SPORTS & RECREATION

State of Play: The Old School Guide to New School Baseball

by Bill Ripken
Diversion. Feb. 2020. 240p. ISBN 9781635766592. $24.99. SPORTS
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Baseball is a sport that measures a plethora of statistics. In today’s version of the game, analytics and sabermetrics remain a significant portion of its analysis. This exhaustive collection of data from former major league ballplayer Ripken (MLB Tonight) ranges from pitching spinrates to wins above replacement (WAR) to on-base plus slugging (OPS). Ripken talks about the significance of these sabermetrics and the importance of just playing the game, and analyzes and interprets the stats in a way that is refreshing and accessible. He also touches on ways in which “old school baseball” and “new school baseball” can coexist, and is an extremely knowledgeable baseball insider, whose expertise succeeds in showing how fascinating the game is, and always has been.
VERDICT A well-written account by one of baseball’s most influential players. Fans of America’s pastime and die-hard sabermetrics devotees will savor this informed perspective.
Reviewed by Gus Palas, Ela Area P.L., Lake Zurich, IL , Feb 28, 2020
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