SpartanGTR

I love this thread, a lot of you can take just a normal view and bring out everything that's great about it and really make it pop. Some of the Comerica Park photos i've seen are amazing. Anyway.... Let's say I want to get into photography. I know a tiny a bit, not too much, certainly not enough to really take pictures like you guys do and know my way around an SLR. What's the best way to get into photography and how much coin would I have to drop on a decent SLR? Should I go the book route?