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Book - Product Information
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
Michael Lewis
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Rank: 304
Billy Beane, general manager of MLB's Oakland A's and protagonist of
Michael Lewis's Moneyball, had a problem: how to win in the Major
Leagues with a budget that's smaller than that of nearly every other team.
Conventional wisdom long held that big name, highly athletic hitters and
young pitchers with rocket arms were the ticket to success.
But Beane and
his staff, buoyed by massive amounts of carefully interpreted statistical
data, believed that wins could be had by more affordable methods such as
hitters with high on-base percentage and pitchers who get lots of ground
outs.
Given this information and a tight budget, Beane defied tradition
and his own scouting department to build winning teams of young affordable
players and inexpensive castoff veterans. Lewis was in the room with
the A's top management as they spent the summer of 2002 adding and
subtracting players and he provides outstanding play-by-play.
In the June
player draft, Beane acquired nearly every prospect he coveted (few of whom
were coveted by other teams) and at the July trading deadline he engaged in
a tense battle of nerves to acquire a lefty reliever.
Besides being one of
the most insider accounts ever written about baseball, Moneyball is
populated with fascinating characters.
We meet Jeremy Brown, an overweight
college catcher who most teams project to be a 15th round draft pick
(Beane takes him in the first).
Sidearm pitcher Chad Bradford is plucked
from the White Sox triple-A club to be a key set-up man and catcher Scott
Hatteberg is rebuilt as a first baseman.
But the most interesting
character is Beane himself. A speedy athletic can't-miss prospect who
somehow missed, Beane reinvents himself as a front-office guru, relying on
players completely unlike, say, Billy Beane.
Lewis, one of the top
nonfiction writers of his era (Liar's Poker, The New New
Thing), offers highly accessible explanations of baseball stats and
his roadmap of Beane's economic approach makes Moneyball an
appealing reading experience for business people and sports fans alike.
--John Moe--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
About the AuthorMichael Lewis is the author of the bestsellers Liar's Poker
and The New New Thing. He lives in Berkeley, California, with his
wife, Tabitha Soren, and their two daughters.
Editorials
Sample 3 of 16
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
Michael Lewis
![]() | | | Washington Post | | Engaging, informative, and deliciously contrarian. |
![]() | | | New York Observer | | Stunning....[Lewis's] explanations of the science of baseball...are
spellbinding. |
![]() | | | Newsweek | | Anyone who cares about baseball must read Moneyball. |
Customer Reviews
Sample 3 of 57
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
Michael Lewis
![]() | | | A book that's made its mark on pro ball | | (Valley Stream, NY) January 28, 2005 - 5.0/5 stars | | Rarely do you come across a book on pro sports like this one, that manages
to infuriate one group, enlighten another, and, at the end of the day,
have a significant impact on the sport it covered. Moneyball essentially
is... read full review |
![]() | | | Even if you don't like baseball, it's a must-read! | | (Flyover Country) January 11, 2005 - 4.0/5 stars | | First off, I'll confess I detest the game of baseball. I can't watch it on
TV, and if I make it to the seven-inning-stretch of a live game it is due
to a combination of free tickets and a good conversationalist in... read full review |
![]() | | | How to run your business on the cheap.... | | (Chapel Hill, NC) February 17, 2005 - 4.0/5 stars | | Michale Lewis talks about how Oakland A's trump the biggest and best in
baseball with their 'profit on the cheap' business strategy. Year-in and
year-out, they get into playoffs with a $40 million payroll and compete w/... read full review |
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