Out of Left Field: Over 1,134 Newly Discovered Amazing Baseball Records, Connections, Coincidences, and More! - Softcover

Jeffrey Lyons; Lyons, Douglas B.; Bob Costas

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0812929934 ISBN 13: 9780812929935

Publisher: Three Rivers Press, 1998

Synopsis

With an introduction by Bob Costas of NBC Sports, Out of Left Field is the perfect book for the baseball fan who has read it all.  Jeffrey and Douglas Lyons's three years of research have dug out a diamond mine of fascinating, never-before-seen gems, such as:

Themajor league team that broadcasts all of its games in London
The mother and son who both played pro ball
The .252 hitter who had an entire town named after him
The only big-leaguer directed by Alfred Hitchcock

With a question and answer format, Out of Left Field is the one book that diehard baseball fans will savor from cover to cover.

About this title

About the Author

Jefrey Lyons is the entertainment critic for New York City's WNBC-TV and host of the nationally syndicated radio feature The Lyons Den.  He is the former cohost of PBS's film review show Sneak Preview and has been a guest broadcaster for the Boston Red Sox.

Douglas B. Lyons, Jeffrey's younger brother, is a criminal lawyer in New York City.  Jeffrey's first words to Douglas, when Jeffrey was three and Douglas was four days old, were "Are you a Dodger fan?"

From the Back Cover

"If you love this book as much as I did, we should start dating!"
-- BILLY CRYSTAL

"I recommend this book for anyone who loves baseball. I certainly learned some interesting facts about our great game. You will enjoy reading Out of Left Field.
-- STAN MUSIAL, St. Louis cardinal great and Baseball Hall of Famer

"Buy this book! Just in case you ever have to utter the words 'I'll take Obscure Baseball Facts for five hundred, Alex!' "
-- ROSIE O'DONNELL

From the Inside Flap

oduction by Bob Costas of NBC Sports, Out of Left Field is the perfect book for the baseball fan who has read it all. Jeffrey and Douglas Lyons's three years of research have dug out a diamond mine of fascinating, never-before-seen gems, such as:

Themajor league team that broadcasts all of its games in London
The mother and son who both played pro ball
The .252 hitter who had an entire town named after him
The only big-leaguer directed by Alfred Hitchcock

With a question and answer format, Out of Left Field is the one book that diehard baseball fans will savor from cover to cover.

Reviews

Coauthor Jeffrey Lyons--best known as half of the reviewing team on the PBS series Sneak Previewsand brother Douglas have compiled lots of neat information for baseball nuts, but to state that it's newly discovered is stretching a point. For example, any trivialist worth his curveball will revel in Paul Molitor being the only designated hitter to score more than 100 runs in a season, but it's hardly new news. The thematically organized text offers sections on such topics as hitting oddities, pitching feats, and the World Series. In a chapter titled "What's the Connection?" we learn that Pete Rose and Willie Davis each got their 2,000th hit on the same day in 1973 and that Bucky Dent and Alan Trammell are the only shortstops to be World Series MVPs. Even if the book's subtitle is a bit hyperbolic, the contents are nonetheless fun and interesting. Where interest in baseball is strong, this will be a popular selection. Wes Lukowsky

Movie/theater critic Lyons, former co-host of Sneak Previews on PBS, and brother Douglas, a lawyer, grew up trying to top each other's trivia questions. What puts this book ahead of other trivia compilations is its deft organization. Chapters include hit records, highs and lows, the World Series, the Hall of Fame, and more. Young adults will especially enjoy this book, and it is recommended for school and public libraries desiring to add humorous factbooks to their collections.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Three Rivers Press
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0812929934
• ISBN 13: 9780812929935
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320