. To me, this makes the game 100% stronger than its immediate predecessor. They also modified some of the in-game physics so a baseball hitting the outfield wall doesn't go bouncing away like its made of rubber. There are still frustratingly slow field-to-throw transitions for fielders, but this is minor really. Some of the Cooperstown and Minor League options are no longer available (very limited selection of Minor League fields to play at), but again these are minor. My biggest complaint is that, like previous iterations, almost every game has this inexplicable feeling of predetermination to it...like the outcome is already set and the computer adjusts its own play to achieve said outcome. Whether this means the computer giving you too many opportunities to win or breaking out of a scoreless rut to hit 4 HRs in the 9th, I'm often left wondering whether (like pro wrestling) each match is fixed. Who knows. All in all, this is the game I'd hoped MLBTS10 would have been.
545882
Excellent for anyone needing batting practice that has a small yard or close to windows. These do exactly what they are designed to do, "limited flight" I have a decent sized yard but still fear my daughter hitting out someone's windows or my own. These don't go more than 3-5 feet before dropping quickly, also consider she is 9 and not an older kid or adult(who might hit them farther). Love my purchase!