The most elaborate baseball program of special instruction and physical conditioning takes place every spring in Dodgertown, U.S.A. A month's concentrated training in Dodgertown may be equal to a year's experience in minor league competition. At the camp the Class-D rookie can enjoy the same facilities and instruction as the Dodgers.The Sporting News once commented, "For all its numbers the camp is not an impersonal assembly line. All clubs have managers who quickly get to know their players. Two or three scouts check every workout and every camp. It is here that the fine combing of players is a visual reality, and under conditions which may well be a pattern for most major league organizations in the future." Buck Lai, scout and instructor for the Dodgers and Athletic Director at Long Island University, has incorporated in this book the techniques of teaching baseball skills developed at the Dodgers' "College of Baseball." The book is doubly successful: it contains the skills and instructions acquired during Buck's more than 20 years in baseball, and at the same time it is written for the average sandlot player in a language he will understand and illustrated in such a way that will sppeal to younger players as well as instruct them. Buck has avoided the conventional, dry, technical style usually found in instructional books. With imagination and an insight into the problems of the average player, he has come up with a book that will enable youngsters to understand actual major league instruction. Buck has taken a logical, positive approach to baseball that will help the coach convey his ideas to his players, and that will make interesting and informative reading for anyone who enjoys the sport. Novel in its approach, Buck Lai's extremely readable book is indeed a worthwhile addition to anyone's baseball library.
