The Kids' Baseball Workout:
A Fun Way to Get in Shape and Improve Your Game
Ages 8+
Millbrook Press

This book offers an exercise and conditioning plan, practice tips, and a slew of fun, skill-building drills kids can do by themselves or with a few friends right in their own backyard at their own pace. They don't need coaches, an organized practice, full team, or even a field to learn how to become faster, stronger, smarter players.

Unlike my many other books for educational publishers which are typically available in schools only, this hard-cover book can be purchased online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or through the publisher's catalogue, The Millbrook Press.

To order by phone: Simon & Schuster, 800-223-2336.

A paperback edition for sale in bookstores is scheduled to come out in Spring, 2004.

The story behind this book

Whenever I make author appearances kids inevitably ask, "Where do you get your ideas?" The answer is often a confluence of factors, but for this book, it was relatively simple: I show the audience the picture seen here and explain that my son, Jake, drew it in kindergarten, just before he turned six. It says (with misspellings fixed), "This is me and my dad playing baseball."

Jake's passion for baseball inspired me to write the book. It's dedicated to him, "for asking to have a catch."

A year later, in Spring, 2000, an editor I worked with previously moved to a new publishing house and asked me if I had any ideas for books. Around this time, I was playing baseball with Jake, now age 7, most nights. (Our daily catch-echism?) We had been playing baseball regularly since he was four. And because he was an apt student, I was always able to give him more advanced instruction. Baseball was on my mind, so among the many book ideas I submitted to that editor was a single sentence: "A baseball skills and drills book for kids." That's the one the publishers liked most, which I developed into a full proposal. In August, 2000, I got the go ahead to write the book. It took me about six months to write the first draft, then a few more months of rewrites, working with the illustrator, etc. before the book was in its final form.

The book came out in March, 2002. Throughout that spring and summer I conducted a number of baseball skills'n'drllls workshops based on the exercises and activities in the book at schools, libraries, kid's fairs, recreation departments, Y's, community centers, and local Little Leagues.

Everyone in the audience gets involved in my workshops, which run 45 mintues to an hour and work just as well indoors as out. The workshops are best for beginner-intermediate boys and girls ages 7 to 11.

By incorporating such items as oven mitts, old socks, ice packs, heating pads, masking tape, newspapers -- even taffy and marshmallows -- my demonstrations, like the book itself, put the "play" back in "Play ball!"

For more information on booking a presentation, contact me.