Who was better, Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays? At their peak, who was more valuable, Joe DiMaggio or Ted Williams? If Lefty Grove, Sandy Koufax, and Roger Clemens had pitched at the same time against the same hitters, who would have won the most games? If Jackie Robinson had been white, would he be deserving of the Hall of Fame? Who was the greatest all-around player of the last century?

 

Clearing the Bases is the first book to tackle these and many other of baseball’s most intriguing questions and offer hard, sensible answers—answers based on exhaustive research and analysis. Sports journalist Allen Barra, whose weekly sports column “By the Numbers” attracted millions of fans and whose outspoken opinions are discussed regularly on National Public Radio, takes on baseball’s toughest arguments. Using stats and methods he himself has developed, Barra takes you to the heart of baseball's ultimate question—“Who's the best?”—in this, the ultimate baseball debate book, one guaranteed to spark thousands of heated discussions and to supply the fuel for thousands more.

Allen Barra is a sports columnist for the Wall Street Journal, the Village Voice, and the New York Sun and is the author of several books, including The Last Coach: A Life of Paul “Bear” Bryant and Big Play: Barra on Football.

 

Bob Costas is a sportscaster for the NBC network.

“If you love the game for what it is . . . step up and dig in.”—New York Times

“A knowledgeable sportswriter and radio personality who strives to bring fresh perspectives to his criticism, Barra is in top form here, and his obvious passion for his material makes him unfailingly fun to read.”—Kirkus

“For all sports collections.”—Library Journal

“[Barra] goes about the job with meticulous care, with energy and delight. Every conclusion is supported by a wealth of data, well-balanced. Great book for the armchair athlete.”—Houston Chronicle

“Barra constantly challenges his readers to think outside the bounds of conventional sports analysis, using a seemingly innocuous but ultimately deadly combination of statistics (“the life blood of the sport”) and common sense. Barra writes for thinking people, not simply by slaughtering baseball’s sacred cows, but by demonstrating to the reader that anything less would be dishonest.”—Publishers Weekly

“A real hackle raiser, but utterly fascinating.”—Boston Globe