CRACKING THE SHOW

Boswell, syndicated sports columnist for the Washington Post, does not, thankfully, peddle maudlin nostalgia for Willie, Mickey, and the Duke or ponder the exploits of the stork-legged Babe. Nor does he prophesy baseball's demise in an era of obscene money, divisional mitosis, and the designated hitter. ``Baseball is, as much as anything,'' he writes, ``a lifelong conversation among friends. The game is our excuse to talk.'' In that spirit he turns an educated, loving, and open eye on the game's more intriguing questions and personalities: Cal Ripken Jr.'s consecutive-game streak, Bo Jackson, pitcher Jack Morris, the late commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti, and more. Boswell loves and writes about the real game—not the mythology.