Moneyball

[RyneSandberg]

I'm in the process of reading this book by Michael Lewis and so far I've found it to be very interesting and extremely good. Has anyone else here read it? What did you think? Are there any other baseball books somebody would recommend?

[UMFan83]

Never heard of it

[The Voice of Reason]

Is that the book about those guys that like fencing? I think they are called Saber Matriarchs or something like that.

[kujay]

Snark ahoy!

 

I read it, maybe 3-4 years ago now. I found it very interesting, though I'm not really a stats guy. Just reading a lot of the behind-the-scenes stories and about the players made it worth my time.

[Mizzou]

Snark ahoy!

 

I read it, maybe 3-4 years ago now. I found it very interesting, though I'm not really a stats guy. Just reading a lot of the behind-the-scenes stories and about the players made it worth my time.

Yeah, that's pretty much why I enjoyed it too. Speaking of that, I picked up John Schuerholz's (sp?) book a couple weeks ago... has anyone read that? How is it?

[RyneSandberg]

Is that the book about those guys that like fencing? I think they are called Saber Matriarchs or something like that.

No reason to be an buttface, it was a simple question

[BeerHere]

Snark ahoy!

 

I read it, maybe 3-4 years ago now. I found it very interesting, though I'm not really a stats guy. Just reading a lot of the behind-the-scenes stories and about the players made it worth my time.

Yeah, that's pretty much why I enjoyed it too. Speaking of that, I picked up John Schuerholz's (sp?) book a couple weeks ago... has anyone read that? How is it?

 

Moneyball was fascinating to me and was my first real intro into statistical player evaluation. Although the book puts Beane on a bit of a pedestal, it's worth the reading for any baseball fan.

 

I've also read Scheurholtz's book which I found a little disappointing. I liked the inside details of the Glavine negotiations and the information about Chipper and Andrew Jones. He hates Deion Sanders. But overall it was more of a "biography" than I was expecting (probably my fault). A decent read but not that great.

[kujay]

Snark ahoy!

 

I read it, maybe 3-4 years ago now. I found it very interesting, though I'm not really a stats guy. Just reading a lot of the behind-the-scenes stories and about the players made it worth my time.

Yeah, that's pretty much why I enjoyed it too. Speaking of that, I picked up John Schuerholz's (sp?) book a couple weeks ago... has anyone read that? How is it?

 

Moneyball was fascinating to me and was my first real intro into statistical player evaluation. Although the book puts Beane on a bit of a pedestal, it's worth the reading for any baseball fan.

 

I've also read Scheurholtz's book which I found a little disappointing. I liked the inside details of the Glavine negotiations and the information about Chipper and Andrew Jones. He hates Deion Sanders. But overall it was more of a "biography" than I was expecting (probably my fault). A decent read but not that great.

 

Thanks for the critique. I had been interested in that one. Going to be doing a lot more traveling for the new job, so I need to get a few books in line to read.

[TruffleShuffle]

Is that the book about those guys that like fencing? I think they are called Saber Matriarchs or something like that.

No reason to be an [expletive], it was a simple question

 

don't take it personally, he's pretty much an a-hole to everyone.

[Post Count Padder]

I read it last year. It was pretty good.

[The Voice of Reason]

Is that the book about those guys that like fencing? I think they are called Saber Matriarchs or something like that.

No reason to be an [expletive], it was a simple question

 

don't take it personally, he's pretty much an a-hole to everyone.

 

At one point does the Board's no-personal attack rule get enforced? Not that Little Truf upset me.

[The Voice of Reason]

Is that the book about those guys that like fencing? I think they are called Saber Matriarchs or something like that.

No reason to be an [expletive], it was a simple question

 

Relax dude, it was joke making fun of the overanalysis of the book on this site over the years (similar to UM Fans "never heard of it") not your question.

[RyneSandberg]

alright I got ya, anyone recommend some other really good baseball books?

[CubinNY]

alright I got ya, anyone recommend some other really good baseball books?

Little known but excellent book called Some are Called Clowns by Bill Heward and Dimitri Gatt. It's about the last barnstorming team, the Indianapolis Clowns. It's a really funny and at times sad book.

[The Voice of Reason]

alright I got ya, anyone recommend some other really good baseball books?

 

Ball Four by Jim Bouton.

[Derwood]

computers don't play baseball

 

/joe morgan

[27up27down]

If you like the statistical analysis angle of Moneyball, Baseball Prospectus has a book called Baseball Between The Numbers that'll really open your eyes.

[biittner77]

Joe Morgan wrote

 

I will never read Billy Beane's book Moneyball because I already know all I need to know about baseball. And what I don't know I can learn by watching the games even though I don't watch games unless they are games that I am doing for ESPN. But I do read the box scores for Giants games since I live in the Bay Area

[E.J.]

Please watch your language and refrain from making personal attacks or this thread will be locked.

[biittner77]

Please watch your language and refrain from making personal attacks or this thread will be locked.

 

Is Joe Morgan a curse word? :D

[BigbadB]

Please watch your language and refrain from making personal attacks or this thread will be locked.

 

Is Joe Morgan a curse word? :D

 

Yes.

[RyneSandberg]

sorry thought we were all adults here

[FergieJ31]

sorry thought we were all adults here

 

That was your first mistake :-))

 

Moneyball is excellent but don't mistake it for a book about the importance of OBP. Many ppl miss this point: the book is about maximizing edge in the marketplace of baseball players, where edge is something like expected run production per dollar. OBP was simply the performance measure that Billy Beane discovered was the most undervalued at the time.

[B]

Catcher in the Rye.

[Outshined_One]

sorry thought we were all adults here

 

That was your first mistake :-))

 

Moneyball is excellent but don't mistake it for a book about the importance of OBP. Many ppl miss this point: the book is about maximizing edge in the marketplace of baseball players, where edge is something like expected run production per dollar. OBP was simply the performance measure that Billy Beane discovered was the most undervalued at the time.

 

Also keep in mind that this is something which is always shifting since these kinds of markets tend to correct themselves when something that is undervalued is being exploited. Currently, OBP is considered a valuable trait for position players to have for a number of clubs. The players with high OBP numbers are getting paid much more now than they were 10 years ago. Because of these shifts in the market and his limited budget, Beane always has to unearth valuable traits in players that other teams tend to undervalue in free agency and the draft.

 

As for a book recommendation, I recently read The Cheater's Guide to Baseball and found it enjoyable. Zumsteg has a good sense of humor and clearly loves baseball. It never felt like he had an axe to grind or anything like that.