Rating: 
Summary: Sabermaticians Rejoice (and Strat-O-Matic players, too)
Review: While Lewis may be at times guilty of, hmm, polishing Beane's buttocks, this book is superb. Those who have stared at collumns of statistics for hours on end will appreciate the approach taken by the A's front office in evaluating the efficiency of baseball offense. The problem, for fans like me, is that the approach taken diminishes--and actually eschews--some really exiting aspects of run production: stolen bases and aggressive baserunning. OH, and defense, too. Contemporary baseball is full of too many guys continually swinging for the fences, and if too many more GM's adopt the approach Beane has taken, all we'll see is walks and three-run homers. But, all in all, the text is superb and Lewis really makes the subject matter interesting. Of course, I love baseball so perhaps I'm biased on that point. However, the really interesting thing is that the book isn't really about baseball: it is about exploiting market inefficiencies to gain a comparative advantage at minimal risk/costs. Still, it makes for a great read for anyone confused as to why the A's can keep losing great talent and still keep putting a pretty competitive team out on the field. Big market owners, beware!
Rating: 
Summary: Right on the Money!
Review: I agree with the reviewer who said the book is enlightening and troubling. One thing I would add is that although the book is well-written (Lewis tells a great STORY), the author seems unable to distance himself from his subject, and I found that slobbering annoying at times. Lewis's tone implies that Beane and DePodesta can do no wrong, and everyone else is stupid, ignorant or both. That is inaccurate, but I guess if one is admitted to the inside circle and has access to the major powerbrokers in order to write a book on this subject, perhaps one's judgement might be co-opted. I'm a hardcore A's fan, and believe me I appreciate Beane and DePodesta's work, but it might have helped to do more interviews outside the organization to get another perspective on team-building. Lewis paints a convenient picture of 'Us' vs. 'Them', which I doubt is completely accurate. On the positive side, I can't wait to read Lewis's next book in which he follows up on the 2002 draft class.
Rating:
Summary: New Look Baseball
Review: Well written and very informative. If you love baseball and are one of those confused by how players are bought, sold and traded, here is a book for you. Insightful and clever, using today's technology (computers) and an instinct for the nature of the game and what makes some marginal players a better bet than some superstars - its all here. You might not agree, but you will definitely have plenty to think about, and that's what a good book should do.
Rating:
Summary: Moneyball - not just for the baseball nut.
Review: Michael Lewis's story about the Oakland A's contrarian, statistics driven approach to building a baseball team is outstanding. The book provides interesting detail and lessons to be learned in an engaging style that kept me turning the pages until I was finished. The story is about how Billy Beane and Paul DePodesta went about exploiting baseball's player market value inefficiencies to turn one of the lowest payroll teams in the league into a contender. Interesting stuff while a surprisingly light and entertaining read. I am not a big baseball fan. I bought the book after hearing Mr. Lewis interviewed on the radio where he focused on the observations this book was making about the flaws inherent in subjective "that's how we have always done it" decision making. I thought the book might support my own thoughts on the subject and I was right...focus on process and outcomes usually take care of themselves. I never really followed the game of baseball very closely, but you can bet that I will follow the second half Oakland's season like a life-long A's nut!
