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Howard Schwartz, the "librarian for gamblers," is the marketing director for Gambler's Book Club in Las Vegas, a position he has held since 1979. Author of hundreds of articles on gambling, his weekly book reviews appear in numerous publications throughout the gaming industry.

Feb 14, 2007

Pitching Aces; Track Stats series new GBC arrivals

As spring training arrives, so do requests for books on baseball betting, baseball statistics, lifetime records for various players and the other related topics. Too, as the weather improves so does the enthusiasm for thoroughbred racing. With those thoughts in mind, here are some vital resources for the baseball bettor and horseplayer, fresh off the presses and new at Gambler's Book Shop.

Phil Erwin's "Pitching Aces 2007 -- A Three Year Summary for 140 Starting Pitchers" (150 pages, 5x8 plastic spiral bound, $22.95) gives you individual career records against every team; three-year home and away records; with a breakdown for home vs. away; day vs. night; turf vs. grass; month by month, with earned run averages and won-loss records. For example, Roy Halladay of Toronto, a righty, has an excellent 10-5 record for April for the last three season; he dominates Baltimore in his lifetime with a 14-55 record and is 13-5 versus Tampa Bay lifetime. Cincinnati's Bronson Arroyo, also a righty, has a 10-3 record in April and Florida's Dontrelle Willis is 13-3 against the Mets lifetime with a 2.02 earned run average.

Granted this information is all past history, but it's in the category of "nice to know" in case a person is wagering for real.

The pitchers are listed in alphabetical order from Armas to Zito.

Erwin also offers game ratings for pitchers, with the best pitchers earning fours or fives, but a starting pitcher who can average 3.0 or better is doing very well. Erwin explains in a special section how to evaluate starts.

Overall, this is a fine time saver and quick guide to what "past performance momentum" most starters will bring to the mound in 2007.

Annually, "Track Stats", provided by Thoroughbred Sports Network (number of pages varies from one geographic volume to another from 82 to 180). These 5x8 plastic spiral bound gems are $24.95 each. They provide fast, easy-to-find-and-use statistics on trainers, jockeys, track bias (every distance and surface), favorite success rate for every class level, as well as shipper statistics, horses for courses and speed rating pars.

No matter which volume you choose (Southern California, Northern California, New York, Illinois, Louisiana/Arkansas, Kentucky, Florida or Virginia/Maryland), you'll be able to locate facts about the track including a track diagram, expected dates of operation, exotics offered, the track Internet site and dark days.

The book for each circuit allows you to isolate which jockeys do well on turf, on off tracks, in routes or sprints, on longshots at 10-1 or better, on favorites and their best running style. For those who seek information about trainers, the book offers numbers and percentages of winners for two-year-olds, on Lasix, sprint to route, dirt to turf, after various layoff periods, with shippers, with blinkers on.

Overall, these provide insights into handicapping not provided elsewhere and they make a good addition to the horseplayer's arsenal. Any item reviewed here is available from Gambler's Book Shop (Gambler's Book Club). The store's web site is www.gamblersbook.com. You may order there using MasterCard, VISA or Discover (no CODs please) or by phoning the store any day except Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time at 1-800-522-1777. Orders usually shipped the next working day. The store, now in its 40th year, is located a mile from downtown Las Vegas, a block west of Maryland Parkway, just off Charleston Boulevard at South 11th Street. You may view the store's complete array of books, videos and software via the Web site or request a hard copy of the catalog be mailed free and first class. The store's address is 630 S. 11th St., Las Vegas, NV 89101.