SIDEWAYS GLANCE BY THE NUMBERS, THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY.

Byline: - Tom Hoffarth

--The magazine: ``2003 Who's Who in Baseball''

--The price: $8.95

--The simple beauty of it: Here it is, the 88th year of this annual publication, and the ``handy reference guide to batting and pitching statistics,'' as it calls itself, has managed to stick to the basics despite what must be pressure from the Information Age.

Neither Bill James, the Internet nor fantasy managers' apparent need for more and more statistics has forced a change in the content of this paperback-sized magazine over the years.

For 750-plus major-leaguers, from Brent Abernathy to Barry Zito, there's a black-and-white mug shot, the player's full name, height and weight, birthplace and date, and then year-by-year statistics like you'd find on the back of a trading card. The only thing slightly elaborate are the lettered footnotes that indicate time spent on the disabled list, trades or free-agent movement.

Even better, the publishers have stuck with a cover design - black- and-white cut-out photos on a dark-red background - that keeps it looking the same as it has for decades.

--The investor's incentive: Since it started in 1912 and has been printed annually since 1916, back issues of ``Who's Who'' can be quite collectable depending on who's on the cover.

A scan of Internet collectors' sites, for example, offers a 1930 issue with Burleigh Grimes in ``good'' condition for $75. Another has a 1957 issue with Mickey Mantle for $80. The current issue of ``Who's Who'' also has an order form in the back for those who want to buy mint issues going back to 1963 ($75).

Maybe other annual baseball publications like Street & Smith's, Baseball Digest, The Sporting News Dope Book or Dell Sports Baseball also have endured just as well over the years. But in the end, who can really match the magic simplicity of ``Who's Who''?

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