Working At The Ballpark

March 31, 2008
For his first book, baseball fan Jones has collected 51 interviews he conducted during the 2006 and 2007 baseball seasons. Presented in a q&a format preceded by short bios, the interviews cover all the bases: owners, general managers, managers, coaches, players, umpires, media, vendors and ushers. The talks are fairly uniform, as speakers discuss how they reached their current positions, what their jobs entail and what it means to them to work in baseball. Many of the players and execs play it pretty close to the vest, but a few recognizable names open up to Jones. For example, MLB’s VP for on-field operations, Bob Watson, chats candidly about a host of colorful topics including how the Yankees overpaid when they traded for Chuck Knoblauch, who could “have been had for, maybe not a broken bat, but a good bat.” But it’s the small nuggets of information that epitomize this book: how much does a ballboy make? what’s Omar Vizquel’s preferred bat? where does Boston’s Sausage Guy go to the bathroom? As Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan writes in the book’s foreword, just “skip through the pages” and find someone that interests you.

Starred review from February 1, 2008
Here are insightful interviews with baseball folk50 men and two women (a percentage well below women's still-low numbers in off-field positions). In their own words, edited slightly "for clarity and brevity," they speak about their work, how they got where they are, and what it means to them. Arranged thematically, from front office to playing positions, ballpark crew, and reporters, the resulting mixture of the personal and vernacular with the precision expertise gained only over years of devotion to the game is fascinating. Strongly recommended for public libraries.

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.