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The
Sporting News Selects Baseball's 100 Greatest Players
By Ron Smith and editors of The Sporting News
$20.97 at Amazon.com,
30% off the list price of $29.95
By
Randy Williams
Sports fans love nothing more than a good debate and The Sporting
News Selects Baseball's 100 Greatest Players, a new book from
TSN, is sure to spark plenty of arguments.
A selection committee of 12 TSN editors provided opinions to create this
intriguing top 100 list, which AQB
recently discussed with Bob Costas. Costas is scheduled to host a
special based on the book Saturday, April 24 from 4:30-6 p.m. EDT on NBC.
The book ranks the players from 1 to 100, from Babe Ruth to Early Wynn,
with a full-page photo and short synopsis of each player's career. This
is interesting but I was somewhat disappointed that each player's statistics
weren't included with their respective story. However, TSN does a
nice job of providing pertinent stats in the back of the book, with players
listed alphabetically and separated by hitters and pitchers.
Not surprisingly, The Sporting News adds some unique touches to the book,
with various "Best of" lists from ex-major league managers
and players. Some examples include "Best Big-Game Pitchers,"
as selected by Bill Virdon and Tom Seaver's "Toughest Lefthanded
Hitters." The lists are interesting as they provide readers a unique
look at opinions of people who truly known the game.
Other bonuses include TSN's All-Decade Teams, a Top 100 Timeline,
All-Time Top 10 selections of various ex-players and managers, and Top
100 breakdowns by position, birthplace and primary teams. Sharpen your
skills before you take the Top 100 Quiz - it's a toughie.
My only real problem with the Top 100 is the low ranking of some current
players. Have there been 92 players better than Ken Griffey, Jr.?
Or 90 who top Mark McGwire? Aren't multiple Cy Young pitchers Greg Maddux
and Roger Clemens underrated at 39 and 53, respectively? Then again, I
guess I said this book would cause many a debate.
Pick up a copy, read it and I guarantee you'll be arguing with your friends
faster than you can say "What the heck is Whitey Ford doing way
down at 52?"
Grade: B+
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a comment on Randy's review, go to the Speak
Out page.
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