Sluggers deposit Ballantine Blasts in the nosebleeds. The top of the lineup sets the table for the heart of the order. The infield pinches in at the corners. A lumberjack sits dead red, hoping for number one in his wheelhouse, only to be crossed up by an Uncle Charlie.
Baseball is a sport with its own lingo and jargon, a colorful patois that developed over decades and millions of games. In the second edition of The Baseball Thesaurus, enhanced with even more rare photos and little-known anecdotes, Jesse Goldberg-Strassler storyteller, commentator, voice delves into the language of the national pastime: from Vin Scully s philosophy on no-hitters to Red Barber s classic turns of phrase to a definitive listing of broadcasters trademark home run calls.
Who should read The Baseball Thesaurus? It s for the beat writer, the radio listener, the blog reader, the talk-show caller, the minor-league diehard, the Strat-O-Matic devotee, the seventh-inning stretcher, the crank, the t-ball coach, the baseball Annie, the purist, the casual rooter who has no need to attend both games of a doubleheader, and the fan who takes pride in scoring the game and teaching the tradition to others.
A home run is never just a home run, says Goldberg-Strassler. It s a roundtripper, a four-bagger, a dinger, a tater, or a jack. Baseball s language is unmatched in both its color and its poetry.
