Babe Ruth

"Aron has found the Rosetta stone to all of baseball's enduring mysteries, and he skips it along the pond with utter disregard for the ducks. His fortunate readers will have so much fun they may not even notice that they are becoming, page by page, real experts. Here is surefire water-cooler ammo."
--JOHN THORN, editor of Total Baseball

"Paul Aron puts a distant replay on the most famous controversies in baseball history. This is more fun than if he'd been there with a camcorder."
--ALLEN BARRA, author of Clearing the Bases and Brushbacks and Knockdowns

"Paul Aron has hit a home run for baseball fans. He dissects the evidence on baseball's 28 most charming mysteries. The result is a well-written, enjoyable, enlightening tour of the last hundred years of baseball history."
--ANDREW ZIMBALIST, author of Baseball and Billions

"Paul Aron's book on elements of baseball is both wise and fun, illuminating and entertaining."
--ROBERT ADAIR, author of The Physics of Baseball

"The essential last word for every fan who loves to debate baseball fact and fiction."
--MICHAEL SHAPIRO, author of The Last Good Season

Advance Praise for Did Babe Ruth Call His Shot?

"Aron has found the Rosetta stone to all of baseball's enduring mysteries, and he skips it along the pond with utter disregard for the ducks. His fortunate readers will have so much fun they may not even notice that they are becoming, page by page, real experts. Here is surefire water-cooler ammo."
—JOHN THORN, editor of Total Baseball

"Paul Aron puts a distant replay on the most famous controversies in baseball history. This is more fun than if he'd been there with a camcorder."
—ALLEN BARRA, author of Clearing the Bases and Brushbacks and Knockdowns

"Paul Aron has hit a home run for baseball fans. He dissects the evidence on baseball's 28 most charming mysteries. The result is a well-written, enjoyable, enlightening tour of the last hundred years of baseball history."
—ANDREW ZIMBALIST, author of Baseball and Billions

"Paul Aron's book on elements of baseball is both wise and fun, illuminating and entertaining."
—ROBERT ADAIR, author of The Physics of Baseball

"The essential last word for every fan who loves to debate baseball fact and fiction."
—MICHAEL SHAPIRO, author of The Last Good Season

Publishers Weekly

While some of these two-dozen-plus questions aren't exactly mysteries, Aron, a reporter for the Virginia Gazette, still gives readers plenty to ponder. The queries are bound to capture the imagination of a broad range of baseball fans. Answers to inquiries such as why the Dodgers left Brooklyn for Los Angeles, or whether Moe Berg, a mediocre, Ivy League-educated player, was a spy, are pretty much closed cases and have been for years. But other questions-can small-market teams compete? Why can't the Cubs win? Were yesterday's players better? Do managers matter?-have no absolute answer and thus make for compelling reading. The questions generally fall into two categories: those with definitive, factual answers; and ones with open-ended, opinion-fueled responses. Aron, who has written two books on American history following this same format, draws on a variety of sources to answer his queries, although he leaves several questions open for debate. Each chapter ends with a brief bibliography, allowing those curious enough "to investigate further." Whether reporting the facts or arguing about the validity of his theories, Aron does a nice job of reminding readers that these ponderables are part of the enjoyment of following our national pastime. (Mar.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

PAUL ARON is the author of Unsolved Mysteries of American History, Unsolved Mysteries of History, and More Unsolved Mysteries of American History, all from Wiley. He is also an award-winning reporter for the Virginia Gazette.