Rating: 
Summary: Lacks data to back up claims - - -
Review: I bought Moneyball sight unseen based on the recommendation of ESPN's Dan LeBatard to wit: "Lewis dissects how the Oakland Athletics have won more in recent years than . . . ", "the A's are smarter than everyone else, and this book shows how", and ". . . are now using science, math, formulas and Ivy League educations to help change how baseball is viewed, scouted, studied, and played." So while I didn't expect a scholarly work such as Fisher Black and Myron Scholes did on options pricing that ultimately led to winning the Noble Prize, I though the book would be somewhat analytical in nature; however, it doesn't contain one chart, graph, or table. Instead it is filled with claims that are not backed up by data - though the implication is the data exists. So what is about? Primarily is it a number of vignettes from the 2002 season featuring Billy Beane (A's GM) and to a lesser extent Paul DePodesta (A's Harvard educated resident "quant"). So what are the major things we learn - or more correctly, what are the key unsubstantiated claims? (1) high school pitchers are twice less likely than college pitchers and four times less likely than college position players to make it to the major leagues; (2) the most important statistic is the number of runs a team scores and the only things that correlate with it are on-base percentage and slugging average; (3) managerial tactics such as the bunt, steal, and hit and run are either pointless or self-defeating; (4) every batter should possess the power to hit home runs because home run power forced pitchers to pitch more carefully and this leads to walks and high on-base percentages - so-called "small ball" is a losing strategy; (5) the value of speed, fielding, batting average, and RBIs is greatly overrated and therefore overpaid for; (6) the same is true for relief pitchers and closers; (7) an extra point of on-base percentage is worth three extra points of slugging percentage; (8) there is no such thing as a "clutch" hitter; (9) you can calculate an "expected run value" for every player; (10) the only criteria used for pitchers should be walks, strikeouts, and home runs - things like velocity, hits, and ERA are irreverent. A very brief summary of the 12 chapters: 1 - Billy Beans high school years as a baseball phenom; 2 - Beane/DePodesta vs. the A's scouts on talent evaluation; 3 - Beane's minor/league career, move to front office, and "enlightenment" through Sandy Alderson; 4 - the baseball subculture of statistical analysis and people like Bill James, Carl Morris, Eddie Epstein, Dick Cramer, . . .; 5 - the Jeremy Brown story and the 2002 amateur draft; 6 - what the A's did when they lost Johnny Damon, Jason Giambi, and Jason Isringhausen after the 2001 season that allowed them to win even more games in 2002; 7 - how they made up for Giambi's lost "expected run value"; 8 - the Scott Hatteberg story; 9 - mid-season trade for Ricardo Rincon; 10 - the Chad Bradford story; 11 - the night that A's won their 20th in a row; 12 - vindication as other teams (e.g., Toronto and Boston) adopt Oakland's methods of player evaluation. One thing you have to understand is that statistical analysis works in the long-run. So it works well for building a team for the 162 game regular season. However, it does guarantee anything about the playoffs - "Tim Hudson, heretofore flawless in big games, and perfect against the Minnesota Twins, had two horrendous outings. No one could have predicted that." So if you are looking for something that gives you insight into the modern/scientific way to structure a cost effective baseball team this book whets your appetite and nothing more.
Rating:
Summary: A solid double, nothing overwhelming, but a fun ride to hop
Review: As a lifelong Oakland Athletics fan, the release of a new nonfiction work focused on the franchise's recent success is exciting. When the book chooses to examine the role played by general manager and resident genius, Billy Beane, Moneyball becomes an instant must-read. Michael Lewis' peak into the inner workings of the Oakland Athletics ventures from biography to economic study to experimental statistical analysis. Overall, Moneyball exposes Billy Beane's philosophy on baseball, and as entertaining and insightful as it may be, it makes this fan cringe as the secrets to the Oakland A's success are revealed to all those who might read this book. Yet, luckily enough, Lewis points out one other thing about professional baseball: new ideas are unwelcome in an institution of tradition, making Beane's unorthodox means safe in a world of conformity, for now. Early in Moneyball, Lewis reveals the failed career of a young prospect out of San Diego. An athlete so gifted in ability, "Billy flat-out smoked" his competition and earned the title of "the Good Face," a can't-miss prospect that whose talent even showed in his charismatic mug. However, Beane's potential would never be fully realized, leading to a failed big-league career and a life of self-doubt masked in his perfectionism. As Beane made the transition from player to front-office administrator, the world of statistical analysis forever changed his views on baseball. Lewis spends several chapters exploring the emergence of Bill James, author of a series of books called The Baseball Abstracts. James was intrigued by the statistical nature of baseball, but found flaws in the basic book-keeping of America's pastime. James created his own methods of tracking the events of a typical baseball game, and he concluded that the standard measures of success, batting average, home runs, runs-batted-in, and stolen bases, failed to accurately capture the effectiveness of a specific player. James wrote his books annually, each year expanding the scope of his study, and with each volume, converting more baseball fans to his way of