Gutman, John

• It Ain't Cheatin' If You Don't Get Caught

  • This book is an incredibly amusing and entertaining anthology of stories and legends regarding the practice of cheating (or "gamesmanship") in baseball. Perhaps my favorite part of the this book revolves around Gaylord Perry and the spitball. For example, one passage from the book describes Gaylord Perry's book "Me and the Spitter" in which Perry, while still playing in the majors, writes his autobiography and vows from then on that he was a "pure, law-abiding citizen" who didn't throw the spitter any more. When told of this, manager Gene Mauch responded, "But he doesn't throw it any less, either." This book contains several such gems, and if you like baseball reading, this is not a book you can miss! It was published by Penguin books in 1990, and I've seen it on a few sale shelves at major bookstores lately.

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