The Head Game: Baseball Seen from the Pitcher's Mound

by Roger Kahn

Book Overview

Beyond the techniques and training, baseball begins with one player facing another and the psychological battle that they wage-the head game. In his critically acclaimed and bestselling new book, Roger Kahn presents the story of this supreme war of wits and the people who changed the course of baseball by playing, what he calls, chess at 90 miles an hour. In The Head Game, Kahn investigates not only grips, tactics, and physics, but also the intelligence,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0156013045
• ISBN13: 9780156013048
• Release Date: April 2001
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.3" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Roger Kahn is Always Worth Reading

I am a big fan of Roger Kahn so I knew I was in for a good read. Yes, the title may suggest the psychological warfare that exists between pitcher and batter, and some of that does exist in the book. I CAN understand why those who expected more of this in the book would be disappointed. I appreciated reading about players from the 19th century in addition to those who dominated during the 20th century. Kahn didn't disappoint me in what he had to say about the pitchers he discusses. It isn't a tired rehash of what other authors have to say. Roger has a way of expressing himself in ways that I appreciate and find interesting. In regard to the whippersnappers at ESPN who voted Michael Jordan as the greatest athlete in the 20th century, Roger asks you to consider the fact that can it be that "the greatest athlete of the century couldn't hit .250 in the minor leagues." Kahn would pick either Jackie Robinson "because no one was as good as Robinson in as many sports" or Babe Ruth because "Ruth might have become baseball's greatest pitcher if he had not changed course and become baseball's greatest slugger." If you are looking for a technical book about baseball try "Tim McCarver's Baseball for Brain Surgeons and Other Fans." If you want a great read about some of baseball's best pitchers you can't go wrong with The Head Game by Roger Kahn. Trust me on this one.

A great book, a must read!

Roger Kahn has, AGAIN, written a superb book about the game of baseball! This time turning his keen eye on pitching and pitchers, Kahn brings into sharp focus the art of pitching. So much more than just throwing a ball with amazing speed and pinpoint accuracy, Kahn's analogy of being on the mound and being in a chess game is an apt one. Taking respectful exception to the other lay reviewer, I thought it was marvelous that Kahn found John Tunis and actually interviewed him about his recollections of being at the last game of the first world series, after buying his ticket from Cy Young! Tunis did make a slight mistake in his "The American Way in Sport;" the recounted single to left was actually a single to right . . . forgivable lapse in memory. Other books have been written about pitching, but none as successful, or engaging as Kahn's "The Head Game."

just what i wanted

if what you like is baseball people swapping stories and ideas, then THIS IS FOR YOU. Mr. Kahn recounts conversations and occurances from his vast baseball experience as well as some physics. i now have a much better appreciation for what takes place on the mound. as for accuracy.......accuracy is in the eye of the beholder and history is written by the victors.

A Must For Real Baseball Fans

Do you think you know baseball? Well, read Kahn's latest gem to really learn the game. Why are baseball's greatest pitchers so effective? They've learned the "head game" and use it to perfection. Kahn uses his great writing ability to pen the greatest book ever written about the most important part of baseball -- the battle between pitcher and catcher. As Kahn so well relates through his profiles of some of baseball's great hurlers, the battle transends the physical and is just as much a mental challenge. If you love baseball and think you really understand the game, then you MUST read this book by one of America's premier writers.

The Head Game works

As a pitcher through my college years I read this book with great interest. I am not a baseball historian so the look back at the early pitchers in the game of baseball was very interesting. As a pitcher with an average fastball, I had to rely on "The Head Game" to survive. This ia a must read for fans of the great game of baseball. I have a daughter who plays tennis and I am thinking of having her read this book. The head game played from the pitchers mound is no different than the head game played by the server in a tennis match. enjoy.