Baseball ABC

Released to coincide with the 125th anniversary of the sport, this meager book (an ``official publication of Major League Baseball'') rounds up bits and pieces of baseball lore and disperses them according to the letters of the alphabet. Most of the letters themselves are taken from the logos of major league teams; a few vexatious initials, like ``F'' and ``Z,'' are shown in ordinary typefonts). Each letter is represented by one or two objects or phenomena related to the game: caps and cards are discussed alongside a ""C"" that will look familiar to fans of the Chicago Cubs; six quotes by baseball legends are collected on a page devoted to ""Q""; and photos of the World Series trophy and ticket stubs for past World Series games are presented for the letter ""T."" It's a curious mix of information: though some of the trivia, anecdotes and playing pointers will be of interest to young baseball buffs, other entries seem arbitrary or insignificant. For example, a picture of a vendor hawking refreshments fills the page given over to ""V."" Short on action photos, the book does offer several intriguing vintage pictures, including a team shot of the 1947 Cuban X-Giants from the Negro League. Ages 4-up. (Nov.)