I have had season tickets to Houston Astros‘ baseball games for going on 20 years now. My family and I have a great time going to the games, and I enjoy giving tickets to my friends and clients, who also love attending the games. Minute Maid Park in downtown Houston is also a wonderful place to watch a game.
At this time of the year, I traditionally purchase the annual edition of Baseball Prospectus, which I then take to each game that I attend throughout the baseball season. Bar none, Baseball Prospectus 2004 is the best resource available for understanding and analyzing Major League Baseball. Prepared by disciples of Bill James‘ statistical analysis of baseball, Baseball Prospectus 2004 includes a thorough analysis of each Major League Baseball team, its minor league system and front office operation. Also, the book includes a capsule profile of every Major League player and most key minor league prospects of each Major League team. The writing is sharp and witty, and includes none of the dense traditional writing about baseball that one has to endure in the sports pages of major daily newspapers. Indeed, Baseball Prospectus will debunk many of the traditional baseball notions that we all hear and read in traditional news sources and, in so doing, provides a far superior basis for understanding this grand game.
To provide a flavor for Baseball Prospectus’ clever writing, the following is an example of one of the player profiles from last year’s Baseball Prospectus:

Pat Meares
Position: Insurance Scam; Born: 9/6/68 Age: 34 Bats: R Throws R
[statistical analysis excluded]
After conflicting medical opinions about Meare’s hand injury, a bizarre farce ensued between the Pirates and Meares last year that could have served as a plot line on an episode of “The Sopranos.” Meares actually filed a grievance in September, claiming he was healthy enough to play and wanting to be released so that he could find another team. Even if his hand really was healthy, the Pirates could have claimed that Meares was so delusional that it wasn’t safe to allow him near sharp objects again, never mind on a baseball field. A negotiated settlement ensued: Meares will get his 3,750,000 claims in 2003 that he never deserved, and the club will keep him as a phantom on its roster to collect the insurance money on his contract.

If you enjoy baseball, then the best $12.57 you can spend is on Baseball Prospectus 2004.