Editorial Review

Isbn: 0873514750
Sales Rank: 728079
Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. Minnesota    4. Sports    5. Sports & Recreation    6. Techniques - Black & White    7. United States - State & Local - General    8. United States - State & Local - Midwest   

Isbn: 0877474052
Sales Rank: 1291165
Subjects:  1. Killebrew, Harmon Clayton   

Editorial Review

Reviews (20)

NOT what I expected
I am one of the few Barry Bonds fans around, so when I decided to find a book on him, I was disappointed to find that there were surprisingly few.Noticing that "Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman" was purported to be in-depth, not just another glossy biography and had good reviews on Amazon.com, I decided to make the purchase.Now, after reading it and piecing a few things together, I must say that I am thoroughly let-down.A few observations:

1) The cover and title are cheesy.I know that the book's author may not have had any say in this, but using "Baseball's Superman" as a title makes it sound like a cover story for Sports Illustrated for Kids.

2) The book is not written well.It is very choppy and author Steven Travers has a tendency to ramble off-topic for pages on end.

3) Not that I'm some avatar of morality, but what's the deal with all the sexual references?There is a ridiculous amount of sometimes-graphic "story-telling" that has no place in the book and serves no purpose but to make Travers look like some sort of pervert.

4) There are contradictions sprinkled throughout the book.For instance, on page 36, Travers quotes Bonds as saying: "My father and I were never really close when I was growing up."Then, just five pages later, he quotes Bonds as saying: "My father and I have always been very close."Sure, Bonds is the one contradicting himself, but Travers never points this out, just one example of the multiple occasions where I almost laughed out loud at the book's inconsistencies.

5) How many times are we to hear that Travers played pro ball?Big deal, you struck out 15 guys in a minor league game. There are minor-leaguers who have hit 60 homers, thrown perfect games, etc. and they are nobodies.I do not mean this as a slight, just a point that we do not need to hear incessantly about things such as "Stan Javier played with me" or how you sat in Randy Johnson's recliner, or how an interview subject calls you "Trav."The book is about Barry Bonds, not Steven Travers.

6)I found it interesting after the fact that two reviews are written by a person who is included in the book's dedication, and yet another bears the same last name.Even more curious, the bulk of these reviews are written by people peppered throughout California, particularly in the north where Travers grew up, and have a "prepackaged" feel to them.Perhaps Mr. Travers had a group of friends write reviews so his book would sell?

The bottom line is that Travers squandered a golden opportunity.Rolling the dice early in 2001 that Bonds would break the home run record, getting permission to do a book, and then seeing him acutally do it is akin to hitting the lottery for a sports journalist.Unfortunately, the finished product seems hastily thrown together, poorly edited, and foolishly out-of-bounds in many areas.Too often we hear about sexual hijinks that have nothing to do with Bonds, and we also get Travers's opinions on a multitude of subjects that I don't care to know his thoughts on.The fact that I'd never even heard of this book should have been enough of a red flag, but it wasn't, and therefore I got what I deserved.This book isn't terrible, but it also is not good, and therefore I would not recommend it.Fans of Barry Bonds should just wait until a comprehensive biography comes out on him when his playing days are over.

Kryptonite on the Playing Field
I didn't realize Superman took steroids. Does Lois Lane know?

Reviews (3)

Sammy Sosa Biography
Sammy Sosa was born in the Dominican Republic. He didn't start playing baseball until he was in high school. During high school he really didn't play much. When he went to college he played on a team. Then he got pickedup by the Chicago White Sox. When he was with the white sox I new moreabout baseball then he did. But now that he is with the cubs he knows justas much about baseball that any other professional baseball player does. Mylikes and dislikes about the book are, well i don't have any dislikes aboutthe book. I always enjoy reading biographies on my favorite sports stars.So over all the book was one of the best books I've ever read and i haven'tread that many books in my life time.

If you compare this bookabout Sammy Sosa to another book i read about Michael Jordan and hisairiness I think that Sammy Sosa was ten million times better. On a closingnote the book was probably the best book i have ever read in my life timeas I have said many other times earlier in my wonderful online book review.