thinking. One of them was Billy Beane. Lewis touches on several interesting success stories in Beane's unorthodox style. Jeremy Brown, the "fat catcher" drafted in the first round by the A's when no other team even thought of wasting a pick on the kid, who now hits better than most players in the minors. Scott Hatteberg, a damaged and discarded catcher of the Boston Red Sox becomes the first baseman for the A's, somehow replacing the irreplaceable Jason Giambi. Then there is Chad Bradford, the dominant submariner relief pitcher, who found himself plucked from minor league purgatory when the Chicago White Sox failed to see the same talent in person that Beane and Depodesta only saw in a spreadsheet. Each case further supports Beane's notion that the right statistics found on a computer screen can tell much more than gut instincts of a baseball mind. Yet, there is something unsettling about the new model of baseball that Beane embraces so happily. Beane never watches his team, the perfectionist instead works out during games or drives aimlessly in circles around the Oakland Coliseum parking lot. The manic quest for success is met with unbridled anger when the potential fails to become reality, and every pitch, not game, becomes a potential trigger for a Beane outburst. Along the same lines, Beane seems to believe every player is simply a piece to a never-ending puzzle. Thus, stars such as Giambi, may be replaced by cheaper options such as Hatteberg. In essence, when a player has outgrown the simple confines of Oakland, their replacements are welcomed quickly without missing a beat. It is heartbreaking to realize that Miguel Tejada, MVP shortstop will suffer the same fate as Giambi and not be re-signed after this season. Yet for Beane, its another opportunity to gain two more first round draft picks and grab the unwanted dregs of the amateur talent pool. Another opportunity to prove himself right and everyone else wrong. Lewis also reveals the nuances involved in one the most basic facets of baseball, trading players. As the trading deadline looms, Oakland's fanatical general manager feeds his urge to upgrade his team. Yet, staying true to form, Beane never sacrifices his own talent pool to pull off these season-altering transactions. The mastermind rolls up his sleeves and begins the psychological warfare worthy of military recognition, simultaneously creating self-doubt and overconfidence in his peers, leading them to make the moves that he wanted while allowing them to believe he is at their mercy. The acquisition of Ricardo Rincon, a quality relief pitcher, is an amusingly vicious experience as Beane manipulates the marketplace to accommodate his needs. Lewis' exploration into the world of Billy Beane and the Oakland Athletics is an interesting ride. As a biography, Lewis never delves deeply enough into Beane's character, only brushing the surface of a self-imposed tragic figure. As a study in the economics of baseball, Lewis barely examines anything beyond the Oakland A's drafting philosophy. And as an analysis of the franchise's success, the book only touches on Billy Beane's role in structuring a team, never getting into the on-field performance of the stars Beane helped groom. Yet, taken as a whole, Moneyball serves to paint a picture of how Beane came to represent such consistent success despite playing a game built for only the richest of owners. Michael Lewis delivers an entertaining read, even if it never gets beyond the surface of the topics he covers. For this at-bat, Moneyball receives a solid double, nothing overwhelming, but a fun ride to hop on nonetheless.
Rating:
Summary: A terrific read
Review: Michael Lewis has written a wonderful, insightful, warm book about using guile and teamwork to beat the big bully. For the past ten years, David has been consistently thwacked by Goliath. The low payroll MLB teams have always fared poorly against the mega-payers, i.e., the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, etc. Not any more, thanks to GM Billy Beane of the Oakland A's. By carefully drafting and trading for players who were not wanted by other clubs and forcing those players to play a team game where, for example, on-base-percentage is Gospel and attempting to steal is heresy, he has managed to create a ballclub at bargain basement prices that has the A's knocking on the door to baseball's penthouses, a province heretofore occupied by teams with payrolls three and four times larger than that of the A's. But what I found most interesting is the way Beane got these players to play his game, a "team" game, where working a pitcher to an eight pitch groundout is thought of as a team effort, an act that will draw dividends later in the game as the pitcher tires. Baseball, more so than football or basketball, is thought to be a game of individual achievement masquerading as a team effort. Beane's theories of playing the game changes all the rules in that what you do in your turn at bat and on the bases has a much greater impact on runs scored than previously thought and puts a premium on team play rather than individual glory. And wouldn't that be refreshing...thinking that players are really interested in the team and not just themselves. If only one team has won more regular season games than yours for the past three years, and at a much higher payroll, (Atlanta's Braves) and if your team leads all other MLB teams in second-half,(post July 31st trading deadline) victories, it must be recognized that you are doing something extraordinarily right. The only logical conclusion is that you have recognized talent, acquired it, and are maximizing those skills to the utmost and in a fashion that is making the big spenders look foolish. Kudos to Mr. Lewis. This is the baseball book I've been waiting for and my only disappointment is that, as with all great books,it seems to end all too soon.
