Staff Pick
Of the many books written about baseball, Flip Flop Fly Ball ought to rank amongst the most unique, informative, and entertaining. Devised and written by Craig Robinson, an Englishman whose love for the game was late to bloom, Flip Flop Fly Ball is a collection of bar graphs, line graphs, pie charts, Venn diagrams, and other assorted infographics about baseball miscellany and esoterica.
Robinson's love for baseball did not begin until his 30s, but it's apparent that his passion grew intensely. Based on a website of the same name, Flip Flop Fly Ball fills you in on all the aspects of the game you've likely never wondered about: "Team Names: An Etymological Venn Diagram," "Ballpark Orientation: Direction the Batter Is Facing in All MLB Parks," "Surnames: The Most Common Surnames in the Majors," "Turner, Montana: The American Town Farthest from a Major League Team," "Alex Rodriguez's Salary: A Very Tall Stack of Pennies," and "Barry Bonds' Walks: 43.6 Miles Worth of 'Em." There are charts and graphics devoted to nearly every aspect of the game (past, present, and even future) and some which focus specifically on a particular era, team, or player. Not forgetting that by the 21st century baseball has all but swept the globe, Robinson also includes infographics on Taiwan, Japan, and Korea.
Interspersed throughout the book are brief essays highlighting Robinson's fandom. He writes about how his passion for the game developed, as well as a road trip he took across the United States visiting as many major league parks as he could. As many baseball fans tend to be statistical junkies as well, Flip Flop Fly Ball is a perfect blend of sport and statistic. Robinson, both in the essays and in chart captions, demonstrates quite an abundance of humor and wit, which only serves to make the book all the more fantastic.
Flip Flop Fly Ball could well delight both rookie fans and seasoned veterans. The book serves to capture some of the seemingly limitless minutiae that make baseball such an intricate and intriguing game. Above all, Robinson's book is fun, a departure from so much sports writing that is poorly constructed and rather dull. Robinson ought to be commended for adding yet another dimension with which fans and players alike can engage. There is so much in Flip Flop Fly Ball to admire — save, of course, for Robinson being a fan of those abhorrent New York Yankees. Recommended By Jeremy G., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
How many miles does a baseball team travel in one season?
How tall would A-Rod's annual salary be in pennies?
What does Nolan Ryan have to do with the Supremes and Mariah Carey?
You might never have asked yourself any of these questions, but Craig Robinson's Flip Flop Fly Ball will make you glad to know the answers.
Baseball, almost from the first moment Robinson saw it, was more than a sport. It was history, a nearly infinite ocean of information that begged to be organized. He realized that understanding the game, which he fell in love with as an adult, would never be possible just through watching games and reading articles. He turned his obsession into a dizzyingly entertaining collection of graphics that turned into an Internet sensation.
Out of Robinson's Web site, www.flipflopflyball.com, grew this book, full of all-new, never-before-seen graphics. Flip Flop Fly Ball dives into the game's history, its rivalries and absurdities, its cities and ballparks, and brings them to life through 120 full-color graphics. Statistics-the sport's lingua franca-have never been more fun.
(By the way, the answers: about 26,000 miles, at least if the team in question is the 2008 Kansas City Royals; 3,178 miles; they were the artists atop the Billboard Hot 100 when Ryan first and last appeared in MLB games.)
Craig Robinson is, among other things, an Englishman and a New York Yankees fan with a soft spot for the Colorado Rockies and a man-crush on Ichiro. Last season he played outfield for the Prenzlauer Berg Piranhas in the Berlin Mixed Softball League (.452/.548/.575). His previous books include Atlas, Schmatlas: A Superior Atlas of the World and Fun Fun Fun.
Review
One of Baseball Americas Best Baseball Books of 2011“Beautiful, number-crunched combination of statistical and graphic-design geekery”
—New York Times Magazine “The greatest baseball infographics ever.”
—Slate “Often wacky and always engaging”
—Sports Illustrated “Infographics much more stunning than those you'd find in USA Today”
—Deadspin "Contains a lifetime of baseball knowledge."
