State of Play: The Old School Guide to New School Baseball

Advanced statistics and new terminology have taken hold of baseball today, but do they accurately reflect the reality of the game? A baseball lifer states his case. America's favorite pastime is enduring an assault of new thoughts and ideas. In recent years, the sabermetrics and analytics craze has infiltrated Major League Baseball--from its front offices to dugouts to clubhouses to media covering both, inciting a baseball culture war. New phrases like "launch angle," "spin rate," and "pitch framing" have entered the vocabulary, often with little real meaning when it comes to how the game is actually played on the field. No more. In State of Play, twelve-year Major League veteran, Emmy Award-winning MLB Network analyst, and bestselling author Bill Ripken breaks down these modern statistical methods to explain which ones make sense in the game's historical context, bringing them together with proven old-school strategies. He simplifies those sabermetric terms hastily added to the baseball lexicon without being fully realized, taking new-school confusion out of old-school baseball's tried-and-true common sense. In the end, he unites the teachings of each school to show fans of both how to listen to and understand the game as it's played today and how it should be played moving forward. From a true baseball lifer and member of baseball's first family, State of Play offers a fascinating insider's look at how to reconcile years of historical tradition with the rules and trends of the new millennium. As Ripken sees it: the game inside the game cannot be measured by a spreadsheet--but it can be measured by a qualified, crusty baseball man. Play ball.

Review :
"For twelve major league seasons Bill Ripken was a very good baseball player. Since then he has been a brilliant teacher of the game's nuances. With this book, readers who have not yet seen him, and especially his 'Bill's Blackboard' segments on the MLB Network, can share the fun that the rest of us have been having thanks to him." --George F. Will "I have known Bill Ripken for 25 years, dating back to when we were briefly teammates in Cleveland. And in those 25 years I have seen Bill prove, time after time, why he is thought to possess one of the best minds in baseball. State of Play continues that trend. It's the literary equivalent of a three-run homer." --Jim Thome, 2018 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee "I encountered very few people over the thirty-plus years I spent working in professional baseball who possessed the fundamental knowledge of the game that Bill Ripken communicates so effortlessly on MLB Network broadcasts. A true baseball lifer, Ripken knows that there are aspects of the game that simply can't be explained through statistics or fancy buzzwords. And in this fascinating book, he makes a great case for a return to fundamentals in a way that everyone can understand. This is a book everyone should read if they truly want to understand the game from the inside out." --Dan O'Dowd, former General Manager, Colorado Rockies "Bill Ripken is not only one of the greatest teachers the game has ever seen but also one of the most intelligent baseball people I've ever been around. He has a unique ability to see the game at full speed, slow it down, dissect it, and then spit it out in simple terms that a ten-year-old or a ten-year major league veteran can grasp. State of Play is a perfect reflection of his unique talents and a heck of a fun read." --Harold Reynolds, 2-Time American League All-Star & MLB Network analyst "The knowledge and insight gained in a lifetime in and around baseball jumps off every page of State of Play, as does the author's passion for the game he knows so well. Baseball's New Age analytics are important and in many cases indispensable, but Bill Ripken makes the case that a blend of old and new school perspectives is the way to go." --Bob Costas "The highest compliment I can pay Bill Ripken is that he's a guy I would have loved to have played with. His knowledge and understanding of the game of baseball is unsurpassed. State of Play is a natural extension of the outstanding work he does for MLB Network and an essential read for anyone who cares about baseball. I recommend it without qualification."--Sean Casey, Three-time National League All-Star "From a true baseball lifer and member of baseball's first family, State of Play offers a fascinating insider's look at how to reconcile years of historical tradition with the rules and trends of the new millennium. As Ripken sees it: the game inside the game cannot be measured by a spreadsheet--but it can be measured by a qualified, crusty baseball man. Play ball." --Business Insider "State of Play can spark a lot of fun arguments among baseball fans and should definitely be given a read." --Patricia Beninato, Bucs Dugout Review