Un Excelente ser humano ( a great human being)
When I read this book I did it cause I wanted to see if the information about our sammy was okay and yes it was. As a Dominican I'm feeling very proud of Sammy I know how he fought to be where he is now and To do that inthis country is not easy. I was borned in Santo domingo and I live herewith my parents and Sammy is the guy who inspire me tokeep me going Iwish I could meet him sooner or later.....That's my dream

Lee todo lo quepuedas de Sammy que vale la pena y sentiras la motivacion de luchar, luchary luchar.........

Reviews (1)

Reviews (50)

Even the people who don't look alike have things in common
This book is a mix of realistic fiction and historical fiction. The main character in this story is Chinese and has several different names. Her names are Bandit, Sixth Cousin, and Shirley Temple Wong. She comes to America and doesn't know English very well. And every step of the way she becomes Americanized. Through her triumphs and pains she gets even closer to America but doesn't forget her past. She realizes she is like one player in her hometown, Brooklyn. And as you can tell from the title you know who that famous baseball player is.

A Good Book
Wow.My sister read this book when she was my age and she said that she didn't like it that much.Well, I am the opposite of her.This book is great!
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson is about a girl who comes to America from China in 1948 or 4646 and has to learn English and fit in with American kids.It's fun to read about her struggles with life in Brooklyn, New York.
I had to read this book for school, but do not regret it.And teachers, this book is a great book to read to your class.
So pick up this book and start reading!

Isbn: 0399611207
Sales Rank: 3018219
Subjects:  1. 1945-    2. Baseball    3. Baseball players    4. Biography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Carew, Rod,    7. Juvenile literature    8. United States    9. Carew, Rod   

Isbn: 0516443313
Sales Rank: 2928362
Subjects:  1. Baseball - General    2. Sports & Recreation   

Reviews (7)

Must read at the Plate with Derek Jeter
The book I'm reviewing is At the Plate with Derek Jeter by Matt Christopher. I think this book deserves five stars. This book is a Derek Jeter biography. A problem that occurs in this story is when he's in high school. He almost gets cut from the team. This tells you how Derek Jeter became a pro baseball player. I would recommend this book to anybody.

Emerson N.J. fifth grade student

Great book to read with a young baseball fan
This series in general, and the Jeter book in particular, are great for a 5-10 year old sports nut.I read this with our 6 year old, a chapter a night for a couple weeks.

It's well written and moves quickly.

It makes reading fun by being about something a sports fan kid will really enjoy.

And Jeter in particular is a good story because he's such an great role model for kids -- he crosses racial divides, espouses the virtue of hard work, respect and not taking anything for granted.

Highly recommended

Features

• Platform: Nintendo GameCube
• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Genre: Sports
• Earn player trading cards

Reviews (23)

not any better than the last one
i mean cmon acclaim you cant get any better ok the graphics are better but the glitches are the same like where you dive for a ball ten feet away and it transports in to youre glove its just sad if you want a good baseball game for the year 2004 you should get MVP baseball 2004 thats the best baseball game on the market right now if i were you i would not get this game if you get this game im telling you youre wastin youre money

Improvement from 2003....
This new and improved All-Star Baseball 2004 game is slightly better than 2003. The gameplay has gotten better, the pitching is pretty much the same, the hitting is a lot more realistic and the new different gameplay selections are great.

A new feature to this game is: Scenario Mode, which is where you play a certain part of a game like Mariano Rivera on the mound in the bottom of the 9th with the bases loaded and no outs and your objective is to retire the inning without the opposing team scoring any runs. Like all of the previous All-Star games, you have CREATE-A-PLAYER. This updated feature is so much better than any other one in the previous games. You have over 300 faces to choose from, a lot more batting stances and also when you work on your player's ability points, there is no limit. Remember in 2003 where you only could use 20 points? Well, in this game, there is no limit so you can make your character the best in the game. Tip: Don't give your player all A+'s becase the game will freeze near the end.

The best new feature to this game, which I love is the In-Game Save capability. So if you're playing a game during your season, you can save where you left off during the game, so when you re-load your season, it'll bring you right back to where you were. GREAT! In Season mode, a lot of different things have been added. In the General Manager's offive, there is a numerous amount of things you can do from: trading players, high minors and low minors rosters, disabled list, trading block (you recieve trade offers from other teams for the player you select), and Player Editor. What is Player Editor? Instead of just editing your created player, you can edit anyone in the major leagues as far as ability points, looks, batting stances, etc. For pitchers you change their pitches selection to your favorites. But, don't make it too easy and have all of your team A+. It makes it too easy.

