Customer Rating: 
Summary: Inside the National Pastime
Comment: As those who read him know, George Will is a huge baseball fan in addition to being one of the country's preeminent political and social commentators.
In "Men at Work", four men who were marquee figures in major league baseball at the turn of the 1990s gave Will interviews that shed light on the intricacies of the game: a manager (Tony LaRussa), a pitcher (Orel Hershiser), a hitter (Tony Gwynn), and a fielder (Cal Ripken). Will also interviewed numerous others in this book that will teach even seasoned fans much about the national pastime.
In the book, Will takes on controversies such as the designated hitter and aluminum bats. One of the issues much talked about nearly twenty years ago and taken up in the book, artificial turf, has waned since then, as most franchises have since built new stadiums that have grass playing surfaces.
As in his political columns, Will brings forth a seemingly innumerable number of interesting statistics and little-known facts. George Will is also simply fun to read; he has a masterly command of the English language and has one of the best writing styles you will ever encounter. Even if you are only somewhat interested in baseball, you will enjoy "Men at Work".
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Information
Comment: George Will did a great job in provideing insight into the minds of baseball greats Tony Gwinn, Tony LaRussa, Cal Ripken & Orel Hershiser.
There is a great deal of information provided about the preperation and thinking that the subjects put into their profession. I really enjoyed the details that were provided in the section about Orel Hershiser and his attention to detail.
I would reccomend this book for a baseball fan that enjoys more than just clubhouse stories & statistics.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Educational but Stiff
Comment: George Will turns his focus to baseball's technicalities through the eyes of pros like Tony Gwynn, Cal Ripken, Tony LaRussa, etc. The result is an educational look at pitching, catching, managing, defense, and other facets of the national pastime circa 1990. These pages provide valuable insight seldom covered by the oft-trivial sportswriting that rarely examines strategy. These pages provide insight for hardcore fans, students of the game, coaches, players, etc. Unfortunately, Will's thick prose makes for rather stiff reading - perhaps he should stick to political columns, where his prose at least, is much better. Hardcore fans might enjoy this book, but could be better directed towards BASEBALL FOR BRAIN SURGEONS by Tim McCarver, and Roger Kahn's HEAD GAME (about pitching).
Customer Rating:
Summary: Intro to Baseball- Required Reading List
Comment: What would it be like to go to work every day and play baseball? What if baseball were your job? How is working baseball different than playing baseball?
There is the premise of Men at Work. Baseball is a job. Those who do well at the job, do thing similar to anyone who is successful in any job.
George Will had the foresight of including two first ballot Hall of Famers in his study of 4 baseball workers. Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn. The other two workers, Tony LaRussa and Orel Hershiser, are no slouches.
The text is somewhat dated. It does not consider the steroid era or the parallel home run record orgy. No labor dispute unpleasantness of the nineties.
The idea that Major League Baseball is a job, an employment, a vocation, a craft is important for anyone serious about the study of modern baseball.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Basic enough, even for me.
Comment: As a person who likes baseball but is nothing more than an avid fan I found this book great. I like the game but just don't know much about it. This book was basic enough for me to get and (more importantly) stay in. I have come across books that get so loaded down with data that I couldn't get through them. Will's book DOES give plenty of hard data but it was still able to keep my enjoyment level up. If you want to learn more about the ins and outs of baseball, this is a great book to start with because it also gives a number of different perspectives from a number of key positions in the game.
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