From the batter’s
box to the books

By Melissa Yerkov
Times Sports Editor

Eric Seidman’s career on the baseball diamond may not have been a total hit, but it certainly laid the groundwork for his future endeavors.
The 2004 George Washington High School graduate, who teamed up with the Eagles’ baseball squad for four years, recently published his first book, Bridging the Statistic Gap.
The book, officially released on June 17, discusses new ways to analyze baseball players and explores various theories on game strategies.
"It’s kind of wild. I still don’t think it has fully sunk in yet," he said excitedly. "Even when I played baseball for Washington, when I was there I always tried to analyze. It seemed natural to me."
Seidman started his statistical adventure late last November with hopes of writing a book that almost anyone could enjoy — baseball buffs who already know about the importance of statistics, as well as those who’d like to know more about the subject.
"The whole point of the book is to literally break the whole thing down," he explained. "You’ll learn the history of these numbers and what they tell us in comparison to what we want to know.
"After it was finished, I had my mom (Marci) read it," he continued. "That was so helpful, because I think she probably has read every book in the Bustleton Library. She reads a lot and knows what good writing is. Plus, she doesn’t know anything about stats. So when she said she liked it, that was a great feeling."
Although this is Seidman’s first book, he is no stranger to seeing his writing in print. At age 17, he wrote his first script, Breakfast In Bed, for the Philadelphia Young Playwrights Festival. He won fifth place.
And with that modest experience, Seidman had the bug.
He quickly started an abundance of projects, which required him to wear many hats. The next year, Seidman wrote his first feature-length script, It’s Go Time. In 2006, he wrote, co-directed and co-produced All the Wrong Moves, a film about a struggling actor hitting a mid-life crisis after his dream role is given to Tom Cruise.
Later that year, Seidman wrote and directed Becker Hargrove, Inc., which was executive produced by Brett Ratner, who is best known for his work on the Rush Hour movies and the television show Prison Break.
"That was a pretty crazy experience," said Seidman. "It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. He got hold of my script through a friend of a friend of a friend and randomly decided to give me $15,000 to make a movie in four days, and we pulled it off!"
The film, which was shot in Miami, was about a sports agent who becomes a matchmaker in the dating world. His character is very successful in the business until a chance run-in with an ex-girlfriend changes everything.
Seidman’s numerous creative projects — including Becker Hargrove, Inc. — have been regulars in various festivals throughout the East Coast. However, none has been released theatrically.
"My favorite project so far was definitely working with Brett Ratner," said Seidman. "I remember getting a call at 2:30 a.m. saying, ‘Call me back!’ I was annoyed that someone who didn’t even leave a name was calling so late.
"So I called back and someone says, ‘Ratner residence,’ then Brett got on the phone and I don’t even remember the conversation too well because I was in shock," he continued.
After his exposure to the big times, Seidman was ready to tackle his next endeavor —4th and Forever, which told a story of eight high school graduates preparing to attend different colleges.
"They decide to have a fantasy-football draft before leaving," explained Seidman. "It’s showing all these guys who are growing up and realizing things are about to change."
That particular story hit close to home for the young writer.
"The process, when we made 4th and Forever, it was all my close friends working on the crew," explained Seidman, who recently graduated from Penn State University’s main campus, where he studied video. "When you’re actually making it and working sixteen hour days, it’s tough. But when you’re done, you look back on it and wish it was still going on.
"It’s the same thing with baseball too," he continued. "A lot of us, we didn’t hate practices, but we didn’t want to practice for two and a half hours every day, but you always miss it."
In the past, the former first baseman and pitcher has successfully juggled his two passions throughout his professional career. However, these days, his love for the diamond seems to be outweighing his interest in film.
"It kind of came in cycles. I’ve done a lot in movies, but I got burned out from doing so much," he said. "It kind of turned me off from movies for a while. Right now, baseball is at the top of my list. Movies is something I’m still pursuing, but baseball is what I’m concentrating on now."
After all, baseball has been in his blood since he was a kid.
"I remember playing this Sega baseball game with my friend and he’d be more interested in playing and I would be taking stats," Seidman recalled. "And that was in the fifth grade! When I told him what I was doing now, he said, ‘What took you so long?’" ••
Sports editor Melissa Yerkov can be reached at 215-354-3035 or myerkov@phillynews.com