For years I subscribed on and off to Baseball Digest Magazine. Being a baseball fan, there were a lot of articles I was interested in as well as stats I could follow better here than in my daily newspaper. As the years have worn on, I have had less and less use for the magazine as most of the information contained in it is readily accessible via the Internet.

First published in 1942, Baseball Digest Magazine is published eight times a year, every two months during the off-season and every month during the season. It’s small in size and more like a booklet. The cover is in color and the rest of the publication is printed on newsprint in black and white.

Baseball Digest Magazine starts off with a letters section and it lets the fans speak to all issues. Sometimes that involves questioning something presented in a previous issue, commenting on something topical in the baseball world, or asking questions. The number of letters is significant. In a recent issue, the letters and answers to the questions made up eleven of the magazine’s ninety pages. More often than not, those questions seem related to statistics as baseball fans are notoriously meticulous about stats. I’ve learned more than a few things I didn’t know and never thought to ask thanks to other people’s questions.

That’s the reason there’s another section here I really like titled Rules Corner. It explains the various rules of the game and puts it in real terms, showing the rules in action during real games.

There are many articles, usually highlighting players and the game in a positive way. The articles are well thought-out and presented and backed with the ever-present statistics. They cover all aspects of baseball, past and present. With the off-season, it might look to which teams show the most promise in the next season. Players who are making a mark but aren’t considered baseball superstars also get a moment in the spotlight quite often for their contributions to their teams. I can also always count on a good look at players and events of the past as well.

While much of this is interesting, the biggest problem Baseball Digest Magazine faces is trying to stay fresh and relevant. With the Internet, much of the information and statistics is already dated by the time it appears in the magazine. The issue with the Red Sox winning the World Series didn’t make it into my mailbox until almost two months after they won.

There are advertisements in Baseball Digest Magazine, but they all have to do with the sport. Much of it involves memorabilia, but there are also books and instructional videos often advertised. I would definitely say that there are much less advertisements in Baseball Digest Magazine than I have seen in other sporting magazines.

For those who enjoy it, there is a baseball related crossword puzzle as well as a quiz in each issue.

Each issue costs $5.99 on the newsstand. An annual subscription is $19.97. Is it worth it? I definitely don’t think the newsstand price is worth it because I can remember a time when the teams’ yearbooks didn’t even cost that much. To fork that amount of money over for news and statistics that are likely out of date by the time you are reading it. For years it was published much more frequently and to me, was more relevant. However, it seems that the number of publication dates continues to shrink; from twelve annually to ten and then eight just since the year 2000.

I can remember a time when Baseball Digest Magazine was my primary source for baseball articles and statistics outside of my hometown. When I can go to www.mlb.com and pull up most of the same current information. Where it’s found it’s niche is bringing up the history of the game and applying it to the current day, as well as pulling up statistics which baseball fans can be anal about. I’ll probably continue to subscribe to it, but I miss what it used to be to me in many ways.

For those who aren't fascinated with the statistics and rules - the technical details of the game - you can probably find the same material elsewhere.



Other baseball-related reviews:

The 10 Best Baseball Films

61* ~ 100 Years of the World Series ~ Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns ~ The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings ~ The Bronx is Burning ~ Bull Durham ~ Eight Men Out ~ Fear Strikes Out ~ Fever Pitch ~ For Love of the Game ~ The Jackie Robinson Story ~ A League of Their Own ~ Lucy Must Be Traded, Charlie Brown ~ Major League ~ Mantle ~ The Natural ~ Nine Innings from Ground Zero ~ Pastime ~ Pride of the Yankees ~ The Scout ~ Soul of the Game ~ When It Was A Game ~ When It Was A Game 2 ~ When It Was A Game 3 ~ 1986 World Series New York Mets Collector's Edition

The Bad Guys Won by Jeff Pearlman ~ Ball Four by Jim Bouton ~ Chicken Soup for the Baseball Fan‘s Soul ~ The Devil Wears Pinstripes by Jim Caple ~ A Dream Season by Gary Carter ~ If At First by Keith Hernandez and Mike Bryan ~ Iron Horse: Lou Gehrig in His Time by Ray Robinson ~ Jackie Robinson: A Biography by Arnold Rampersad ~ Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx is Burning by Jonathan Mahler ~ One Pitch Away by Mike Sowell ~ When You Can't Come Back by Dave & Jan Dravecky


© 2007 Patti Aliventi

Recommended: Yes