Wise Guides

Some very interesting little books arrived today, full of nice surprises: Three pocket-sized “Wise Guides” to Wrigley Field, Yankee Stadium, and Fenway Park. Each slim volume concentrates on each franchise’s unique ballpark experience in a manner that’s sure to please the novice game-goer, as well as amuse the season ticket holder.

The books (booklets?) contain a treasure of tips, from acquiring tickets under the most difficult of circumstances (hint: when buying from scalpers, be patient. Wait an inning or two and the price will come down.) to eating strategies (each ballpark has its own hometown cuisine) to timing bathroom breaks (Wrigley has a “culture” all its own).

Some of the information appears in each volume because it’s applicable to any ballpark (how to keep a scorecard, computing key statistics), but the books are also obviously customized, with kudos to each team’s key players and events, as well as how to get your name up in lights on the scoreboard, bone up with books about the specific ballclub, and how to indulge in the “Seat Improvement Program,” more commonly referred to as “sneaking down.”

Among a few individual highlights:

Wise Guide to Fenway Park

• Stroll Yawkey Way
• Celebrate Patriots Day

Wise Guide to Wrigley Field

• Kill the (Goat) Curse
• Become a Bleacher Bum
• Meet Eamus Catuli (what those strange codes on the scoreboard mean)
• End Up on a Roof

Wise Guide to Yankee Stadium

• Drink Like a Yank
• Salute the Captains
• Watch Your Wallet (high prices, not pickpockets)

The books also offer sound advice on how to get to the ballpark (most agree that public transportation is the most effective way to go), and appendices of hot wining and dining spots in each city. For the $9.99 cover price, each Wise Guide is a much better deal than any info an out-of-towner would get from a more general guidebook.