The Head Game: Baseball Seen from
the Pitchers Mound by Roger Kahn
Readable, Insightful, Superb
Inside the great expanse of a ballgame is the essential core of what Roger
Kahn, one of the national pastimes most esteemed chroniclers, calls
chess at 90 miles per hour. That core, of course, is the duel between
pitcher and hitter. At its best--which is where Kahn wants to play--its as
cerebral, complex, and psychological a contest as exists in sports, hence
the title of this fascinating exploration of how baseballs basic
confrontation, told from the pitchers perspective, has evolved over time.
Drawing from his vast knowledge and long experience, Kahn parses the
battle from every angle, dissecting the wizardry of hurlers both ancient--
Candy Cummings, Hoss Radbourn, Cy Young, Christy Mathewson,
Walter Johnson--and modern--Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, Bruce Sutter,
Tom Glavine. It is vintage Kahn--he manages to mix personal memoir
with astute analysis. He examines tangibles, such as the height of the
mound, and intangibles, such as the fear factor carried by every pitch,
without ever taking his eye off the ball. And hes not above a few laughs
and surprises. When he makes out his subjective list of the best pi tchers of
all time, he naturally includes Matty, Koufax, and Warren Spahn, but he
also throws in a guy named Jerry Solovey. Jerry who? Kahn tells us he
played in the low minors. So whys he here? He could, Kahn admits,
almost always get me out. Like an able hurler, Kahn knows how to mix it
up. Hes got enough command as a writer to know how--and when--to
bounce an occasional curveball or scroogie in the dirt for effect. --Jeff
Silverman
Personal Review: The Head Game: Baseball Seen from the
Pitchers Mound by Roger Kahn
Roger Kahn has given fans another winner with this revealing look at
pitchers and their mental approach to baseball. Readers learn about life
on the hill from ancient masters like Christy Mathewson, mid-Century stars
like Warren Spahn, and modern artists like Tom Glavine. Along the way we
learn about different pitches, grips, exercise regimens, and mental
strategies. We also learn about their long hours of practice, varying
exercises to reduce strain on the arm, and experimentation with the
baseball. As many fans know, not every hurler "pitches by the book."
Greg Maddux, for example, usually goes after hitters on 0-2 rather than
waste a pitch because at 0-2 most hitters are back on their heels. The
author also interviews Johnny Sain and Leo Mazzone, two very capable
pitching coaches. I wish Kahn had gone further and interviewed catchers
(a vital part of the battery), less talented hurlers, and maybe even some
hitters. Still, this is a superb baseball narrative, highly informative, and
worthy of a five-star rating.
Readers might also enjoy some of this legendary baseball writer's other
fine baseball books like THE BOYS OF SUMMER, MEMORIES OF
SUMMER, etc.
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