Stan Fischler's Amazing Trivia from the World of Baseball

Hans B. Neumann is a history lecturer at Scarborough College, University
of Toronto.

“Amazing” indeed! Stan Fischler, a prolific sports journalist who has become one of baseball’s most renowned trivia experts, has compiled another book testing the information store of the most knowledgeable baseball fan, and the patience of most other readers.

He asks and answers a host of questions pertaining mainly to the history of the sport and its beloved statistics, including a generous share of “Canadian content.” Questions range from the fairly obvious (how did the Blue Jays get their name?, p.87) to those exploring the most obscure corners of baseball’s past (how did a skunk help win a game?, p.153).

Irritating is the absence of any source materials cited for the answers. Surely some of the long-winded answers could invite dispute. Hence references to sources would have been helpful even though Fischler’s (and his researchers’) command of their information is acknowledged by most of the profession and baseball fans.