Rating:
Summary: A very interesting book that should lead one to Bill James
Review: This is a very interesting book that will probably come across as more impressive than it should to casual baseball fans. For those who have been reading, enjoying, and agreeing with Bill James for years, it will largely be old hat. Basically, the book is about baseball professionals finally taking seriously many of the ideas and concepts that Bill James has been articulating the past quarter century. To Lewis's credit, he is quite up front about the central role that James plays in this book. Lewis even treats James as something of a genius, both as a baseball theoretician and a prose writer (James is an absolutely riveting writer; anyone doubting this should purchase immediately his THE NEW BILL JAMES HISTORICAL BASEBALL ABSTRACT). What I find a bit more curious is Michael Lewis's obsession with Billy Beane. No question, Billy Beane is a great general manager, and there is equally no question that the Oakland A's are a team driven by the front office. The problem is--and in fact Lewis's book hints at this fact, though he only hints--that the A's are a great organization. What makes the A's great is not Billy Beane, as good as he is, but the whole group of first rate personnel comprising the Oakland front office. Most of those people were not hired by Billy Beane. The overwhelming focus of this book on Billy Beane is more than a little surreal. Although I think this is a great book, I also think that Michael Lewis chose the wrong subject. The really interesting story here is NOT how Billy Beane has managed to build a winning team on so little money, but rather the impact that a complete reconceptualization of what contributes to winning baseball games could have on the game of baseball. In that regard, Billy Beane is only a part of the story, and the issues surrounding the Oakland A's budget a bit irrelevant. If the Bill James's-inspired theories are correct, the size of a team's budget is fairly irrelevant. If the New York Yankees changed their playing philosophy, they could still use their money to buy the players with the highest on base percentage and the pitchers with the highest strike outs to walks ratios and who give up few home runs. Budget really is quite irrelevant to all the central points of the book. And to test out the theories about how to win a baseball game requires more test cases than merely the Oakland A's. Myself, I do believe the theories are sound. The 2003 Toronto team has built its team around many of the same ideas. All their hitters work pitchers deep into the count, take a lot of walks, have solid on base percentages, and have some power. The Boston Red Sox seem to be trying out some of these ideas. Personally, I think focusing on the Oakland A's is a misleading error. The confusion at the heart of Lewis's book is confusing a strategic approach to baseball with the entirely separate issue of Oakland's tight budget. The latter merely masks the more important story. Moreover, budgetary concerns are highly contingent. If all the teams in baseball were to adopt a team policy of building their teams around players with some power who had high on base percentages, this will in turn effect the pricing of players. It is a mere coincidence right now that some of the players Beane's regards highly are not desired by others. Besides, even Beane acknowledges the greatness of players like Giambi and Bonds. Nonetheless, for those unfamiliar with these alternative ways of valuing ballplayers, this is a great introduction. Just take all the Billy Beane obsessiveness with a container of salt. And remember that it is just an accident that money is a factor in this story at all. That will change as soon as the rest of baseball changes its thinking about the nature of the game.
Rating:
Summary: Rethink What You Know About Baseball
Review: Lewis' account of the Oakland A's during a few years in the late 1990s when Billy Beane was their General Manager is a good look inside the strategy of baseball. How do teams select players, which players will be most effective over their careers, and what player traits lead to victories? These are the questions that Billy Beane has considered and reconsidered since he took over the helm of the low-budget Oakland team and found himself competing against teams like the New York Yankees, who could spend three times as much on player salaries. Through heresies like reading the number-crunching of Bill James drafting fat ballplayers, and worrying more about On Base Average than fielding skills, Beane both outrages the baseball establishment and builds successful teams that make the playoffs and stay on budget. This is a good book. You may not agree with Beane's strategy -in fact, that's precisely the point- but the book is well-researched and well-written. Lewis has done his homework. I only wish he'd talked to more people who disagree with Beane's approach. Over and over we read that Beane is an innovative genius with a Midas touch, but we never read any of the arguments against his strategy. A bit more balance would have been nice. But overall, this is good reading for the serious baseball fan.
Rating:
Summary: On The Money
Review: I have been a baseball fan all my life. I have never read a better book on the business of baseball. If you have wondered why the Oakland A's seem to keep uncovering new talent to replace that which they lose to free agency - READ THIS BOOK! Michael Lewis does more than explain this phenomenon he tells a compelling story. The book is well investigated and extremely well written. This book makes so, so much sense. THIS IS A MUST READ FOR ANY SPORTS FAN.
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