Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game | Michael Lewis

Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game | Michael Lewis | Third party author with a message

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Moneyball: The Art...

	Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game Michael Lewis W. W. Norton & Company, 2004 - 320 pages average customer review:based on 382 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Beane Ball

I thought I knew baseball, but it's a new day, baby. Moneyball is actually the biography of one Billy Beane, a former major leaguer and now General Manager of the Oakland Athletics.

The new baseball is a game of numbers where statistics like stolen bases and home runs, don't matter as much as on-base percentage. The title is misleading. Baseball is becoming more of a science than an art.

As a result of Moneyball, nearly every major league baseball team now employs a full-time actuary. The book is an easy read and won't overwhelm you with statistics.

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What a great book. Michael Lewis really put the picture together. Game and who PLAYS it.

Great Book - Even if you don't care much for baseball

Moneyball made me more interested in baseball. Part of the reason I hadn't appreciated baseball was due to the fact that it always seemed like big market teams can buy championships. While that still remains true to a point, this book sheds light on what it takes to win baseball games, and that the statistics historically used aren't necessarily indicative of the value of a player. There are lots of lessons to be learned, but the book itself is an entertaining read. If you are a fan of business, value, statistics, or baseball, I can't recommend this book enough.

Also, if you are reading this review, you should read Michael's masterpiece, Liars Poker.

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Well-written, engrossing read.

An excellent, well-written book examining the use of statistics and analysis to create a winning, baseball team with the smallest possible salary. Michael Lewis is an anomaly, for he is able to deftly weave personal history and technical insight to create an intellectually and emotionally engrossing read. Any lover of baseball, business analysis, or economics will love this book.

GREAT analysis of stats in an unusual place

As a long time baseball fan, I have been a keen follower of how the Oakland A's have consistently been so good despite having an incredibly small payroll while big-spending teams like the Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles consistently flounder. This book helped me understand why.

The use of statistics to predict future behavior is not a new practice. Hedge fund models use these statistics every day. Moneyball shows how statistics can be used in the most unusual places.

One thing that befuddled me throughout the entire book was how a sport so in love with statistics did not use statistics to judge and select players for teams. I know Lewis "fell in love" with the story, but the story is still a good one. How could so many teams consistently spend so much money for such poor results while the A's won on a comparative shoestring budget? The sports world is the greatest example of imitation in the world, but no one seemed to bother benchmarking how the A's won so efficiently.

As for the story, it moves very quickly. Lewis does a good job of explaining the history of sabermetrics and showing how Billy Beane learned from the writings of Bill James. The interplay between the A's "old-school" scouts and the "quant jocks" like Beane and Paul DePodesta shows how hard it was for the quants to gain acceptance.

Baseball is the ultimate endurance test, and 162 games usually shows the true nature of teams and systems. If you are a sports fan with an understanding of business, you'll be able to understand how the use of statistics in baseball can be applied to other business settings. If you know business but have a passing interest in sports, you'll wonder why more teams didn't try the A's approach. If you are a fan of both sports and business, you'll make the connection. All in all, a fantastic and enlightening read.

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