—Toronto Star"Irreverent and entertaining"
—Baseball America“The combination of [Robinsons] precisely created charts and the offbeat things they chart reflects a brain firmly, winningly divided between the games childlike, imaginative pull and the over-thought technocracy of its sabermetrics era.”
—The Second Pass “Casual fans will definitely appreciate the trivia and visual aesthetics of Robinson's infographics. It's also a book that packs a ton of information for real fans—I find myself looking at the graphics over and over because I know I will find more value each time I pick up the book up.”
—Kevin Lai, Hardball Times “Do yourself a favor and buy this book. It provides insight into the game of baseball you wont find anywhere else. Youll also have the coolest book on your coffee table for when you throw one of those dinner parties you keep having.”
—Mop Up Duty
Synopsis
How many miles does a baseball team travel in one season?
How tall would A-Rod's annual salary be in pennies?
What does Nolan Ryan have to do with the Supremes and Mariah Carey?
You might never have asked yourself any of these questions, but Craig Robinson's Flip Flop Fly Ball will make you glad to know the answers.
Baseball, almost from the first moment Robinson saw it, was more than a sport. It was history, a nearly infinite ocean of information that begged to be organized. He realized that understanding the game, which he fell in love with as an adult, would never be possible just through watching games and reading articles. He turned his obsession into a dizzyingly entertaining collection of graphics that turned into an Internet sensation.
Out of Robinson's Web site, www.flipflopflyball.com, grew this book, full of all-new, never-before-seen graphics. Flip Flop Fly Ball dives into the game's history, its rivalries and absurdities, its cities and ballparks, and brings them to life through 120 full-color graphics. Statistics-the sport's lingua franca-have never been more fun.
(By the way, the answers: about 26,000 miles, at least if the team in question is the 2008 Kansas City Royals; 3,178 miles; they were the artists atop the Billboard Hot 100 when Ryan first and last appeared in MLB games.)
Craig Robinson is, among other things, an Englishman and a New York Yankees fan with a soft spot for the Colorado Rockies and a man-crush on Ichiro. Last season he played outfield for the Prenzlauer Berg Piranhas in the Berlin Mixed Softball League (.452/.548/.575). His previous books include Atlas, Schmatlas: A Superior Atlas of the World and Fun Fun Fun.
Synopsis
How many miles does a baseball team travel in one season?
How tall would A-Rod's annual salary be in pennies?
What does Nolan Ryan have to do with the Supremes and Mariah Carey?
You might never have asked yourself any of these questions, but Craig Robinson's Flip Flop Fly Ball will make you glad to know the answers.
Baseball, almost from the first moment Robinson saw it, was more than a sport. It was history, a nearly infinite ocean of information that begged to be organized. He realized that understanding the game, which he fell in love with as an adult, would never be possible just through watching games and reading articles. He turned his obsession into a dizzyingly entertaining collection of graphics that turned into an Internet sensation.
Out of Robinson's Web site, www.flipflopflyball.com, grew this book, full of all-new, never-before-seen graphics. Flip Flop Fly Ball dives into the game's history, its rivalries and absurdities, its cities and ballparks, and brings them to life through 120 full-color graphics. Statistics-the sport's lingua franca-have never been more fun.
(By the way, the answers: about 26,000 miles, at least if the team in question is the 2008 Kansas City Royals; 3,178 miles; they were the artists atop the Billboard Hot 100 when Ryan first and last appeared in MLB games.)
Craig Robinson is, among other things, an Englishman and a New York Yankees fan with a soft spot for the Colorado Rockies and a man-crush on Ichiro. Last season he played outfield for the Prenzlauer Berg Piranhas in the Berlin Mixed Softball League (.452/.548/.575). His previous books include Atlas, Schmatlas: A Superior Atlas of the World and Fun Fun Fun.
About the Author
Craig Robinson is, among other things, an Englishman and a New York Yankees fan with a soft spot for the Colorado Rockies and a man-crush on Ichiro. Last season he played outfield for the Prenzlauer Berg Piranhas in the Berlin Mixed Softball League (AVG .452 SLG .548 OBP .575). His previous book, Atlas, Schmatlas: A Superior Atlas of the World, was deemed "highly inappropriate" by the director of the Forsyth County Public Library. His Web site is www.flipflopflyball.com.