Big Bad Baseball Annual 2000

Rating:
Summary: A New Language: Rotisserie-Speak
Review: A lot more self-indulgence than previous editions. Too often, BBBA tries to dazzle with numbers but is increasingly harder to read each year. What made Bill James successful was that he used to be a good writer, too. You do get a lot more information that you don't get elsewhere but much of that information is not useful. BBBA should get back to basics. You can crunch numbers any way you want to to prove a point but I feel that the authors are hanging around rotisserie leagues and sabrematricians too much and getting a bit out of touch with the real world. It almost feels as if they are now writing in rotisserie-speak. They need to get back to basics and re-read old editions of BBBA or Bill James' Baseball Abstract or even the STATS Inc books. The older editions of this book were ***** affairs but it seems that the book is now aimed at fellow number crunchers and not for the fans anymore.

Rating:
Summary: big and bad are correct
Review: As a baseball fan who reads any book of analysis I can find, I eagerly awaited this year's BBBA. I was extremely disappointed that the editors found it necessary to go into childish tirades against their competition

I usually don't wallow thru all the stats that the BBBA folks put out as I enjoy the commentary more. However, since the commentary was more in the line of sophmoric back slapping and finger pointing, I thought I'd study the stats more carefully.

The BBBA folks will tell that they are right. I did find much of their analysis to countradict their competitors. While I don't know who is right or wrong, a least let me decide as to which information I find more useful, don't tell me.

I especially found the attacks on Bill James to be curious. Bill James started the revolution on baseball anyalsis, in essence giving these insolent writers their start. If you don't agree with him, just write it, don't rip him.

I won't spend another penny on the folks from BBBA.

Rating:
Summary: This ship has sunk
Review: There are about four writers worth reading in this enterprise. Unhappily none of them has his name on the masthead. Figure it out, you four guys. Dump the captain and his surly and silly chief officers and form your own crew. You know and care about the game. Your bosses don't have a clue.