That's me on the left. My co-author Jackie, on the right.

So, this book is titled "It Takes More Than Balls: A Savvy Girls Guide to Understanding and Enjoying Baseball." It hit the shelves in April 2008. No, we didn't pick the title. If you look through the book, there are several provocative, if you may, chapter titles. "It Takes More Than Balls" was one of them and the publisher decided that it'd make a good main title. We're not too bothered by it but we hear a lot of comments -- many love the title and many just groan and roll their eyes. We have no choice but to try to rock it as much as we can. It's not like we don't have a sense of humor... but a title like that has seemed to have labled us a couple of harlots to some reviewers. We've been called the writeres of the book with the "unfortunate title." (I wonder how he would have liked the other proposed title, poached from our pitching chapter:" Is That a Can of Pine Tar in Your Pocket or are You Happy to See Me?")

Seven words for you, reviewer-man: Chill out and review the book, dude.

That said, perhaps the title does belie the seriousnes of the book. And I guess we just have to deal with that one comment at a time. My co-author, Jackie Koney, is a SABR member and, with the help of a fleet of SABRized fact-checkers and helpers, the book is as thoroughly researched as any baseball book out there. We thank people for their input because this isn't a competition, we really tried to write a good book, with a sense of humor, and we need to know if we missed something. If you find something, please write. (deidre@TheSavvyGirls.com)

So, it's pretty in-depth. The point of this book is to bring women up to speed with the game. Often they come to the game later in life than do men. Most have missed out on the institutional knowledge gained from years of trading baseball cards or even playing the game. I still sit next to my husband and may groan when a shortstop misplays a ball, while he just tells me it was a tough play to make. How would I know? Well, I do now. My years of research and watching and, yes, having a few grounders hit to me, have helped. But the stat knowledge can't be addressed by playing the game. That comes from years of attention to the game. Most girls weren't paying that close attention. Many discover through being little league moms. Maybe they were trying to impress a new boyfriend. Or an old husband.

Our book doesn't mean to take the place of those years of knowledge. But it's a good shot.

Here's a sample paragraph, intended to show how tricky it can be comparing pitchers from different eras... something that someone relatively "new" to the game might not have an inkling of:

"... In 1962, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Don Drysdale won the Cy Young Award, pitching’s highest honor. Drysdale pitched before relievers became common in the league and completed nineteen of the forty-one games he started that year. This means he pitched from start to finish, no matter how many innings were needed to complete the game. Th e twenty-five year-old starter also faced an exhausting 1,289 batters during 314 innings, both workhorse league records that year. Just to show how things changed, more than three decades later, Atlanta’s John Smoltz scored his own Cy Young Award. He completed six of his thirty fi ve starts in 1996, facing 995 batters in 254 innings. Drysdale looks like an Iron Man by comparison. That is, until you look further back. In 1904, the then-thirty-seven year-old Cy Young started forty one games, just like Drysdale did in ’62. However, Young finished all but one of his starts and faced 1,475 batters in 380 innings. Who’s a tough guy, now?..."

And there's plenty more where that came from. About 252 pages, in fact. It is a thoroughly comprehensive baseball book that is light-hearted and engaging. It covers everything from baseball's colorful history to why today's baseball salaries are so outrageous (including a history of the reserve clause and Curt Flood). Those who have never played baseball will find out what specific talents make a player a second basemen instead of a catcher; or a leadoff hitter instead of the fourth in the lineup; a starting pitcher instead of a "closer." What roles do managers fill?

This book is intended to entertain baseball enthusiasts and educate (and entertain)the "baseball curious." Even most of the biggest baseball fans we know -- yes, guys -- have come away with a new tidbit.

Jackie and I decided to write this book because we were approaching 40 and wanted to do something really fun and were at a position where we could give it a go. We also wrote it because we have read dozens of baseball books and found most of them dry and heavy. Many seemed to miss out on the fun and entertainment that is a big part of being a baseball fan. This book offers insight into the often controversial history of baseball as well as the contemporary issues that plague the game. It's all done with an irreverent touch that still remains reverent to the game.

And that was the goal. Why offer women (or men) a book that doesn't work?

You still reading? Wow. Thanks.

d.

Classical and Jazz piano (still take lessons), spending time with my two kids (Tony, 6, and Amelia, 7) as well as my husband (Michael, age is his business). We met three weeks into our freshman year of college (University of Maryland - Go Terps! FEAR THE TURTLE). I coach my kid's two soccer teams in the fall, ski in the winter and watch baseball (including logging hours as a little league mom) in the spring and summer. The rest of the time I spend writing and playing with my pals, including, of course Jackie and her husband.