There is a couple things that have gone down or haven't been improved too much. One is the pitching. Yes, it is a lot easier to hit the ball because it has slowed down since 2003. But, it is a lot more diffucult to get strikeouts when pitching. It makes your pitching stats more realistic to real pitchers today. But the cathces still has some flaws in it. Not as often, but you see it happen sometimes where there is a pop-up and the ball is ten feet to the side of your fielder and he still catches it. Things like that.

Overall, this a fantastic game. Many things have been improved, things have been created for better and funner gameplay and it worked. This game is definitely a must buy.

A very challenging, but ultimately rewarding game
I got this game for Christmas (2003) so I have had almost 3 months to play with it and get used to it.The fact that I've had so long to experiment with this game is significant, because if I had written this review right after I received the game (as it appears some of the other reviewers did) I might not have given this game such a high score.

This game is very challenging, definitely.It is not like other baseball games which are unrealistically easy to play.This is not the type of game in which you will be hitting home runs with 170 pound shortstops.

In the long run, however, it is a much more realistic game.The pitches are especially neat. While some games only allow pitchers to have the basic "fastball," "change," "curve," "slider," etc., this game has more specific pitches.Examples are circle change, 2 seam fastball, 4 seam fastball, knuckle curve, slurve, etc.

This game is more realistic from a hitting perspective as well.At first, you will find hitting very difficult.Do not be frustrated; you will eventually improve. I suggest looking only at the strike zone, not at the ball when it is pitched.There is an option allowing the placement of the pitch to be shown, and that helps a lot.That being said, this feature by no means makes hitting easy.Unlike other games, where you just have to get the timing of the pitch down in order to hit, this game requires you to get the timing and the placement down (all in a matter of 2 or so seconds). Ultimately this a more realistic way of approaching hitting.To some it may not be as much fun as the home run filled games you can have in other games, but to baseball fans, this game will be rewarding.

I have to say that baseball purists, actual fans of the game, might appreciate this game more than a kid who justs wants to play a little baseball.Getting used to the game takes a little (not too much, but a little) practice.The game is definitely geared towards the knowledgable fan.It keeps track of stats that most people don't pay attention to, like OPS and OBP.This attention to detail is very much appreciated.

This game also has plenty of side features you can entertain yourself with.Like many sports games nowadays, this game has scenarios.They are enjoyable, giving you specific tasks in game situations to accomplish.Another neat aspect is the fact that you can unlock other teams, most of whom are made up of legend players.Therefore, it is possible to play with Babe Ruth, Satchel Paige, Ted Williams, et al.

Editorial Review

All-Star Baseball 2003 features all-new player models created with 3-D CyberScan technology for one of the most realistic representations of player faces ever seen. Game modes include exhibition, season, career, franchise, expansion, All-Star Game, series, manager, home-run derby, and batting practice. Franchise mode allows users to build their favorite teams for up to 20 consecutive seasons. All-new expansion play lets you choose a city, stadium, and team logo and then add that team to the major leagues. And the expansion draft lets you draft from a pool of unprotected players and build a team from free agents and minor leaguers.

Reviews (40)

ALL STAR BASEBALL 2001 IS NOT QUITE AN ALL-STAR
All-Star Baseball 2001 is over all a preety good game.It has its fair share of glitches too.About 1/3 to 1/2 way through the season the stats skyrocket to impossible numbers.For example 169 home runs.Other than that this is a fun game!

Great, but............................................
dear readers.My mother bou8ght me this game used because itvwas sold out. it was great so i asked for it because i played it by my neighbor,that was until i found out the home run trick which made the game dummer.If you press B and put the edge of the yellow on the ball and hit the ball while holding L (you dont always have to)it will surely be a home run.Still this game is great but like i said by All star baseball on color,it doesnt save u need a game pack which costs you an extra 10$.But if you have a game pack buy this game it rocks but dont do the home run trick because then it gets dum

Reviews (12)

Step Up To Bat...
Bring yourself out to the ball game with All-Star Baseball 2000. This baseball game is the top sporting game for N64. The graphics are great. The gameplay is fairly easy. The real-life characteristics are fantastic. The game features real-life faces, real-life stances, and also create a player. You csn create a player of anything you dreamed of. You choose his name, height, weight, stance, position, his dress code, how he swings, his player attributes, and so on. Then you can take him from the free agency list and put him on your favorite team. Great standium graphics, cool weather effects from clear - snow. You can play in the daytime, twilight, or night. Every player does the same gameplay as they do in real life. You can trade players. For batting practice, play homerun derby. The game also includes Season mode. This game is the ultimate baseball game.

