Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
Book Review: The Deification of Billy Beane
Summary: 2 Stars
Having read all of the Bill James Baseball Abstracts since they were first widely published, as well as articles and books from others in the field of sabermatics; and having been a Met fan since their beginning in 1962 and remembering the playing career of Billy Beane, I looked forward to reading this book. What a disappointment.After the first third of the book, which laid out the foundation of the Oakland A's methods of evaluating players, referencing the seminal works of Bill James and others regarding on-base perentages, pitches seen per plate appearance, et al, the remaining two-thirds turned into what I consider a PR puff piece on the greatness of Billy Beane, the man who saved or at least reinvented baseball.
Not only did I find the book rather ponderous from the midpoint on, but I also thought the descriptions of Beane's habits to be depressing and very sad. Without a doubt he has retooled scouting and player development using the methods of sabermatics, yet he doesn't want to watch, actually almost cannot watch, the games themselves. When he does watch, he cannot enjoy what he is watching. Somehow, author Lewis does not see it this way, or chooses to make light of it as simply a quirk.
With too little discussion of the technical nuances of his methods for my taste, the book is really a character study of a very complex and flawed individual, a man whose whole life revolves around baseball, but not the game as it unfolds on the field but instead the game of buying and selling commodities. It is almost as if he is only in the game to prove to others how smart he is, to gain revenge for the injustice of his playing career, and to do this by controlling and in some cases demeaning others (scouts, Art Howe, et al.) His front office staff come off far better, as men who love the analytical techniques they are bringing to the game, but also as men who love to watch the game unfold. In the long haul, it is they who seem to have the brightest and happiest futures, not Beane.
In summary, I was very disappointed in the book -- the exerpt in Sports Illustrated and an earlier article in the New York Times Magazine told me as much as I believe was necesary to understand the methods, and the study of the man was too much a glorification of Bily Beane and too little an objective look at a very complicated man.
Book Review: Hooray!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book demonstrates that baseball is a game of strategy, off the field as well as on. It is a game where the little guy can still win out - if he has the smarts and can gain the competitive edge. The book restores one's faith in the basic integrity of the game, and it must strike fear into the hearts of the George Steinbrenners of the world. As Michael Lewis so satisfyingly illustrates, baseball really is America's game, the game where the underdog can come out on top. This book, and Bill Lee's revisionist baseball history, The Little Red (Sox) Book have restored my faith in the sanctity of baseball.Book Review: Baseball Fan with a Passion for the game
Summary: 5 Stars
Required reading for anyone who appreciates the game of baseball. Michael Lewis gives all the facts on why the Oakland A's are so successful in baseball with ~$50M budget against teams spending 2-3 times as much. This book is not a glorification of the A's GM, Billy Beane but a complete dissection of the ways baseball teams must operate to compete successfully. If I was a baseball owner, I would require my General Manager to read the book and explain why our payroll is so high with poor results (NY Mets, Baltimore Orioles). Overall great book.JTS
Book Review: Good Reading, Not really the facts.
Summary: 4 Stars
Michael Lewis is a great author, and really goes inside a war room in baseball. I love books about sports, and i sometimes aspire to be a baseball GM, and such.Yet i don't believe the Lews portrays many characters correctly. For example Grady Fuson (the A's old Scouting Director) drafted the likes of great pros like: Barry Zito, Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, and Eric Chavez. Lewis gives him absolutely no credit.
Also Assistant GM Paul DePodesta has said that Lewis can over dramatize some of the things they talked about, (like the importance of stats). Lewis also doesnt state that the A's drafted some guys too high, because they couldn't afford the best guys on the market.
With all that said Moneyball is a very good read, and takes you right to the GM's office Of a great franchise
Book Review: A remarkable book...
Summary: 5 Stars
It's amazing that with all the complaints by Selig & Co. of how poorer baseball teams cannot comepete, Beane and the A's have built an organization primed for long term success.As a baseball fan, this book is a great read. It crystalizes what specific factors weigh in to Oakland's player evaluation metrics, and how they leverage inefficiencies in the market to their advantage.
One of the greatest tragedies in baseball is the failure rate of young players. For so long, we've assumed that it's because hitting a round ball with a round bat "square" is so difficult. However, as Beane and the A's have proved, teams are looking for the wrong skills!
Beane has assembled a roster of players that other teams have passed on and cast off, and with it, taken the mighty Yankees to the brink twice in the past 3 years. What's most remarkable is that this isn't an "abberation," but a system of player development that should keep the A's in competition until the rest of the league catches up.
Lewis doesn't get into the actual "meat" of the statistical methods used, but this is a great start for any fan of the game. Especially if your team has been in a state of never-ending "rebuilding."