Dollar Sign on the Muscle: The World of Baseball Scouting - Softcover

Kerrane, Kevin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1492765074 ISBN 13: 9781492765073

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013

Synopsis

MEET THE MEN WHO SHAPE THE GAME OF BASEBALL

the men who can make--or break--careers, the men who, more than any others, were responsible for getting Mike Schmidt, Al Kaline, Darryl Strawberry, Mickey Mantle, Roberto Clemente, Sandy Koufax, and Brooks Robinson--to name just a few--into their major league positions.

Here is all the inside information--trade secrets, player development, original scouting reports; the history and economics of this pivotal side of baseball, and how the scouting system is changing--from the baseball scouts themselves. This edition includes an all-new chapter updating the original with thoughts on the state of scouting in 2013.

DAVID SIMON ON DOLLAR SIGN ON THE MUSCLE

"The story of a quest is one of the most basic and essential narratives in human existence. Kevin Kerrane strains the Homeric through the voices of American baseball scouts, those journeymen who search the sandlots for raw athletic potential. Dollar Sign on The Muscle was essential reading when it first arrived nearly three decades ago. And now, as big money has arrived to magnify the entire dynamic, Kerrane has returned to update his classic.

"They use 'inside baseball' as a term to suggest esoteric knowledge. That's ridiculous. The inside is where anything worth knowing actually begins to matter." -- David Simon, creator, The Wire and Treme

THE CRITICS AGREE, INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE GAME

"An entertaining, in-depth look at a fascinating part of baseball invisible to most. I loved this book." -- Tim Kurkjian, ESPN

"Dollar Sign on the Muscle is the scouting bible for the baseball executive as well as the baseball enthusiast." -- Kevin Towers, General Manager, Arizona Diamondbacks

"Updating a classic is always risky, but given the dramatic changes in baseball since Dollar Sign's original publication, the time had certainly come for a modernized examination of the game... and who better to give it to us than Kevin Kerrane and Baseball Prospectus." -- Dan O'Dowd, General Manager, Colorado Rockies

"The last word on a profession even baseball fans may find they knew little about." -- Sports Illustrated

"One of baseball literature's most noble and enjoyable works." -- Diamond Classics

"A must read for anyone who wants the inside stories on baseball scouts and the happenings on their daily quest for the next MLB all-star." -- Don Welke, Senior Special Assistant to the GM & Scouting, Texas Rangers

About this title

About the Author:

In a new epilogue Kevin Kerrane explores the world of baseball scouting in the late 1990s. Kerrane is a professor of English at the University of Delaware.

Review:

"The author spent a year with the Phillies' scouts when they were arguably the best judges of raw talent in the major leagues. The often hard lives of baseball's underpaid hunter-gatherers are rendered in lively detail."—Sports Illustrated (Sports Illustrated )

"A fascinating look at the world of the baseball scout . . . some of the best baseball tall tales you’ll ever read."—Wall Street Journal (Wall Street Journal )

"The scouts who seek out major league prospects are like explorers, wandering the country’s amateur diamonds in the hope of finding a treasure—or a raw talent that can be turned into a treasure. A lot of what romance remains in baseball centers on this perennial quest, and Kerrane . . . captures it in this wonderfully affectionate book."—People (People )

"This study [is] mesmerizing, for it deals with getting the most, pound-per-dollar, for the goods: young baseball flesh. . . . That baseball is a business has never been made so clear. Both narrative and characters are engaging, and Kerrane . . . writes with passionate clarity."—Library Journal (Library Journal )

"One of the best baseball books to hit the shelves in recent memory . . . the story of the men behind the muscle mart . . . Kerrane scrutinizes this sometimes frantic, sometimes nostalgic, sometimes inspiring world. . . . For those in the stands, Dollar Sign offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at America’s national pastime."—Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Inquirer )

"One of baseball literature’s most noble and enjoyable works."—Diamond Classics (Diamond Classics )

About this edition

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1492765074
• ISBN 13: 9781492765073
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 372
• Editor: Pease Dave