Bullpen Diaries

April 4, 2011
In his newest book, Rosen (More than a Game) follows the ups and down of the New York Yankees bullpen over the course of the 2010 season, focusing on game recaps in which he evaluates how each reliever performed. He gives a solid overview of the scouting system used by Major League teams to rate and scout pitchers, and interviews players and coach. Rosen's affection for the sport is infections, though by focusing specifically on what happened when the relievers were pitching makes his narrative feel incomplete. Also many of the conversations with or about the players revolve around stock answers about the pitching mechanics of arm action and foot placement so that readers get little insight into each pitcher, except for minor leaguer Jason Hirsh. His narrative is highlighted by charming personal pieces titled "Memory Lane," in which he recounts his life growing up a Yankee fan, as well as offering fun, historical facts that bring the game to life. Photos.

April 1, 2011

A look at the performance of the New York Yankees' relief pitchers during the 2010 season, featuring interviews, game recaps and anecdotes.

Sportswriter and longtime Yankees fan Rosen (The First Tip-Off: The Incredible Story of the Birth of the NBA, 2008, etc.) argues that "no team player in all of sports is more on the spot than a relief pitcher." With this informal diary of the Yankees' 2010 bullpen, he attempts to give these athletes more of the spotlight. The bulk of the narrative consists of game-by-game recaps of the Yanks' season, with Rosen assigning an A-F letter grade to each relief pitcher's outing. Interspersed with these are statistics and historical factoids about the position and interviews with players, coaches and scouts. The latter elements are the highlights of the book, in particular the profiles of the team's pitching coaches, who offer a little-seen perspective and grant real insight into the peculiar life of the bullpen inhabitant. Coverage of training camp and a visit to the Yanks' Triple-A club in Scranton for a game against the Pawtucket Red Sox provide additional color. Rosen also includes some personal reminiscences from a lifetime of following the team, from saving his pennies to go to games as a child, to his humiliating tryout to be a Yankee pitcher himself. His love for the game, and the team, is clear, and this spares the book from being just a dull compendium of statistics and game summaries. Rosen provides final grades for each of the relief pitchers used by the team during the regular season, (the bullpen as a whole rates a C+), along with analysis of the Yankees' 2010 playoff failure and predictions for the upcoming season and beyond.

Contains elements of interest to the serious baseball fan, but this one is for Yankees die-hards only.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

February 1, 2011

Rosen (NBA analyst, FOXSports.com; The First Tip-Off) sought to craft a detailed game-by-game look at how the Yankees bullpen fared during the 2010 season, including analysis by different MLB scouts on the relievers' stuff. Rosen's occasional personal stories about the Yankees and growing up in New York are as effective as they can be in breaking up a narrative that, while often dramatic in describing close game situations, can also drag because the game and relief stories start to sound repetitive. While this book will strongly appeal to Yankee fans, there are times when general baseball fans may yawn.--R.L.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2011
Veteran sportswriter Rosen, a Bronx native and former athlete, offers a rather elegant analysis of the science and art of pitching, especially relief pitching, in this commentary on the bullpen in general and the Yankees 2010 bullpen in particular. He recounts, with his own grading system (different from the one in use in the majors), the work of each Yankee reliever over the course of the season; and for those of us who obsessively watch every game, it makes a nice aide-m'moire. For those who dont, Rosens study of pitching is clear and detailed: he elucidates the why of A. J. Burnetts meltdown; Joba Chamberlains up and down; Mariano Riveras beauteous professionalism (and its flaws) in game-by-game examination. He changes the pace by inserting a few stories: his own play as a kid when he lived near the stadium; a groupies close encounter with an unnamed player in the distant past (and this is here why?); Lady Gagas unexpected 2010 dugout visit. Cranky reviewers might wish he would use hopefully correctly, but his style is actually smooth and easy, despite the number crunching.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)