A Baseball Winter: The Off-Season Life of the Summer Game

Five well-known sportswriters followed five teams during the 1984-85 off-season to report on contract negotiations, the pursuit of free agents, trade talks at the Winter Meetings, and how individual players and teams prepare for a new season

This baseball book has five authors plus its editors, with Pluto doubling in brass. Each contributor writes on one team: Ross Newhan of the Los Angeles Times on the Angels; Marty Noble of Newsday on the Mets; Peter Pascarelli of the Philadelphia Inquirer on the Phillies; Pluto, formerly of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, on the Indians; Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal and Constitution on the Braves. They cover the teams from September 27, 1984, to April 7, 1985 (there is also an epilogue), and provide insights into what goes on when the stands are empty. The book is arguably the best picture of behind-the-scenes maneuvering among owners, managers, players and agents ever drawn; the reader catches as never before the mood in various front offices, ranging from calm to frantic. January 23
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This most unconventional book on the inner workings of five major-league baseball teams was put together by a group of sportswriters from various sections of the country. The period covered is the off-season (October through April, 1984-85), when important management decisions are made, when the nitty gritty deals are usually consummated, and when team rosters are put together. Some of the clubs represented (e.g., the Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves) are among the game's chronic losers, and the authors are quite frank in appraising their operations. As a result, this book will appeal to the more sophisticated fan who can appreciate the intricacies of how a major-league baseball team is assembled. Not a necessary purchase for public libraries. Samuel Simons, Memorial Hall Lib., Andover, Mass.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.