* Media guide review: Los Angeles Dodgers

One of the things I liked most about working for STATS Inc.  was going to the ballpark, having a seat waiting for me in the press box, and being treated (almost) like any veteran member of the media.

That included perks such as all matter of printed material, including media guides.

For those who may not know, these are the thick volumes published by each team, sort of a yearbook on steroids (you should pardon the expression). Some are made available to the public, while others are not. These are the broadcasters’ bibles; they pore over them for factoids to fill the time between pitching changes or in blow-out games (Jackson is batting .264 with runners on first and third in days ending in an odd number in months ending in “R.”)

The amount of detail that goes into these books are very impressive. They all pretty much follow the same format: There are sections devoted to distinct categories such as

• Front office personnel, including bios and CVs on the owners and other members of the team administration, from the president down to the clubhouse manager and secretaries.
• Manager and coaching staff, complete with playing and managing records
• Major League/40-man roster. It’s fascinating to look at veteran players. They often merit a bunch of players since the information on them often includes year-by-year highlights, standard statistical layouts, and breakdowns (against opponents, day/night, months, etc.). Of particular interest are those bits of personal data, such as hobbies, family, and, especially lately, community and charitable work. The teams want the media to know that these are good guys, still worthy of admiration.
• The minor league affiliates: information on the teams in the system and the players therein.
• Opponents: Here you’ll find brief looks (usually no more than a page) at the other teams in the league. This could include top administration personnel, and perhaps how the home club has fared against the team. Since the advent of interleague play, there might be some more data on the opposing league’s teams.
• Filler: Those tiny bits of data that fill out the short pages. Often a broadcaster’s best friend.

After that, it’s a matter of how expansive the team wants to get.

So bearing that in mind, let’s take a look at the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Title: The World of Dodgertown: All Are Welcome (512 pages)

Cover: Manny Ramirez (most prominent); others pics depict the divisional title. B

The administrative section is quite expansive, giving props to the staff, so let’s give that an A.

That’s followed by a “Community” section, in which the team crows about all the good works it does. To be fair, that’s rather extensive too and the Dodgers have always had a special place in the hearts not only of their own local fans, but the country as well (just look at any movie about WWII released during that era: there’s always a serviceman who wants to know how the Dodgers are doing). A

The coaching and players’ sections are all pretty standard: B-

Season in Review: 2008 stats and facts, the latter of which are the little gems that make these things worthwhile, since you can get the numbers pretty much everywhere. B

Opoonents: Includes 2008 results, year-by-year head-to-head records since 1958, and “series record by decade.” B

History and Records: standard career and single season stuff, again, avaiiable elsewhere. Includes such items as award winners and league leaders; a complete roster of Dodger players, managers, and coaches; players by uniform number as well as the history of the Dodger uniform; trades; “This date in Dodger history”; Dodger Hall of Famers; decade-by-decade chronology; “The last time it happened” (items like this are great for rain delays); spring training (“Dodgertown” was actually the name of the team’s Vero Beach, Fla. facility, which shut down last year). B

The Dodgers and Hollywood: How could they not crow about celebrity fans such as Snoop Dogg and Jackie Chan? C- (because I hate celebrity those celebrity fans who only want to be seen at such events and have no real interst in the game).

Player development: Meh. C.

Layout, design, and “intangibles”: Blue dominates, naturally. Liberal use of color, good paper stock; nice readable font, although a bit small — or is that just these old eyes? (A media guide is like a company report; the team always wants to put out a good face, even if it costs a bit). B

Overall Grade: B to B+

* Welcome to the club

I always enjoy finding pieces on baseball lit from unexpected sources. Here’s one more.

The question stemmed from a previous entry on the Alyssa Milano book.

* Review: As They See ‘Em

The Hardball Times published this one. As usual, the reviews that come out of HBT are literate, in-depth, and well-conceived.

* Feller still bringing the heat

The Canton (OH) Repository ran this piece on Bob Feller and his eponymous Bob Feller’s Little Blue Book of Baseball Wisdom (not to be confused with his Little Black Book of Baseball Wisdom; what’s the next color in the series? I say red because he frequently expresses anger over the current state of the game).

* Baseball exhibit at Newark Public Library

This piece on MyCentralJourney.com features an exhibit on baseball in the Garden State running through June 27.

The Revival of Professional Baseball in New Jersey, an exhibit in the second-floor gallery of the Main Library, 5 Washington Street, Newark, highlights the return of baseball as a community activity in New Jersey, and encompasses every one of New Jersey’s existing teams. It also showcases the history of baseball in New Jersey, from the first crack of the bat in Hoboken’s Elysian Fields in 1846 to the glory days of the premier Negro League.

* A matter of interpretation

This entry on Officiating.com refers George F. Will’s column on Bruce Weber’s new book, As They See ‘Em. Strictly speaking, it is not, as the title asserts, a paean for umpires, but rather dap for the book.

* Shh. Maybe they won’t notice.

It’s no secret that newspapers are in a bad way. That includes the sports department, and by extension, baseball writers. Some publications have cut staff, others cutting back by sending writers on fewer road trips, opting to take stories from other sources.

Techdirt ran this piece on the situation, referring to this article from The Wall Street Journal.

* Review: Yogi Berra, Eternal Yankee

By Jim Kaplan in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Upshot:

Finally, a biography that does justice to the intelligence and might of baseball’s greatest catcher.

* This week in Sports Illustrated

The cover story of the May 4 issue features Joe Posnanski’s profile of Royals’ ace Zack Greinke.

Other baseball items include a look at the Dodgers; high school  no-hitters and how they do (or don’t) predict pro success; a little girl who was perfect against the boys; and an essay wondering if baseball fans shouldn’t forgive those players who have made mistakes.

* Resource: Baseball America 2009 book list

BA also puts out an annual list of baseball titles.