Who was better, Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays? At their peak, who was more valuable, Joe DiMaggio or Ted Williams? If Lefty Grove, Sandy Koufax, and Roger Clemens had pitched at the same time against the same hitters, who would have won the most games? If Jackie Robinson had been white, would he be deserving of the Hall of Fame? Who was the greatest all-around player of the last century? Clearing the Bases is the first book to tackle these and many other of baseball’s most intriguing questions and offer hard, sensible answers—answers based on exhaustive research and analysis. Sports journalist Allen Barra, whose weekly sports column “By the Numbers” attracted millions of fans and whose outspoken opinions are discussed regularly on National Public Radio, takes on baseball’s toughest arguments. Using stats and methods he himself has developed, Barra takes you to the heart of baseball's ultimate question—“Who's the best?”—in this, the ultimate baseball debate book, one guaranteed to spark thousands of heated discussions and to supply the fuel for thousands more.

Who was better, Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays? At their peak, who was more valuable, Joe DiMaggio or Ted Williams? If Lefty Grove, Sandy Koufax, and Roger Clemens had pitched at the same time against the same hitters, who would have won the most games? If Jackie Robinson had been white, would he be deserving of the Hall of Fame? Who was the greatest all-around player of the last century? Clearing the Bases is the first book to tackle these and many other of baseball’s most intriguing questions and offer hard, sensible answers—answers based on exhaustive research and analysis. Sports journalist Allen Barra, whose weekly sports column “By the Numbers” attracted millions of fans and whose outspoken opinions are discussed regularly on National Public Radio, takes on baseball’s toughest arguments. Using stats and methods he himself has developed, Barra takes you to the heart of baseball's ultimate question—“Who's the best?”—in this, the ultimate baseball debate book, one guaranteed to spark thousands of heated discussions and to supply the fuel for thousands more.