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Book - Product Information
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
Michael Lewis
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Rank: 329
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
![]() | | | Weekly Standard | | May be the best book ever written on business. |
![]() | | | Wall Street Journal | | Another journalistic tour de force. |
![]() | | | Baseball America | | You have to read Moneyball...Amazing anecdotes...an entertaining,
enlightening read. |
Customer Reviews
Sample 3 of 57
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
Michael Lewis
![]() | | | Exclusionary focus | | (Plano,TX) July 12, 2004 - 5.0/5 stars | | Beane and his disciples have prosecuted their edge in the draft and they
have proven that they can win that way. It is new in some ways and
channels an earlier time as well. The emphasis on team play is not an
exclusively... read full review |
![]() | | | Seminal Baseball Book | | (Woodland Hills, CA United States) July 21, 2004 - 5.0/5 stars | | This is one of the most entertaining books I have read on any subject. I
love baseball, so I may have enjoyed it more than most, but I do not
believe a love for the game is necessary to appreciate MONEYBALL. My wife
will... read full review |
![]() | | | Excellent opportunity to know more about other side of sports bussines | | (Caracas, Venezuela) June 26, 2005 - 5.0/5 stars | | Since I've work for a pro baseball team in my country i've been involved in
the bussines, this book was made with two points of view, one could be
baseball fans or anyone else who could reach good reading about sports,
they... read full review |
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