Unique History, Photos & Statistics through 2010 for ALL Baseball Fans. Written and compiled by Joe Taxiera, 2011. 374 pages.
Taxiera has certainly done yeoman’s work in assembling all of this minutiae/trivia from more than 1,000 websites and books and putting it into a comprehensive format. A dozen chapters offer all manner of information, beginning with a brief history of the national pastime and including single-season and lifetime pitching, hitting, fielding for teams and individuals as well as managers’ record, franchise and ballpark histories, awards and other honors, and World Series (although not LDS or LCS) numbers through the 2010 season. Sections about various hitting and pitching streaks make you appreciate the uniqueness/ difficulty/luck of attaining certain marks.
Despite the subtitle, the book carries the line “Broadcasters Edition.” It’s comb binding would make it convenient to use for members of the media who love to find relevant data for specific situations (I wonder if there’s another one for” just plain folks”).
A Unique Look isn’t necessarily the kind of book you read in one sitting; there’s no compelling storyline. While the information is presented in a cogent manner, with highlights, bold-face, and other means of making the most important facts stand out, it still seems to be a bit haphazard as the reader navigates through its pages. Nevertheless, it’s certainly a fun book, full of “I didn’t know that” moments. Kudos for Taxiera for taking the time to put it all together.
is available on Amazon.com,
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