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Product Description
Review
Original...engrossing...lucid and informative (Christopher Martin-Jenkins, THE TIMES )
Quite simply it is brilliant (THE CRICKETER )
Ed Smith is superb on analysing the different techniques involved in the two activities. He also writes with great insight... excellent on the social and historical contexts of both baseball and cricket. (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH )
An instructive and entertaining book, full of insights. (DAILY TELEGRAPH )
Quite simply it is brilliant (THE CRICKETER )
Ed Smith is superb on analysing the different techniques involved in the two activities. He also writes with great insight... excellent on the social and historical contexts of both baseball and cricket. (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH )
An instructive and entertaining book, full of insights. (DAILY TELEGRAPH )
Book Description
* Uniquely informed insider's account of the cultural comparisons between cricket and baseball by a writer who has played at the highest level.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Cricket and baseball are like parents and their teenage children: they have so much in common and yet remain a total mystery to each other. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Cricket and baseball are like parents and their teenage children: they have so much in common and yet remain a total mystery to each other. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Firstly, I am a big fan of cricket, I have a great passion for the game. Last year I visited Canada, where I saw a bit of baseball and I found the sport entertaining. I am even staying up til the early hours in the morning to watch it now! To find both of these similar sports in one book is as good as it sounds.
Ed Smith writes the baseball side of things like he has played the game himself. It is great to see how many similarities both games have. This book has a great balance of both sports and is well written. However, an interest in both sports is probably needed to fully enjoy this book.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If Ed Smith writes a book about the County Cricket circuit, it could well be very good. Where he inhabits home territory in "Playing Hard Ball", the writing is compelling and natural. When he writes of Baseball, (which comprises the majority of the book) his efforts often begin to grind to the uninitiated reader. In seeking to compare and contrast the two games, Smith often tries too hard to find parallels and strains to keep the narrative flowing freely.
There are many deft touches and the scope of his own reading is impressive in a 25 year old pro sportsman. However, there are times when he seems out of his depth, particularly when dealing with Anglo-American feeling post September 11th.
With Simon Hughes now retired to the Analyst's couch, there is definitely a place for a contemporary cricketer to chronicle the domestic game and Ed Smith shows here that he has the skills required.
There are many deft touches and the scope of his own reading is impressive in a 25 year old pro sportsman. However, there are times when he seems out of his depth, particularly when dealing with Anglo-American feeling post September 11th.
With Simon Hughes now retired to the Analyst's couch, there is definitely a place for a contemporary cricketer to chronicle the domestic game and Ed Smith shows here that he has the skills required.
Format:Paperback
A readable account of the differences between cricket and baseball. There is the inevitable discussion of the technical aspects of each game, but this book is at its best where Smith is exploring the cultural and social sides of the two sports. Smith is well-qualified to compare the two - a successful professional cricketer, Smith also spent some time in baseball spring training after becoming an avid New York Mets fan. His description of the hype and scrutiny faced by baseball players is one which most county crickets can only ever imagine, and I suspect that they would prefer the English game - although with the American salaries, no doubt.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Ed Smith's Hard Ball review
A good read and a very interesting tale about a professional cricketer's foray into professional baseball. Read more
Published on 27 May 2009 by M. Wood
An interesting account of the author's experiences...
...but that is all it is.
I enjoyed this book but it was not the book I was expecting or hoping for. Read more
I enjoyed this book but it was not the book I was expecting or hoping for. Read more
Published on 31 Jan 2005 by John E. Davidson
Ed Smith gets it right
Ed Smith's very enjoyable book does a service to both sports - cricket and baseball. As I am a transplanted Yank in England, it helped me understand some of the tactical nuances... Read more
Published on 20 Aug 2003 by R. Brotzman
A good intro to the rival for cricket/baseball fans
Cricket enthusiasts who have watched any baseball will already know that the two sports share a lot more characteristics that simply hitting a ball with a stick. Read more
Published on 11 July 2003
Best introduction to baseball for an Englishman
First off I must declare a personal interest in this book. Ed Smith's father taught me English at A-level (a B grade, but I don't hold it against him) and Ed himself was a couple... Read more
Published on 7 Nov 2002 by Headhunter
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