{"product_id":"as-they-see-em-a-fans-travels-in-the-land-of-umpires-paperback","title":"As They See 'em: A Fan's Travels in the Land of Umpires - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eBruce Weber\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNamed One of the Best Baseball Books Ever Written by \u003ci\u003eEsquire\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn insider's look at the largely unknown world of professional umpires, the small group of men (and the very occasional woman) who make sure America's favorite pastime is conducted in a manner that is clean, crisp, and true.​\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMillions of American baseball fans know, with absolute certainty, that umpires are simply overpaid galoots who are doing an easy job badly. Millions of American baseball fans are wrong. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBruce Weber, a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ereporter, not only interviewed dozens of professional umpires but entered their world, trained to become an umpire, then spent a season working games from Little League to big league spring training. \u003ci\u003eAs They See 'Em \u003c\/i\u003eis Weber's entertaining account of this experience as well as a lively exploration of what amounts to an eccentric secret society, with its own customs, its own rituals, its own colorful vocabulary. Writing with deep knowledge of and affection for baseball, he delves into such questions as: Why isn't every strike created equal? Is the ump part of the game or outside of it? Why doesn't a tie go to the runner? And what do umps and managers say to each other during an argument, really? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Packed with fascinating reportage that reveals the game as never before and answers the kinds of questions that fans, exasperated by the clichés of conventional sports commentary, pose to themselves around the television set, Bruce Weber's \u003ci\u003eAs They See 'Em \u003c\/i\u003eis a towering grand slam.\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 368\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.89 x 8.42 x 5.6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 16, 2010\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51761466966304,"sku":"9780743294133","price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/c4b9d48de5866a291567baeb672440f3.webp?v=1780208290","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/as-they-see-em-a-fans-travels-in-the-land-of-umpires-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}