Pretty Good
all-star baseball 2000 is pretty good- there is a few problems with it though. it will get boring after awhile and it is way too expensive. it is also kind of dissapointing when you beat the game- it takes forever to beat all the individaul baseball games and then the end thing is really boring and stupid. it is also too easy to hit a home run. other than that, it will keep you hooked and is pretty fun.

Reviews (22)

Best MLB Game Ever!
This is by far the greatest MLB game ever! I own the Game Cube and have played and even own a baseball game for it (All Star Baseball 2000), but this one is far superior to the rest. If you are an avid baseball fan or are just looking for a game to pick up and play, GET THIS GAME!!!!!!

Great for Little Leaguers
With some higher resolution games popping up, I thought this one might be swallowed up and lost. However, that was not true. As most kids will tell you, usually indirectly, it is the game PLAYING ability that they like. This one retains that. Even for adults. The playing is realistic and allows a good amount of variability. The background noise of the crowd is low fidelity, yet it sounds very real (which it should). The announcer is clear and realistic. Generally, pleasantly surprised that it plays so well.

Grand Slam
When Nintendo released their Nintendo 64, they took such a very long time to finally develop a baseball video game. Other systems at the time had great games that invovlve the Great American Event, but not Nintendo 64. When they finally unveiled Major League Baseball featuring Ken Griffey Jr. it took on a life of its own. Nearly a year into suspension and development in the video game industry, it became anything but oversaturated. In fact, it was worth the wait in fun.

The 1998 release consisted of all the Major League Teams at the time of the lineup. Still, the game included some brilliant graphics and a style to call their own. The graphics might seem a little flawed with their facial expressions, but the frame rate is fantastic. The game also includes a few added bits and pieces to the mane, including a home run derby, season play, World Series play, or exhibition. The game also includes vocal commentary from Ken Griffey Jr. himself, and a little bit of rapture in the mix. In exhibition mode, you can play not just against any team, but also with any stadium other than the home stadium, which makes it a little bit interesting. The game also includes a couple of special codes, including getting a home run automatically, every time Ken Griffey Jr. steps up to the plate, and even a code that gains access to special teams, including Angel Studios, the company production team that made this game.

Reviews (11)

All star baseball 2004
It is a fun and exiting game. Select helps you hit power. Make sure you have good defensive players too.

This game needs work
First off, this game would be all right if it were not for the HORRIBLE baserunning.Not to mention the AI of the baserunners. It will appear obvious that a ball will drop for a hit but the runners will hold and wait until it falls, sometimes getting thrown out in the process. I am not sure if the runners are just slow, the outfielders all have cannons for arms or what but I have been thrown out at first with a single to right field. The hitting is OK, the ball DOES NOT always just go up the middle, try reading the instruction manual on hitting before playing. You must first select the area of the park you want the ball to go before you hit, or do it as the pitch is coming. Keep in mind however, that the latter is extremely to do as the difficulty setting is increased. You cannot slide in any way either, this makes it nearly impossible to steal a base, not to mention hit a triple. So...

Graphics 4
Gameplay 3
Controls 1
Fun to Play 3
Overall 3

Oh, by the way, how many friggin cards do I need to unlock anything?

Also, in the team managment portion, the game will not allow you to trade willingly with other teams.For example, you cannot trade your sub-caliber players for Bonds or Thome, and that is ridiculously LAME.

Some other things that would make this game better:
Bench clearing brawls
The ability to charge the mound
Rain and other elements during a game
Create-a-player mode
First names of players

Good graphics, poor gameplay
The two stars for this game are both for graphics. This game has by far the best graphics of any baseball game available for GBA. Graphics are nice, but it doesn't make a game.

Gameplay is bad. There's nothing else to say. When you do get a hit, it always goes up the middle. Baserunning is a joke, you can get thrown out at first from the outfield. Pitching is ok, but I've never enjoyed pitching on any baseball game. I'm interested in batting and running.