Book #10-12                               Words:102960                                       

Title: Big Data Baseball                                               Author: Travis Sawchik                                  

Genre ~ Non-Fiction / Fiction Type:  Non-Fiction       

• Opening Sentence: He believed in fearing nothing, respecting everything.

• Favourite word / phrase / sentence: Four-seam fastballs were the traditional go to pitch for Major League Pitchers.

• Vocabulary and new terms (with part of speech) and definition: PitchFX

  PITCHf/x is a pitch tracking system, created by Sportvision, and is installed in every MLB stadium since around 2006. This system tracks the velocity, movement, release point, spin, and pitch location for every pitch thrown in baseball, allowing pitches and pitchers to be analyzed and compared at a detailed level. Two mounted cameras in each stadium are used to track each pitch and establish the each aforementioned aspect.

   

• Reflection, Connection & Personal Response: While reading this book, I would pause at various moments and comprehend the intense amount of detail that was being given out. This book talked about how a low market baseball club was able to fight their way to their first playoff berth in 22 years by using sabermetrics to analyze and find hidden talents in players.

Book Equivalent #8-9                            Words:  N/A                                            

Title: mlb.com espn.com mlbtraderumors.com sodomojo.com lookoutlanding.com yougoprobaseball.com                                                            Author: Various                                  

Genre ~ Non-Fiction         

                                                                           :

• Favourite word / phrase / sentence:

The Seattle Mariners have re-signed Franklin Gutierrez to a one year deal.

• Reflection, Connection & Personal Response: I have continued to read many online websites that contain short stories. I enjoy reading the short stories because they are quicker to read and they have a lot of information on current events.

Book # 4-5 Words: N/A  Title: mlbtraderumors.com mlb.com lookoutlanding.com sodomojo.com cnn.com yougoprobaseball.com milb.com      Author: Various          Genre ~ Non-Fiction / Fiction Type: Non-Fiction        

Reflection, Connection & Personal Response: As a huge baseball fan, I enjoy reading articles about teams, players, trades, rumors e.t.c. I hope to continue my passion of reading not just through sports books but through Fiction books.

Book #3-4   Words:25920   Title: Hostages   Author:  L.B. Taylor                       Genre ~ Non-Fiction

Opening Sentence: In looking back on it, suspicion should have been aroused when the four swarthy young men boarded the luxury cruise ship Achille Lauro at Genoa, Italy, on October 3, 1985. 

Favorite word / phrase / sentence: The governments of some countries, such as Israel, stand firm and publicly declare they will not meet any terrorist demands.

Vocabulary and new terms (with part of speech) and definition: Volatile – liable to change rapidly and unpredictably, especially for the worse

Reflection, Connection & Personal Response: This book was able to mix the perspectives of Hostage Negotiators, former hostages, hostage takers, and many reliable sources to make this book a thriller. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who’s interested in learning about the behind the scenes of Hostage situations. 

Book Equivalent # 2-3   Words:32022   Title: The Island Keeper    

Author Harry Mazer        Genre ~ Non-Fiction / Fiction:    

Opening Sentence: Cleo Murphy was late boarding the flight from Chicago to New York because Eric Weiser, her father’s secretary, insisted on coming in with her and carrying her bags to the American Airlines booth even though she could handle her two suitcases better than he could.

Favorite word / phrase / sentence: I believe I have something valuable on Duck Island.

Vocabulary and new terms (with part of speech) and definition: Shawl Noun a piece of fabric worn by women over the shoulders or head or wrapped around a baby.

Reflection, Connection & Personal Response: I was able to visualize the events that were happening throughout the story very clearly. I liked how the author used many cliff hangers at the end of the chapters as it kept me from closing the book and made me want to keep on reading until the book eneded.