Science meets sport in this vibrant collection of baseball essays by the late evolutionary biologist. Among Stephen Jay Gould's many gifts was his ability to write eloquently about baseball, his great passion. Through the years, the renowned paleontologist published numerous essays on the sport, now been collected in a volume alive with the candor and insight that characterized all of Gould's writing. Gould also deftly applies the tools of evolutionary theory to the demise of the .400 hitter, the Abner Doubleday creation myth, and the improbability of Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak.